More Trade News

I was just informed by General Manager Neal Huntington this morning that I cleared waiver and have been traded to Cleveland for a pair of young prospects who type in the mid 90 WPS in the Micro Blogging League.  Bucs Trade Winds will become Tribe Smoke Signals as part of the trade. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Pirates and can see the direction of the team is with younger more inexpensive talent.  I am looking forward to joining my new team but will miss the city of Pittsburgh and it’s fans.

 

P.S.  This is a joke, I ain’t going nowhere.  I was just wondering what 90% of the opening day roster felt like when making their comments.

 

Actual Post:

For more than a week I have been struggling with the Grabow/Gorzelanny trade.  I have been supportive of most of the trades made, but this one completely baffled me.  With no help in the upper levels of the minors, how could Huntington trade the last two left handed options (excluding rule V pick Veal) available who can pitch from the bullpen?  The only answer to this is 2009 is officially a punt.

Trading Grabow made sense, if only because he was scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the year.  Gorzelanny is the one that really sent me into a spiral.  Gorzelanny proved he was back to a MLB level in AAA and his brief call up earlier in the year when he worked from the pen.

I have no answers.

 

Draft Picks Signed:

Left-hander Zack Dodson, the Pirates' fourth-round pick who was committed to Baylor, and Colton Cain, the Pirates’ eighth-round pick who was committed to the University of Texas, signed yesterday.  Both will join the Gulf Coast League followed by the Instructional League.

According to BA: Cain signed at a $1.25 million and Dodson for $600,000.

Eighth-rounder Zack Von Rosenbergun said “he and the Pirates are in daily discussions with barely a week remaining before the deadline.” according to the Post Gazette.

 

BTW Take:

The more the Pirates sign over slot players, the better this years draft looks.  Many of the draftees that have signed over slot were thought to be unsignable by other teams thus dropping their draft stock.  The Pirates have signed at least 3 high school pitchers who would have been drafted in the first round if teams thought they were signable.  I am starting to think Dave Wannstedt should enlist Huntington to his recruiting team.