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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Nady and Marte Traded Part Duex, Pearce Recalled, Game 104

Vitals:

SAN DIEGO PADRES (39-65)	RHP JOSH BANKS (2-4, 3.51 ERA)
PITTSBURGH PIRATES (48-55)	RHP JOHN VAN BENSCHOTEN (1-2, 8.27 ERA)
Game Time	7:05 EDT
XM	XM 185
TV	FSN

Nady And Marte to Yankees:

Well, the trade has been finalized, and it looks much better today than yesterday.  Names change and so does the outlook of the future. 

The new players involved are:

Jeff Karstens 25, R/R, RHP

Daniel McCutchen 25, R/R, RHP

Ross Ohlendorf 25, R/R, RHP

Jose Tabata 19, R/R OF

Thanks to Eric for this link to the NY Post article.

No wonder I was receiving so many conflicting reports yesterday, apparently the deal was not done until early today according to Dejan at the PG.

Scout.com has an article up outlining the new players in the Pirates system.

BTW Take:

This deal looks much better, I'll have some scouting reports up later.  McCutchen was considered untouchable over the offseason when teams discussed trades with the Yankees.  Where I was happy with the deal yesterday, I am even more so now.  There are now some power starting pitchers in the Pirates future.

Pearce:

Steve Pearce was recalled today to fill the roster spot left open by Nady.  No official word on who will fill Marte's slot, likely Ohlendorf.

 

 

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Nady and Marte Traded

I am getting conflicting reports, so I'll just say the Yankees are the most common name mentioned. More as I find out.

 

UPDATE: Nady and Marte are heading to the Yankees for 4 players.

Below is a link to each players stats:

Ross Ohlendorf 25, RHP - Was being converted to bullpen before the trade.

George Kontos 23, RHP - Primarily a starter in the minors.

Phil Coke 26, LHP - Primarily a starter in the minors.  (Not considered a top 25 prospect.  Likely nothing more than filler.)

Jose Tabata 19, OF - Soon to be 20, already in AA.  Currently on the DL.

Looking up scouting reports on these guys.  More to come as I find them.

 

UPDATE 2:

PinstripePlus.com has a review of what the Yankees gave up in the trade.

On Jose Tabata:

With an offensive game known more for his ability to hit hard line drives and high batting averages than his developing power, he gives the Pirates a replacement that may not take too long to reach the big leagues.
"Tabata is just special," Yankees hitting coordinator James Rowson said of Tabata. "He's a young hitter but special is just the way to describe him because he can do things that most players can't do.
"He does them and he does them with consistency. He's just that guy, he can hit. There's not much to do with him except toss him some baseballs and let him get after it."

On Phil Coke:

Coke had put together two solid seasons at the high-A level prior to this year but had taken the next step in his development this season after refining a very good breaking ball to go along with a quality changeup and a fastball that had jumped up in velocity to the 91-94 MPH range.

On George Kontos:

Making advancements with his developing changeup and quality big league curveball to go along with his power fastball and power slider, Kontos had 103 strikeouts in nearly 107 innings. His 91-94 MPH fastball that can hit 96 MPH at times and his plus slider makes some scouts believe he could be a nice addition in the back-end of a big league bullpen someday.

On Ross Ohlendorf:

Once a sinker-ball starting pitcher, the Yankees moved him to the bullpen to take advantage of his power arm. Pitching for Triple-A Scranton at the time of the trade, going 1-1 with a 4.03 ERA, he had posted a 6.53 ERA in 25 appearances for the big league club earlier in the season before his demotion in late June.

There is much more on them all in the article.

 

BTW Take:

The more I read, the more I start to like the long term affects of this trade.  Tabata looks to be a very strong addition that could be with the Pirates as soon as 2010 depending on health.

Of the three pitchers, Ohlendorf looks to be the closest to MLB ready, but may be the one with the more limited pitching repertoire.  Kontos and Coke look like the other acquisitions Huntington has made in recent months, hard throwers that could mix in well with the soft tossing rotation we currently have.  Coke scares me being 26 at AA, I need to look a little longer to see if he missed time due to injury.

 

 

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Fruit Baskets, Game 101, D(eal) Day

Snelled Again:
Ian Snell should send Dave Littlefield a nice fruit basket or something. The only thing between Snell and Indy is the fantastic farm system Littlefield assembled. If there was any pitching help in the minors at all, Snell would still be sharing a rotation with Gorzelanny.

Game 101:
What a catch by Nate McLouth in center. With his back to the infield, he caught a tailing fly ball over his shoulder. Too bad ESPN didn't watch the game for a highlight.

Count Down To D(eal) Day:
There are only 7 days until the non-waiver trade deadline. After the first deal, don't be surprised to see Davis added to the 40 man roster. He has been the only reliable pitcher in Indianapolis.
I doubt Marte gets dealt unless two proven prospects are the return. If Huntington can't land something better than the equivalent talent of two late first round picks, the deal would make no sense. That is why the asking price is so high.
I am interested in seeing what Huntington does with Marte more than any other deal.

Game 100, Not So Fast Freddy, Parkersburg, Tigers, Mets and Yankees

Vitals:

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (45-54)	LHP PAUL MAHOLM (6-6, 4.10 ERA) vs. RHP JACK CASSEL (1-0, 6.28 ERA)
HOUSTON ASTROS (46-53)	LHP PAUL MAHOLM (6-6, 4.10 ERA) vs. RHP JACK CASSEL (1-0, 6.28 ERA)
Game Time	8:05 EDT
XM	XM 188
TV	FSN

Not So Fast Freddy:

Was it just me, or during Freddy Sanchez's inside the park home run, I flashed back to Andy Russell returning a turnover back for a 93 yard touchdown against Baltimore in the 75 playoffs where the entire defense was walking next to his run asking for a lateral. That play seemed to last 15 minutes, he could have been called for delay of game.

Parkersburg:

I use to live in Parkersburg, WV from 1995 until 2000. Tonight they are highlighted on ESPN Sports Center as a finalist for Title Town, USA. I am going to beg you all to vote for Parkersburg up to the point they meet Pittsburgh in the voting. Consider this a grass roots movement to help a small town in West Virginia. Voting begins in 2 days at ESPN.com.

Tigers:

Last year Carlos Guillen did not want Jack Wilson as their shortstop, wanting a Gold Glove caliber shortstop if he was to move to 1B/3B. Now, the Tigers are once again looking for a solution at short. Hey Carlos, how do you like him now? Expect the rumors to start again soon.

Mets:

More talk on the Mets front. NJ.com and Newsday are both running articles on the Mets needs and their targeted players. Newsday believes that Bay and Nady are out of the Mets reach. NJ.com thinks the Pirates are playing for a .500 record and doesn't think the Pirates will trade with the Mets because of that. Of course it has nothing to do with the fact the Mets have nothing to deal.

Yankees:

In the same NJ.com article, they mention the Yankees are looking at Marte and Grabow. The nice thing here is Grabow's stock went skyrocketing last night when he saved Burnett's butt after a single and 2 walks loaded the bases with one out in the 6th. Any good game by any player right now boosts their stock, so this is a great thing and great timing by Grabow. Hopefully no one tanks before the deadline.

New Forum (Test):

I am playing with a new forum software, please let me know what you think of the potential new forum. The link is here and a direct link to the Pirates portion is here.

http://bucstradewinds.lefora.com/forum/category/news/page1/

http://bucstradewinds.lefora.com/forum/

Old Forum:

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Optical Illusion, Remember When and Game 98

Vitals:

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (44-53)	LHP ZACH DUKE (4-6, 4.40 ERA)
COLORADO ROCKIES (42-57)	RHP AARON COOK (11-6, 3.57 ERA)
Game Time	3:05 EDT
XM	XM 185
TV	FSN

This Doesn't Look Right:

Maybe this is why Herrera could not focus last night?

From today's Post-Gazette online:

 

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

That picture gives new meaning to "Team Chemistry". 

Remember When:

Remember a couple days ago, my optimism on the Pirates post break schedule.  Remember how I said 10-4 gets them back to .500.  Remember I said the most important thing was avoiding the June/July swoon...

Looks like the swoon is kicking in yet again.  Already 0-3 after the break, if they lose today expect a closed door meeting that will leak to all the news media.

I guess the Pirates are looking at Duke to start a 10 game winning streak...

Herrara-tic:

Herrera is anything but consistent, unless consistently out of control is considered.  I actually held out some hope for him, that was misplaced.  I am still looking for a deal to come down soon that will land a starting pitching prospect that may be able to help the rotation immediately. 

This season has been a real detriment to Jeff Andrews legacy and what he had accomplished in the last few years as a minor league pitching instructor.  Andrews is a much better coach than this pitching staff has shown.  Part of it is due to lack of quality arms.

Links:

A link courtesy of Dejan's PBC Blog on Tony Watson's performance Saturday Night.  Maybe he will get called up for Monday's starts.

Rumor:

The Yankees are stepping up their pursuit of Bay and Nady.  Also mentioned are Grabow and Marte.

From the Star-Ledger:

Minor-league outfielders Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata and pitchers such as Ian Kennedy are names that could be discussed. Melky Cabrera does not interest the Pirates, who have All-Star Nate McLouth in center field.

 

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