Busy Day For The Pirates

Keeping Up With The Jones’

The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Brandon Jones off waivers from the Atlanta Braves.  Brandon Jones was DFA’ed when the Braves signed Eric Hinske.  A scouting report on Brandon Jones can be found here, and stats can be found here.

BTW Take:

Jones was dropped repeatedly by the Braves in the depth chart regardless of his readiness due to experienced players being brought into the organization.  He is an athletic and highly touted player much in the mold of many of the outfielders Huntington has acquired in his tenure.  His defense is above average and he is said to have an above average arm in the outfield.  His bat is said to be MLB ready.

While there was speculation a trade was imminent another roster move was made…

 

Steven Jackson DFA’ed

In a less than expected move, but not quite shocking, Steven Jackson was DFA’ed to make room for Jones on the 40 man roster.

BTW Take:

With the number of relievers, quality relievers at that, still available via free agency, moving Jackson off the 40 man roster should not be a surprise.  While Jackson will likely garner some attention, he has a good chance of clearing waivers when similar pitchers are still available and willing to agree to a minor league contract that does not tie up a 40 man roster slot.

When pitchers like Brian Bass and D.J. Carrasco sign minor league deals, the odds another team would take Jackson on a waiver claim seems much slimmer to me.

It is a gamble, but I would call it a calculated risk that Huntington is taking.

 

No Arbitration Hearing For Duke

The Pirates and Zach Duke avoided arbitration by agreeing to a 1 year contract valued at $4.3 M.

BTW Take:

No surprise on a 1 year deal as is customary when dealing with arbitration.  Duke was in his 2nd year of arbitration with one more remaining after this coming season. 

 

What Does This All Mean?  And Thanks For All The Fish.

I believe Jeff Clement will not be on the Opening Day roster with Pittsburgh.  It seems the recent moves point towards the Pirates wanting Clement to get a little more time playing first base in AAA before he takes the field for the Pirates at the MLB level.

With the number of outfielders on the roster, Garrett Jones can resume play at his natural position of first base.  The athleticism in the outfield with the additions of Ryan Church, Brandon Jones and rule 5 pick John Raynor.  Add those names with Young and Moss, and there isn’t much room on the 25 man roster for Clement, Garrett Jones and Steve Pearce.

It has been an interesting offseason so far, but I feel there is yet more to come after the Dotel signing is finalized.

Would the Pirates be daring enough, bold enough, even crazy enough to make a free agent signing that could spur them into the discussion for one of the most improved teams of the offseason?  Would the Pirates be willing to sign an ace?  Yes I am talking about Ben Sheets. 

Why would he sign with the Pirates and why would they try to sign him?

For Sheets:

First, the Pirates can guarantee Sheets has the chance to be on a contending team by years end.  If/when the Pirates are out of it come the trade deadline, they can move him to a contender.

Second, Sheets would have the opportunity to prove he is still ace quality and earn a large payday after the season while pitching in a less stressful environment for most of the season.  Think of it as a minor league rehab assignment while collecting a MLB paycheck and pitching against MLB hitters.

Third, if he led a staff that ended the longest losing season streak in pro sports history, he would automatically be enshrined in the Pirates Hall of Fame and become a legend in the city of Pittsburgh.

Forth, the opportunity to work with the legendary Dave Kerwin and stick it to the Brewers.

For the Pirates:

First, Sheets would provide a true ace on the staff and set up a very nice rotation of Sheets, Maholm, Ohlendorf and Duke. 

Second, it would add a player who could be traded at the deadline for a bounty of prospects or be kept and land a first round pick as a type A free agent.

Third, a signing of Sheets would raise the Pirates payroll and keep the dogs of the union and the commissioners office off the trail of not spending revenue sharing.  The Pirates do have a sizeable amount of cash still available under their self imposed salary cap they could use to lure Sheets to Pittsburgh.

Forth, it would give the fans a sense the Pirates want to win.

Will it happen, no.  Should it happen?  I believe yes.  It is a gamble considering his history of injury problems, but Huntington seems to be a gambling man based on his history of acquisitions.

 

Update: I forgot one Item

KDKA-FM as reported by the Post-Gazette.

A Few Promising Things

I am not trying to drink the Kool-Aid. I am not saying this team will contend.

What I am saying, even with a four game losing streak, there is still a few things to believe as promising.

Even with Maholm having a bad outing, he never should have started his last inning, Maholm still fought and had his team in a position to win when he was finally removed.

The night before, the Pirates battled back to tie the game at five before the bullpen imploded.

Snell pitched very well, being out dueled in Wednesdays game.

Duke has continued to shine.

The pitching staff still lead the NL in ERA at the end of April, a five pretty good teams in Pittsburgh Pirates history did the same. So there is some hope with the pitching staff.

There are plenty of reasons to think this staff has at least 3 legitimate pitchers at the top of the rotation.

Ohlendorf and Karstens, they have even looked good at time.  They are both filling their roles in the rotation the way they should as forth and fifth starters.  The way they have pitched, many teams would take that production from the 4 and 5 spots.

The Pirates offense has not been as outstanding the last 22 innings, but slumps can be expected on any team. 

The best part of this 4 game skid...The Pirates are still at .500 on the season.  As long as the team can get this skid under control, and soon, there is still plenty of reasons to think this team might break the streak.  The key to breaking the streak, the pitching must maintain what they are doing. 

The starting rotation needs to keep from pushing, thinking they need to go 7 or 8 innings scoreless.  The only way that mind set is avoided...the offense needs to step it up and soon.

Injuries:

Jaramillo has stepped in nicely to fill the mitt behind the plate after Doumit went down with a wrist injury.  He has hit better than expected and has provided a little better defense behind the dish.  While Doumit's bat is missed, his glove has been more than adequately replaced.

Bixler has provided solid play at short with Jack Wilson on the DL.  His bat has yet to fully translate to MLB levels, but his defense has been solid. 

The loss of McLouth for 6 games did not help the offense.  Morgan has continued to play well, when not getting picked off when on base. 

The problem for the Pirates right now, they can't afford any more key injuries.  The depth still is not where Huntington would like it to be.  Luckily, the injuries have happened at positions where adequate players were waiting in the wings. 

If the Pirates take a hit in the starting rotation, that could doom the team to that record breaking season of 17. 

Brother In Arms:

I am formally retiring the Lil and Big LaWhiff titles.  Both brothers are playing well.  Andy has recovered from one of the ugliest starts of a season I have ever seen a player have.  His glove has been solid and his bat has translated enough to show he is ready to be the everyday third baseman until a certain someone arrives.

Adam is being 2nd half Adam in the first half.  If he can keep this up the whole season, he has a good shot at 35 HR's this season.  A nice change for a lineup that hasn't had much pop since the early 90's.

 

Game Thread:

The game thread may be up late again today.  Too many things to do and I am still tweaking the new Netbook.

BTW News, Pirates 2009, New Young Buc

Ahhh!

Yesterday, my youngest son had surgery to remove adenoids and to have tubes put in his ears.  Everything went well and he is doing very well.  As a parent you have a tendency to be distracted when your child is about to have an operation, no matter how minor.  Just the thought of your child going under is a scary proposition, no matter how many times you have been through it.  Needless to say, holding him in the recovery room made a huge weight be lifted from my mind.

 

Pirates 2009:

While sitting in recovery holding Nicky as he slept, my mind started wandering back to baseball and the Pirates.  The 4-3 start to the 2009 season is a good thing, like that is breaking news. 

My biggest interest going forward is what will happen first.

You see, I have a belief that it is easier to stay above .500 than it is to get back to .500.  When trying to recover lost ground, teams always seem to press because of a tangible goal of .500.  When a team gets close, then fails, the pressure keeps building.

Failing to reach .500 for a young team, such as the Pirates, seems to always have a snowball affect, more like an avalanche.  When they get close but come a win or two away from the mark, as we have seen a few times in the last 16 years, the team seems to always have that losing streak right then.

A team that is over .500 can endure a losing streak and still not worry of a tangible goal they are failing to achieve, as long as they stay above .500.

So what I am looking for is what happens first.  Do the Pirates have a long winning streak or long losing streak?  If they can attain a long winning streak first, that will go a long way towards breaking the 16 year spiral we as fans have endured.

As for players so far, here are a few things I have noticed:

• Brandon Moss seems to be a little faster than last year, I have been impressed with the speed he has shown so far.  While not blazing speed, he has been impressive none the less.
• Staying with Moss, he has yet to earn a RBI.  A somewhat distressing fact.
• Was I wrong on Nyjer Morgan?  He has been a catalyst for this team with the bat and with his speed and toughness.  He is doing a lot of little things right that have plagued him in the past.  A couple example are breaking up a double play to keep the inning going just prior to Doumit's grand slam.  Another example was taking out the catcher on an excellent hip check from his youth.  While he didn't need to make contact, the play was closer than it appeared as the ball was on it's way home.
• Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson both look like they want to stay in Pittsburgh.  Each has been fantastic, maybe no more so than the fantastic double play they turned against the Reds.
• Zach Duke looks as if he has turned back the clock, or at least hit the same point that Maholm did a year and a half ago.  He seems to be trusting his pitches again and is pitching to all parts of the plate.
• With Maholm, Duke and Ohlendorf all pitching well, getting Snell to stay in a groove rather than grooving too many pitches will be a big hurdle for Russell and Kerrigan to clear.  If Snell finds himself again, the bullpen may not be an issue as they will not be used often.

I fear the warm and fuzzy sensation I have been having about the Pirates, too many times in has turned into a stomach virus the last 16 years.

 

New Young Buc:

The Pirates have acquired Delwyn Young from the Dodgers for two PTBNL.  Look for Luis Cruz to be demoted after Young arrives in Pittsburgh.  Young will likely be used as a utility player who can play outfield and most infield positions save 1B.

BTW Take:

Cruz was on the roster due to Bixler becoming a prospect again in spring training.   This move allows the Pirates to have a bat on the bench, rather than just a glove.  It doesn't make perfect sense, since Young has not played 2B in two years. 

Rumor

I am still working on details, but here is the latest rumor I have heard from multiple sources.  The Pirates are not satisfied with the starting rotation, as if that is a surprise.

What is surprising?

The Pirates may be close to acquiring a starting pitcher.  Details are fuzzy, but all the rumors surround Huntington and crew not wanting to break camp with Karstens as the fifth starter. 

According to sources, the Pirates have all but locked in on four starters: Maholm, Snell, Duke and Ohlendorf.  While the team is satisfied with what Ohlendorf has shown so far this spring, they are looking at him as a fifth starter solution. 

Huntington is pressing to land another starter before spring training is too far along to allow Russell and Kerrigan a chance to get a good read on the addition.

The possible acquisitions seem endless but the acquisition is not believed to be a free agent pitcher, unless the pitcher is waived or claimed in the coming days.

As I find out more, I will pass on any details.  Hopefully someone with closer sources on the team can verify the rumor.

 

Apologies:

I had a brain fart as I was writing this and spelled Joe Kerrigan's last name Kerrington.  Sorry Joe.  It is corrected now.

Random Spring Madness

Beating the rush to March Madness, I am going to run with some Random Madness...

Starting Rotation:

Right now, the starting rotation looks to have 4 members in Maholm, Snell, Ohlendorf and Duke.  The 5th starter is a pretty ugly battle, but one that Dan McCutchen may be winning.  He has been far from dominant, but he has limited the hits and performed at an adequate rate for a 5th starter.  While his 5.40 ERA is nothing to be proud of, he is showing more than Karstens or Gorzelanny.  Barthmaier has all but sealed a trip to Indianapolis.

The telltale of the whole 5th starter battle should clear up in the coming weeks, whoever gets the bulk of the innings among McCutchen, Gorzelanny and Karstens in the coming weeks will be the winner of the battle. 

Regardless of the winner, when Dumatrait is deemed healthy and his arm strength is back, look for him to step into the rotation immediately unless one of the three start to show something near adequate value.  I'd expect at least one game in the next two weeks to showcase all three pitching.

Then there is always Pedro, Martinez not Alvarez.

Houston, We Have A Problem:

Houston is 1-11 in spring ball.  The question here is simple.  How bad will they be in 2009?  From all reports across the land, they are looking to shed salary and have a farm system that would make Dave Littlefield proud.

If they simply do salary dumps, they could be headed towards breaking the Pirate soon to be record for losing seasons.  There is not much help on the way either.  If they can rebuild the farm with trades of their current talent, the Pirates record will be safe.  I am interested in seeing if they pull a Aramis Ramirez style trade for Lee, or if they hold out for talent in return.

It should make for an interesting start to the season if the Astros dump players.

BTW March Madness:

The time is coming for March Madness.  As in past years, I will be running a March Madness Pool.  If there is a prize, it is yet to be determined, I will have the info up when the link is posted.  I will have the link up in a couple days, or sooner if I find time tonight.  Plan on joining other BTW readers, The Buccos Forum regulars and random bloggers from around the interweb in an intense battle for March Madness Supremacy!!!

 

Here is the Link:

http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/register/joinprivategroup_assign_team?GID=59773&P=pirates

 

IF it requests a password: pirates

 

More info coming.

Huntington Interview on Stern and Kennedy - Part 2

This is the second part if Neal Huntington’s interview on Stern and Kennedy. Stern and Kennedy can be heard on XM 175 (Sirius 210) MLB Home Plate. The interview was recorded Friday, January 30th.

The first part of the interview can be read here.

Stern:
Neal, you talk about the fans, obviously Kevin and I, and anyone who works in talk radio, we feel the pulse from the fans as well as anybody. And Pirate fans are certainly alive and well. Between that stadium and that city, a ton of passion and a lot of reasons to want to get excited and get behind the team. When you first came onboard and you started to feel the pulse of this city. How much of this is about wanting to bring a winner back to the city of Pittsburgh?

Huntington:
Well, it is why we do this. We do this to build a winner. To win championships. To work with great people. And to work towards that common goal of winning. As I got more familiar with the people of Pittsburgh, I knew from the outside looking in that it was a passionate sports town. But I had no idea. You look at Pitt basketball, the Steelers and Penguins. And there's three teams here in one city being very successful and the support for them each individually is tremendous. If we go back to a couple series over the course of the summer, we were playing well. The place was packed for the Yankees series. Which I know it is packed everywhere for the Yankees series. But you feel the electricity. We're playing relatively, unfortunately for us right now, meaningless games in September. And we spark a rally and we come from behind 4-2. And the people in the stands are cheering. And they are excited about the game.

So, the passion is still here. They want to win, and they tell me every single day that it is time for a winner. And that is what we work towards. That is why we wake up and we are definitely moving in that direction.

Kennedy:
What is the pulse of the fans...with what you have done this winter?

Huntington:
They have really liked that we have gotten Ryan Doumit and Paul Maholm signed to multi-year deals that put us in a position to build around them. We know what that is going to cost us. So now we can put pieces in place around them to make us a better and deeper organization.
Obviously we want the same thing with Nate McLouth. We are working hard, but we have three more years with Nate even if he chooses to leave via free agency at the end.
They are excited about the direction we are going in. They do understand, but at the same time they are frustrated. They don't feel we have done enough this offseason. They wanted us to go play in the big free agent market and to try and turn this thing around overnight.
Kevin, you know as well as I do, there is no miracle cure for a franchise that has been losing for a long time.

Kennedy:
Yes. Yes. Right.

Huntington:
We are building. We added up our level of talent. We do feel it can happen sooner than later. You look at what the Twins did last year. We have a ways to go talent wise. We do have some good talent here.
Joe Kerrington coming in to help our young pitchers. We think that will help make us better on the mound.
Perry Hill's going to make us better defensively.
Donnie Long, in his second year, is going to make us better.
We have some young players that are learning and developing. Our veteran players need to go out and do what they are capable of. They need to not be tough in April and May. We need to come out of the gates and we need to swing the bats and play the game well with our veterans. And the guys who broke out last year we need to keep moving and getting better.

BTW Take:

“Our veteran players need to go out and do what they are capable of. They need to not be tough in April and May.”

I think this sentence was a message to a certain first baseman.

Overall, there are quite a few comments I like, maybe none more than the one I have already mentioned. I think NH is calling out the players as well as putting the pressure on the coaching staff to turn this around. He wants to see actual improvements in the team, not the perceived improvements the last regime imagined.

Huntington’s comments stay consistent with the accountability stance ownership and management has been preaching. However, I fear they are putting too much faith in coaching to improve a recognized lack of talent.

I will work on getting more scribbled down and post it as I get it completed, it will likely be 4 parts. Check back tomorrow, hopefully I will have some more of the transcription completed. Unless I get a message from XM to cease and desist.

By no means do I claim this transcript is absolutely accurate. Anyone who has listened to a radio interview knows many sentences run together and the words “and” and “um” are often used.

There is a good discussion started over at The Buccos Forum. Here is a link:

http://www.thebuccosforum.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1233722408

Donate:

I will be walking in the MDA Stride and Ride locally. Please sponsor me in my Stride and Ride Walk for MDA at https://www.joinmda.org/srcoralvilleia09/dharr18. Every dollar is appreciated.

Maholm, Hinske and Beam. Oh My!

 

Maholm:

Maholm signed his 3 year deal, with a 4th year club option, totaling $14.5M in guaranteed money.  The breakout is as follows:

$3.5M 2009 ($1.5M of which is a signing bonus)

$4.5M 2010

$5.75M 2011

$9.75M 2012 club option, escalators could raise the option to 11.05M

A buyout for the option of  $750K.

If the option is exercised, the minimum value of the contact is $23.5M.

BTW Take:

This is another good move by the front office to lock up their perceived core of talent.  Some may point to the fact the Pirates will be losing players after 2011 in addition to having a high turnover each year after that. 

Looking at other teams and sports, this is the way of life in professional sports.  One merely needs to compare the rosters of the Boston Red Sox between their two championship years to see more than half the roster changed between championships. 

The key is to have players ready to step in or be willing to spend on free agents to fill the holes left behind. 

This concept isn’t exclusive to only baseball.  The Steelers have 20 players returning from their Super Bowl XL roster to play this year in Super Bowl XLIII.  That is more than half of the XL team gone in three seasons. 

The key is to replace those players and continue to improve.  With baseball, they have the farm system to fall back on.  Building a good pipeline will help this team remain competitive if they can get to that level to begin with.  

 

Hinske:

Hinske signed a deal worth $1.5M with another $1M in bonuses based on plate appearances.  T.J. Beam was designated for assignment.  If Beam clears waivers, he will be assigned to Indianapolis. 

BTW Take:

Beam will likely be claimed off waivers.  Hinske will be adding depth in the event one of the many young players on the team are injured (Moss) or struggle (Andy LaRoche and Nyger Morgan) or traded (Adam LaRoche).

 

Link:

Here is a link to a very entertaining article on the next Pirate uniform suggestions at our friends front office at We Should Be GM’s:

http://pabaseball.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-pirates-uniforms-to-be-proud-of.html

 

Tomorrow:

Neal Huntington was on MLB Live at MLB Home Plate XM 175.  I will try and get a transcript of the interview up tomorrow.  He had some interesting comments that I want to pass on to my friendly readers.

 

Donate:

I will be walking in the MDA Stride and Ride locally. Please sponsor me in my Stride and Ride Walk for MDA at https://www.joinmda.org/srcoralvilleia09/dharr18.  Every dollar is appreciated.

Maholm and Hinske Agree to Terms

Maholm has agreed to a 3 year deal with a 4th year team option.

Hinske is a one year $1.5M deal.

BTW Take:
Coming soon.

Soon:

I am not sure where a left handed bat fits in a predominately left handed outfield.  This may point to the Pirates, justifiably, not having enough faith in Morgan to handle a full time job in the outfield.  While Morgan takes some of the poorest routes to the ball I have ever seen, he does have the speed to make up for his bad reads on the ball.  Hinske does not have that speed, nor does he make decisively better routes to the ball.  Hinske has to be considered a fallback at 1B, 3B and an occasional outfield start.  The only reason I can see Hinske being valuable is IF Adam LaRoche is soon to be traded.  Hinske has very little value in the outfield outside of a powerful bat against right handed starters.

Paul Maholm, I love the long term deal with a possible option for his first free agent year.  Although financial terms have yet to be announced, I have a feeling it will be a deal that is good for both parties.  Until I see the final numbers I am withholding final judgment until the terms are officially announced.

Donate:

I will be walking in the MDA Stride and Ride locally. Please sponsor me in my Stride and Ride Walk for MDA at https://www.joinmda.org/srcoralvilleia09/dharr18, every dollar is appreciated.

The Pirates Avoid Arbitration With Four Of Six

The Pittsburgh Pirates have avoided salary arbitration by coming to terms with Adam LaRoche ($7.05M), Zach Duke ($2.2M), John Grabow ($2.3M) and Tyler Yates ($1.3M).

The two remaining arbitration eligible players are Nate McLouth and Paul Maholm.  McLouth and Maholm are each asking for $3.8M, while the Pirates submitted $2.75M for McLouth and $2.65M for Maholm. 

BTW Take:

To celebrate his contract signing, Adam LaRoche should purchase Super Bowl tickets for all Pirates bloggers.  If he does have a slow April, I am sure we would all cut him some slack this year.  When you read this Adam, just email me for my mailing address.

The million plus difference in the two remaining cases almost assures the Pirates will be heading to at least one hearing, possibly two. 

 

Slide Note:

Due to a heavy workload, I will not be posting the next part of the Free Agent series for a couple days. 

 

Got A Ticket?:

Anyone who has a spare ticket to the Super Bowl, look no further.  Just email me and I will gladly accept such donations.  :)

Pirates Close To Signing Doumit

According to multiple sources, the Pirates are close to a contract extension with Ryan Doumit.  Some sources believe the signing could happen before Christmas.

Talks with Maholm are preliminary at this time.

Talks with McLouth are not as promising, but they are not dead either.

BTW Take:

While I like Doumit, there really is no surprise he would want to lock down some figures for the rest of his arbitration years.  Considering his injury history, I would not be surprised if a deal is worked out into 2012, his potential first free agency year.  I am sure Ryan would welcome a steady paycheck.

I expect Maholm to follow a similar path as negotiations progress.  With the volatility and injury risk of the position, any pitcher would be wise to take a guaranteed deal through their arbitration years.

As for McLouth, I don't see a deal getting done this Winter.  A signing is a possibility during spring, but not during Hot Stove Season.  Considering he won a Gold Glove and made the All-Star team, the squabbling will likely be over bonus money and rewarding him for a wonderful 2008 season.  The Pirates are looking at McLouth to leadoff in 2009 while McLouth is looking at the numbers he put up in 2008 and wants to be paid accordingly.  This will be a slow process that could become volatile if McLouth is forced into batting leadoff the entire 2009 season, potentially affecting his offensive numbers especially RBI's.  Nate will want the money a 100 RBI guy gets.  A deal will likely happen before the season to protect the Pirates if Nate slides backs down to a middle of the order into an RBI producer position and to protect Nate if he is forced to stay in a leadoff position limiting his RBI potential.

A Wild Thought Looking to 2012

All the anticipation of a Mark Teixeira signing has me thinking.

While listening to an interview on MLB Live (XM 175) during the winter meetings, a key quote came from one of the GM's who were being interviewed.  He made a comment that you aren't building a team for just this coming year, but also building with an eye five years down the road. 

This had my mind wandering with thoughts of what the Pirates moves might mean five years down the road.  None of the recent signings fall under that scenario.  However the rumored discussions going on with McLouth, Doumit and Maholm would at least be looking three or four years in the future.

That lineup in 2012 could have a nucleus of McLouth, McCutchen, Tabata, Alvarez and Doumit.  A few other names could be Sanchez, Andy LaRoche and Walker.  All in all, that seems like a pretty nice lineup to manage.

The rotation in 2012 could consist of Maholm, Gorzelanny, Snell and Bryan Morris and about 10 others to chose from for the remaining spot.

Now the question is, should the Pirates be looking at adding to that lineup now?

Adam LaRoche likely will not be a Pirate beyond 2009. 

In 2012 Alvarez will be manning one of the corner infield positions.  Walker or Andy LaRoche might be manning the other.

Why not make a move to have the veteran centerpiece to the lineup added now?

Teixeira is a rare talent.  Offering a contract to him with an eye to the future could make a nice lineup be formidable.  Obviously there would have to be some sort of out for Teixeira in the event season 20 of losing is looming.  The Pirates would probably like an out too.

Offer Teixeira a $200M 10 year contract with opt outs after year 3 (2012), year 5 (2014) and year 8 (2017).  The Pirates also should receive an opt out after year 5 also.

This would destroy payroll, and could never happen with the somewhere in the range of $50M payroll.  Or could it?

Adam LaRoche will be getting somewhere in the $7-8M range after arbitration.  If that contract was traded, the Pirates still have $12M to pick up.  Ironically there have been many references to the Pirates have $12-15M to spend if the fit is right.

A trade of Jack Wilson would free up some additional room under the estimated payroll.

It seems most of the rotation is already in place.  Why not add the key piece if he would be interested in playing on the east coast, close to where he calls home.  If Teixeira is honestly considering Baltimore or Washington, why not Pittsburgh?  He could be mentioned with Stargell, Clemente, Maz and many other in Pirate lore and be a local hero in a town that follows baseball until Steeler camp opens.  That could change with a player like Teixera on the roster.

A signing like this would sell some tickets in a tough economic time for the Pirates.  Teixeira would be a named face of the team for years to come. 

If LaRoche is not moved?

Teixeira can play third.

Why would Teixeira want to play in Pittsburgh besides being a Pittsburgh hero? 

Take another look at the talent that will be around him in the next couple years.  If $20M isn't enough, the talent that will be coming in the next couple of years could make the decision easier.  He won't be coming into a rebuilding project.  He will be reaping the benefits of coming in at the end of a 16 year rebuilding project.

If Baltimore and Washington are actually part of the discussion, the Pirates have a better future looming based on prospects than Washington.  Baltimore has Weiters and a few other nice prospects similar to the situation the Pirates are in.  My personal biased opinion is the Pirates have better closer than Baltimore.

Another reason, in three years he has an opt out that would likely be a much better market for free agents. 

Why would the Pirates make such a 10 year gamble?

In order for Huntington to build the franchise through trades, there needs to be pieces to trade.  The Pirates could always trade him for a bounty of young talent before year three and further rebuild their minor league system.  Teixeira could be that huge piece, even if he is not in the 2012 lineup.  If he is still here in 2012 and beyond, the Pirates have their new star to hang their hat on.  Not just a nice player hyped by the team as an elite player.

This scenario will never happen, but it is fun to dream isn't it?

Winter Meeting Recap

Thanks to a wonderful site called Woot I have been sidetracked from writing.  Woot was kind enough to have a 3 day Woot-off during the Winter meetings.  Sorry people, my geek life takes precedence occasionally.

Now, onto the recap.

No Mo Ro Pa:

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies swapped catchers.  Ronnie Paulino was sent to the Phillies for a return of Jason Jaramillo.

BTW Take:

Looking at stats alone, it seems Jaramillo has a better eye in the minors based on his walk numbers alone.  Beyond walks, there minor league stats aren't much different. 

The sad think for Ronnie, he went from being a backup catcher to Ryan Doumit to potentially being blocked by Carlos Ruiz and Lou Marson.  People seem to think Paulino is a good hitting catcher.  He never showed a .310 average was in him while playing in the minors.  Remember it took a few injuries to even get a shot in Pittsburgh. 

He was praised for his handling of pitchers, but his defense was lousy and his offense came back to earth after his fluke of a .310 season as a rookie.  A .280 minor league hitter does not turn into a .310 MLB hitter.  Paulino also earned a tag of being lazy, whether he deserved that tag or not is something you can decide.

Jaramillo was considered a top prospect not long ago.  He is only a year younger than Paulino.  This seems to be a trade to grant Paulino his wish of a trade while getting a player back that Russell has managed in the past and was very high on.  More or less, a slacker for a hard worked.

 

Rule 5:

The Pittsburgh Pirates took Donnie Veal in the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft.

In the Minor League portion, the Pirates did something unusual, grabbing players from the Latin Summer Leagues.  The players taken in the Minor League portion are Andres Santos ( 22, New York Yankees) Rafael Quintero (21, Cleveland Indians), Gerardo Esparza (21, Seattle Mariners). The first two were in the DSL, Esparza in Venezuela.

BTW Take:

Veal seems to be a solid pickup.  He has had some tough times over the last 3 years off the diamond.  If he can get his game together, this guy could be a steal.  I found this article on his personal problems over the last 3 years.  He lost both his parents, his mother to cancer and his father to a diving accident.

The minor league pickups I have not found much on, but the fact the Pirates went outside the norm makes these moves even more impressive in a creative kind of way.  Dejan has a nice little write up on this in the PBC Blog, the 6:05 update.

 

Free Agent Signing:

The Pirates are on the verge of signing a 2 year contract with Ramon Vazquez. 

BTW Take:

Everyone seems to think this is a precursor to a Jack Wilson or Freddy Sanchez trade.  I have my doubts.  This has the smell of a move to have an additional option if Andy LaRoche or Neil Walker can't take the Hot Corner.  Vazquez could play third or Freddy could move back to third if both prospects fail to make the grade.  Vazquez has played 255 games at third.

Just because rumors swirl about a Wilson trade doesn't make Vazquez the next shortstop.

 

Bixler a Marlin?:

Rumors swirl about the Marlins being interested in Brian Bixler.

BTW Take:

I'd hate to see Bixler go.  I had the opportunity to see Bixler play in College.  If you asked me to give a CHP (Can He Play) rating, I would say he can play.  I think he struggled with the initial call up.  Don't be surprised if he doesn't perform worlds better in his next call up.

 

McCutchen To Pittsburgh:

In one of Huntington's press meetings, he made a statement McCutchen will "likely" be on the MLB roster sometime in 2009.

BTW Take:

I am anxious to see what he can do.

 

The BIG News:

The Pirates are in discussions to sign extensions with Maholm, McLouth and Doumit.

BTW Take:

McLouth and Maholm make sense.  Doumit scares me with his injury history.  Last season he stayed mostly healthy, but I'd like to see him do it again before dropping a long term deal on him.

Game 122, 16 to 16, No Ollie, Deadline Day

Vitals:

NEW YORK METS (65-56)	RHP MIKE PELFREY (10-8, 4.11 ERA)
PITTSBURGH PIRATES (55-66)	RHP JASON DAVIS (1-1, 1.38 ERA)
Game Time	7:05 EDT
XM	XM 183
TV	FSN

16 to 16:

Let us start the countdown...16 more losses to 16 straight years of losing.  A missed fact about the wonderful Phillies that set the record, they had 1 winning season in a 30 year period. (Hopefully I heard that stat right, I'll investigate and get the answer)

No Ollie:

In the upcoming four game series with the Mets, the will not face Oliver Perez.  Here are the expected starters:

Friday RHP MIKE PELFREY (10-8, 4.11 ERA) vs. RHP JASON DAVIS (1-1, 1.38 ERA)

Saturday RHP Pedro Martinez (3-3, 5.37 ERA) vs. LHP Zach Duke (4-10, 5.10 ERA) FSNP

Sunday LHP Johan Santana (10-7, 2.89 ERA) vs. RHP Jeff Karstens (2-1, 1.23 ERA) FSNP (HD)

Monday John Maine (10-7, 3.97 ERA) vs. LHP Paul Maholm (8-7, 3.69 ERA) NO TV

What can you expect from the Pirates in this series?  

Look for them to take a ton of pitches from the starters in an attempt to get into the woeful Mets bullpen.  If you remember the last series against the Mets, the Pirates ran up a high pitch count on Santana to chase him from the game and feast on the pen.

The Pirates are 11-9 all time in PNC against the Mets. 

The Pirates are 2-1 against the Mets this season.

Look for a series win, and possibly a sweep.  I won't say who sweeps or gets the series win...

Deadline Day:

Well, as the day rolls on, I will post anything I hear on draft deadline signings as I hear them. 

Word is, from the front desk, Scheppers is still in Pittsburgh.

Expect an Alvarez announcement around 11:59:59 PM.

There are 3 other mystery signings that could happen.  One will not be Drew Gagnon.

Burnett:

Sean Burnett has a nice string going.  He has allowed only 3 runs in 10.1 IP since the All-Star break.  He has a 2.16 ERA since June 19th covering 25 innings (6 earned runs).

 

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Trade, Sanchez, LaRoche, Pitching and Game 106

Vitals:

COLORADO ROCKIES (48-58)	RHP Valerio De Los Santos (0-0, 0.00 ERA) 2008 Debut
PITTSBURGH PIRATES (48-57)	RHP IAN SNELL (3-8, 6.10 ERA)
Game Time	7:05 EDT
XM	XM 185
TV	FSN

Trade Comment:

While I have said I like the trade of Marte and Nady and what the return is, I have not gone into why I liked the trade.  Finally I will attempt to put it into words.

What was the one thing that has plagued the Pirates this season?  Anyone would answer that as poor pitching.  More directly, the lack of options in the minors.  This trade brought in two pitchers with some major league experience.  The third pitcher, McCutchen, is one that has all the pitches to be successful and has climbed through the minors in 3 seasons.  McCutchen was drafted at age 23.  Don't take too much out of his first start for the Indians, he drove overnight to get to the game only to find out he would be starting that night.

Add in the fact an outfielder, Tabata, with nearly unlimited potential was in the deal.  The return helps the team now and in the future.

What did we give up in the deal?  An outfielder in  Nady that is in the midst of a career season unlikely to be replicated.  I like Nady, but in all honesty he is a .280 hitter with 15-20 HR power who could play 140 games for the team (knowing his luck with injuries).  He is a useful player on a contending team but he is not a star.  The Pirates will likely see similar numbers from Pearce with better power numbers and hopefully better health. 

Marte has been tabbed as a lefty specialist, although he has performed well against righties this year.  He is a quality reliever, but the Pirates need more quality arms in the system in general, something they did receive in this trade.

In all likelihood this trade has actually helped the team move forward this year and in the future by getting some young talent to Pittsburgh in Pearce and has added depth to a starting rotation that had no options in the Minors to speak of.

What is not to like?  The Yankees acquired a platoon player (for the Yankees) in Nady and a lefty specialist (for the Yankees) in Marte for one of their top position prospects and 3 useful arms.

Overall, I would say the deal is a good one for the Pirates in the long term and helps the Yankees this year and maybe next.

Sanchez and LaRoche Injured:

Doug Mientkiwicz and Chris Gomez will be starting at 1B and 2B tonight against Colorado after both Sanchez and LaRoche injured their backs in the finale against the Padres Sunday.

Maholm:

Paul Maholm matched up well against one of the better pitchers in the National League.  Maholm may not be an ace, but for now he is pitching like one.  Jeff Andrews deserves a lot of credit for his turn around this year, considering the flack he is taking for the performance of the other pitchers.  The flack he is receiving, I feel is unjust. 

Gorzy has hit a sophmore slump.  Both he and Snell were overused last season by Tracy.  This could have been a fun year for Pirates fans, if Tracy and crew knew how to handle a young staff last season.

Davis and Karstens:

Jason Davis has been added to the 25 man roster while JVB has been demoted to Indianapolis and has been placed in their Bullpen.

Jeff Karstens will be taking JVB's spot in the rotation and will start either Friday or Sunday in Chicago.

Links:

Dejan has an article worth reading on the remaining Pirates top 10 Draft picks.  It looks like well over 30 players from this draft could be signed by the August 15th deadline.

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