This isn’t the conclusion I was hoping to write, but it looks like the Pirates are close to signing someone. To recap, Huntington is looking for a versatile right handed bat. I guess that makes the next sentences all the more wrong.
The Pirates are in contract discussions with left handed hitting Eric Hinske. Hinske is a corner outfielder/infielder.
The Pirates have also been in touch with Juan Gonzalez. Gonzalez is limited to outfield duty and likely would be better suited to play in the AL this season, for no other reason than his age of 41.
Meanwhile another left handed bat has changed his outlook on free agency.
Bobby Abreu has lowered his asking price to 3 years and $30M. Abreu, 34, is a 20+ HR guy who can play any position in the outfield. He is also a player who will have trade value at the deadline. If the Pirates were willing to go a little over budget, they could have a player to flip for prospects at the deadline. This type of signing would show the fans ownership is willing to fork out some cash and can bring back more prospects later in the season.
Dejan Kovacevic tallied the Pirates payroll to be near $47.9M if the Pirates win both arbitration cases. If they lose both cases, the total would be 50.1M. This would allow the Pirates $4.9M-$7.1M to spend on free agency if they hard capped at $55M. A deal for Abreu might be had at 3 years $24M with incentives to reach $10M a season. The market is prime for a market the size of Pittsburgh to add talent on the cheap. Considering what is being paid to Adam LaRoche, this deal would be a bargain. After the season and LaRoche is off the books, Abreu would eat up what is freed by LaRoche.
If nothing else, it would appease fans that are begging for a real free agent signing while proving ownership isn’t in this for the pocket lining.
Signing the next free agent would also appease fans and fit the description of what is being looked for.
Doug Mientkiewicz is still not mentioned, even though he has proved his versatility to the team. Oh, by the way, he bats right handed.
Some other names to watch for, in some instances again:
Juan Uribe, 28 – Right handed hitting infielder. He could fill in the shoes Jack Wilson will leave behind if traded.
Ty Wiggington, 30 – Right handed hitter who can play LF, RF, 1B, 2B, 3B.
Brad Wilkerson, 31 – Left handed hitting OF, 1B. Injuries are always a concern for him. Has not played in over 140 games since 2005.
One other free agent that will likely be rumored but would not sign with Pittsburgh is Tony Garciaparra. Also known as Nomar. If you live in Boston, it is Nomah.
I maintain the best fit for what the Pirates are looking for is Doug Mientkiewicz. I don’t understand what is going on with the front office when they proclaim they are looking for a versatile, right handed bat to come off the bench and have a player who wants to return that fits the mold to a tee. Someone please explain.
From the pitching side, Pedro Martinez has been mentioned. Look for a John Garland rumor to start in the next few days.
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2 comments:
The Pirates need help, tons of it!
The only way they can get a ton of talent in a semi quick manner is to bring in the occasional player in who will have trade value.
The draft is such a crap shoot, trying to build talent through the draft and Latin America signings only is a recipe for disaster.
The majority of the Pirates top 20 prospect talent has come from Huntington's moves. They need players that are attractive to other teams if he is going to pull in some experienced prospects that are a little easier to grade than kids coming straight from college or high school.
The only way you get players within 2 years of MLB promotion is drafting high and having the players to move to bring in a top 10 prospect in return.
Right now the Pirates lack that appealing player on the roster. There are only 2 maybe 3 players that can return a top 10 talent from another team.
That is why I am frustrated at their unwillingness to dip into the free agency market for more than canon fodder and rejects.
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