Ketel Marte’s situation in Arizona has turned into a far bigger mess than anything the Pirates dealt with when Carmen Mlodzinski pushed back earlier this season. But the Diamondbacks’ headache doesn’t make Pittsburgh’s call any less right.
Marte’s latest episode crossed into a different category when he did not report for an August game in Boston and did not properly inform manager Torey Lovullo or the Diamondbacks. Arizona put him on the restricted list, and team president Derrick Hall later called the circumstances around Marte’s absence a “complete mystery.”
Mlodzinski never went that far. He communicated with the Pirates.
That matters. It also doesn’t erase the problem.
Back in May, Pittsburgh pulled Mlodzinski from the rotation after Jared Jones came off the injured list. Mlodzinski had worked 55 innings as a starter and posted a 3.76 ERA, so there was plenty of reason for him to feel like he had earned more time in that role. But the way he responded was not acceptable.
Before he was set to pitch in relief on May 31, Mlodzinski told the Pirates he was not ready to pitch. The club placed him on the restricted list and brought up another reliever instead of trying to get by with a short bullpen.
That’s where the distinction matters. Mlodzinski did talk to the organization, unlike Marte simply not showing up. Still, the larger point remains the same: a player does not get to decide that he is unavailable just because he is unhappy with a role change.
The Pirates were trying to win games. They had a healthy arm on the roster and needed him in the bullpen, and he made himself unavailable right after losing the starting job he wanted. Pittsburgh couldn’t let that slide.
A player can disagree with a decision. He can be frustrated.
He can tell the front office he thinks he deserves another shot. What he can’t do is expect the team to work around his frustration by letting him pick when he wants to do the job he’s been assigned.
That was especially true for a Pirates team trying to establish itself as a contender. The whole thing became even more unnecessary when Mlodzinski returned after one day and accepted the bullpen role anyway.
Afterward, he said that while he would always want to start, “winning games takes precedence.” Pittsburgh could have used that mindset from the start.
Since then, Mlodzinski has moved back and forth between roles as the Pirates have dealt with injuries and rotation changes, including another stretch in relief down the stretch. His willingness to handle those assignments now deserves credit. It also underlines why the Pirates were right to draw a firm line in May.
Marte’s situation is more extreme, especially because Arizona initially didn’t even know why one of its best players was missing. But that doesn’t mean Mlodzinski’s restricted-list stint should be softened into some harmless case of hurt feelings.
He was justified in being upset about losing his rotation spot. He was not justified in making himself unavailable because of it.
For all the criticism Pittsburgh takes on player handling - and plenty of it is earned - this was one time the organization set the right standard.
The manager and the front office decide the role. The player can hate it. If he’s healthy, he still has to be available to pitch.
In Other News...
Pirates Just Got A New Opening In The NL Central Race
The Cardinals September push took a hit when they placed rookie infielder JJ Wetherholt on the 10-day injured list with right wrist tendinitis, a setback for a player who had become one of their more important contributors and a legitimate NL Rookie of the Year candidate. For Pittsburgh, the timing matters because the Pirates are still hanging around in the NL Central race and have spent enough of the season looking up at St. Louis that any disruption in the division picture is worth noticing.
It also comes at a moment when the Pirates could be getting a boost of their own, with Konnor Griffin close to returning from injury. If that happens, Pittsburgh would not only be watching a rival lose a key piece, but potentially adding help at the same time, which is exactly the kind of late-season swing that can keep a clubs playoff hopes alive a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates September Push Rests On Three Slumping Contributors
With 24 games left, the Pirates are entering September with no room for their margin of error to shrink any further. A postseason push is going to depend not just on the usual core carrying the load, but on a few important contributors finding their form again after a rough stretch.
Bryan Reynolds, Mitch Jones and Spencer Horwitz have all been part of the problem in recent months, with Reynolds and Horwitz slipping at the plate and Jones dealing with pitching issues after surgery. If Pittsburgh is going to make the final month interesting, it needs those familiar names to look more like themselves and give the club a much-needed lift when every game starts to feel like a swing game. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Just Addressed Two Thin Spots For The Stretch Run
The final month of the regular season is bringing a little roster housekeeping for Pittsburgh, with the Pirates reaching into Triple-A Indianapolis for left-hander Brandon Eisert and bringing in catcher Christian Bethancourt. Bethancourt was added to both the 28-man and 40-man rosters, giving the club some immediate coverage behind the plate while Eisert provides another bullpen arm as the schedule tightens.
Endy Rodrguezs move from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list opened the necessary space, and it also underscored how thin the catching picture has become. For a team trying to navigate September with limited wiggle room, the additions offer practical depth at two spots that can disappear quickly over a long stretch. [Read more 🡒]