Perrotto: Trying to Make Sense of Spencer Horwitz’s Situation

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Spencer Horwitz situation is hard to decipher.

After word leaked on Tuesday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced Wednesday that their new first baseman underwent a procedure on his right wrist and would need six to eight weeks to recover.

That is a blow for the Pirates as Horwitz was their biggest addition during an uninspired offseason. The Pirates gave up a large pitching haul to the Guardians in December to acquire Horwitz, who was shipped from the Toronto Blue Jays to Cleveland to Pittsburgh in the three-team trade.

The Pirates hope Horwitz’s ability to get on base would infuse an offense with a .301 OBP a year ago. They also wish he would stop a revolving door at first base that has been spinning since Josh Bell was traded following the 2020 season.

Yet how much impact Horwitz can make this season is questionable. It seems unlikely he will be ready to play on opening day on March 27. It can take a player a year to recover full strength following wrist/hand/thumb surgery.

What also made things unclear is the announcement did not entirely jibe with what Horwitz told me Wednesday morning before Pirates pitchers and catchers held their first workout of spring training at Pirate City.

Horwitz pointed to a scar in the area between his thumb and index finger where the surgery had been performed. He couldn’t go into detail as he had to attend a meeting.

Not to play doctor but the area Horwitz pointed to is considered the extensor tendon of the thumb.

Thus, it appears Horwitz’s surgery was on his thumb. Again, I’m not a doctor, never played one on television, and am not staying at a Holiday Inn Express here on the Gulf of Mexico/America.
Maybe it’s a matter of semantics.

The Pirates also said Horwitz had “chronic” wrist problems. That leaves general manager Ben Cherington open for criticism. It makes it seem like Cherington didn’t do his due diligence before trading for Horwitz.

Here is Cherington’s explanation of the situation:

“He had some symptoms while he was in Toronto that we knew about and certainly covered that at the time of the trade. Had access to all that information and felt comfortable at the time of the trade that based on the information we had to go forward with the trade.

“And then after the trade and really the first time I heard about it was shortly after PiratesFest (in mid-January), that as he got into his offseason hitting progression he experienced some new symptoms and so after some back and forth and a period of rest we decided to have it checked out again by (hand specialist Thomas Graham) and with a new MRI, Dr. Graham, who had also seen him when he was in Toronto, identified a new injury to the tendon in his right wrist and recommended the procedure.”

Say what you will about Cherington’s performance since taking the job after the 2019 season. He deserves criticism for trades that haven’t worked and the organization’s inability to develop hitters.

However, Cherington doesn’t strike me as haphazard. If anything, he could be accused of being too conservative during the Pirates’ long and frustrating rebuilding process.

Cherington also doesn’t strike me as a liar. I think he’s telling the truth about the situation and not covering for himself.

Cherington paid a steep price for Horwitz, a 27-year-old with just 425 plate appearances in the major leagues. The Pirates gave up Luis Ortiz, a 26-year-old starting pitcher with upside, and two left-handed pitching prospects in Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle. Too steep in my mind.

Yet it’s not fair to criticize Cherington as incompetent and untruthful. However, it is fair to question why he would give up three pitchers for a hitter with a significant medical red flag.