Dirty Doug Now Dodger Doug

Doug Mientkiewicz has agreed to a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Hopefully Doug will like La La Land, we'll miss him in Pittsburgh.

 

Rumors:

Rumor has it Will Ohman will be making a decision early next week on which team he will sign with.  No word on if he is still considering the Pirates offer.

 

Last Call:

I will be walking in the MDA Stride and Ride locally February 28th. Please sponsor me in my Stride and Ride Walk for MDA at https://www.joinmda.org/srcoralvilleia09/dharr18. Every dollar is appreciated, if I can get every reader to donate $1, we will be able to help fund valuable research into this disease.  I don't want anyone to feel pressured to donate $20, all I am asking is a $1 donation.  If you feel the need to do more, thank you.  If you can do $1, the appreciation is still the same.

Free Agents Conclusion

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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Rumors on LaRoche, Free Agent Signing, Cuthbert, Boras Fingered and More

A couple rumors from XM MLB Radio (XM 175)

LaRoche:

According to MLB Radio: A rumored trade persists from the West Coast pertaining to an Adam LaRoche to the Giants deal.  Apparently San Francisco is willing to trade Jonathan Sanchez and first baseman Travis Ishikawa for the much scrutinized Pittsburgh Pirate first baseman.

BTW Take:

Sanchez is quite intriguing, but for my money Ishikawa is much more tantalizing to the baseball palette.  If this is an accurate rumor, being a rumor lends to the likelihood being minimal at best, this is a deal Huntington would likely jump at.  Considering the front office denied emphatically any deal was in the works with San Francisco, I highly doubt the is much meat behind the story.  Huntington does not like to divulge anything on deals he is working on, so the denial could still be a cover-up of actual talks.  That is the only reason I have spent any time on this. 

 

Free Agent:

According to MLB Radio: The Pirates are in discussions with free agent outfielder Luis Gonzalez.

BTW Take:

Mientkiewicz is a better fit for the team.  I do not see where a 41 year old outfielder should garner more than a minor league contract.  Gonzalez is outside the "rebuilding" project free agents the Pirates have signed recently like Monroe.  I am not sure I buy this rumor either, but Dejan's comments about a free agent signing coming soon and a name we all know makes me a little nervous this is more than a rumor. 

 

Cuthbert:

Apparently the Pirates are favored to sign a Nicaraguan Prospect League player by the name of Cheslor Cuthbert.  According to the blog post, he will be available to sign come July and is drawing attention from many teams.

http://cardinalsbestnews.blogspot.com/2009/01/updates-out-of-nicaragua.html

Another link from Cardinals Best News has some information on him:

http://cardinalsbestnews.blogspot.com/2008/12/aritcles-on-jem-argenal-cheslor.html

Here is a link to a Google translation of an article about his tryout:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://impreso.elnuevodiario.com.ni/2008/10/19/deportes/87649&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=5&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DCheslor%2BCuthbert%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3D77I

BTW Take:

I know nothing about this player but found it interesting nonetheless.  It looks like the legacy of Roberto Clemente is still paying dividends for the Pirates.  According to the articles, the kid can flat rake.  Big power, especially at a young age.

 

Mayor Retires:

Sean Casey has retired to take on a studio job.

BTW Take:

There are a ton of free agents retiring after seeing what the market has in store for them.  Good luck in the new gig Sean.

 

Boras Fingered:

Scott Boras and his agency have been fingered by Kirk Radomski as being part of the Kevin Brown portion of the Mitchell Report.

From ESPN.com:

Radomski's account says he sent HGH to Brown in the winter of 2003, and several days later discovered a wet overnight shipping package containing $8,000 in cash in the bushes by his house. Radomski says the FedEx account number and return address on the package were from the sports agency of Brown's California-based representative, Scott Boras.

Boras, reached by ESPN.com, says his agency had no connection to the alleged payment.

"The Federal Express package or anything like that, Kevin Brown was asked about it and denied it," Boras says. "The fact of the matter is we obviously give out our Federal Express numbers to a wide number of sources -- team officials, people, clients, that kind of thing -- because we obviously are sending out and mailing back and forth."

Radomski says government agents found FedEx labels from Brown in the raid of his Long Island home, but he was uncertain whether they were in possession of this particular label.

There is much more in the story.

BTW Take:

How sweet would it be to have Boras lose his license over this deal?

 

Delay:

One more days delay on wrapping up the free agency posts.  Once again work has got in the way of blogging.

 

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.

Monroe Invited, Doug In Limbo

Keyston State Monroe-ville

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Neal Huntington lived up to one promise today.  The Pirates have Craig Keyston Monroe coming to camp on a minor league contract.  They also have agreed to a minor league deal with Miguel Perez.

BTW Take:

This lands another catcher into the fold and give the Pirates an outfielder with some pop in his bat.  Monroe is a right handed bat to offset the left handed starting outfield currently in place.  Monroe has enough speed to cover left field in PNC, but his defense is a question to me.  He also has struggled with the bat since 2007.  This is a reclamation project on a 31 year old outfielder.  Hopefully Long can get his bat back in the game.

Perez is likely more minor league roster filler.

 

Doug in Limbo

The Pirates site has an article up on Neal Huntington's lack of communication with Doug Mientkiewicz.

BTW Take:

Doug should be a welcome addition back to the Pirates bench.  Huntington would be a fool not to give him a call just to let him know the Pirates plans.  Better yet, make an offer.  I think Doug would really like to stay in Pittsburgh.

Prospects On The Rise, Other Stuff

First, I would like to pay on my sympathy to the Pirates organization, former teammates and family of Dock Ellis who passed away Friday.  I remember watching him pitch as a young child.  The baseball world lost a valuable member of its family.

Prospects On The Rise:

According to Dejan the Pirates are hoping to start Pedro Alvarez at High A Lynchburg.  Tabata could start in AAA, creating a log jam of center fielders in Indianapolis.  Lincoln and Moskos could be starting in Altoona to start the season as well.

BTW Take:

I hope Coonley and Huntington aren't rushing Pedro too fast to make up for missed time.  Actually it looks like they are moving quite a few prospects up quickly.  This type of expectation reeks of an organization trying to force its hand and show they are improving well before it is time. 

This is a nice change from the Littlefield era where no one seemed to move at all unless they seemingly had been ready to move up for at least half a season.

If Tabata and McCutchen are both in Indy to start the season, look for both to get significant time playing in left as well as center.  With the large size of left in PNC, this season in Indy should tell the team who will be the left fielder of the future for the Pirates.  I would not be surprised to see an outfield of Tabata, McCutchen and McLouth to close out the year in Pittsburgh.

 

Other Stuff:

Another Bucs Outlet:

Another location to follow the Pirates this season, Evan Foley will be covering the Pirates at Study Of Sports.

 

Doug Is A Good Guy:

An interesting quote from Dejan's Hot Stove Report:

"Busiest guy on the phone this winter might be Doug Mientkiewicz, who has made a habit of calling teammates to ensure they are staying in shape. And this is especially noteworthy, considering Mientkiewicz not only is a free agent but also has yet to receive an offer from the Pirates."

BTW Take:

It seems like Doug might return after all, either that or he is just that good of a person.  Doug will be a great manager someday.

 

Free Agent Updates:

No major updates on the Turnbow, Bootcheck, Hairston nor Cabrera fronts.  The Pirates are still believed to be in the running for each player.  There are at least a dozen teams interested in Cabrera.  At least a handful of teams are interested in Hairston and Turnbow.  There are a couple teams interested in Bootcheck, with the Pirates being the closest to signing him at this time.

 

Contract Negotiations:

A contract is expected to be announce with Ryan Doumit early next week, likely before the Christmas to New Years break.  One thing to consider, the Pirates may actually be busy over the holiday break in hopes of landing an extension or minor free agent signing.

 

Minor League Managers Named:

Several coaches and managers were named.  Here is a link to the PG recap of the moves.

Challis, Mientkiewicz and Game 126

Vitals:

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (56-69)	RHP IAN SNELL (4-10, 5.91 ERA)
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (70-57)	RHP BRADEN LOOPER (11-9, 4.07 ERA)
Game Time	8:15 EDT
XM	XM 187
TV	FSN

 

Work:

Work is still hectic.  Things could be much worse, so I will not complain.

Mrs. M:

Best wishes to the Mientkiewicz family and a speedy recover to Jodi after the insertion of a pacemaker.

Sympathy:

John Challis, the Freedom youngster who was manager for the day on June 25th, passed after a bout with cancer.  He affected everyone in the Pirates organization, especially John Russell and Adam LaRoche.  My deepest sympathy goes out to the Challis family for their tragic loss.

 

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Jose Bautista Demoted

Jose Can You See?:
Jose Bautista has been optioned to Indianapolis to clear room for Adam LaRoche to return to the lineup Thursday.

BTW Take:
Bautista likely makes the most sense to be sent down. Doug M. has filled in well at 3B as a sub behind Andy LaRoche. There is an over abundance of outfielders and better options at 2B and SS. Overall, Bautista did not have a place in the field. Depending on who may be retained, Bautista may not receive an arbitration tender in the offseason either.

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Something Fishy, By the Bay, Getting Deep

Something Fishy:

The Sun-Sentinel is "reporting" Ryan Doumit is one of four catchers targeted by the Marlins before the deadline.

BTW Take:

The article mentions the Pirates have Paulino in the minors who was their starting catcher, inferring there is depth in the system.  They also say John Grabow would have to be part of the deal.  Two problems, Paulino (last I checked) was on the DL and working his way back.  Second, Paulino has fallen out of favor with management and coaches. 

Of all the players on the Pirates, the one that is least likely to be moved is Doumit.  He is still controlled for 3 more years, so the Marlins would have to absolutely sell the farm to get him.  I don't see that happening and I do not see Huntington trading away useful parts for the future just for a few more bodies in the minors considering the lack of depth at catcher in the minors.

Doumit does not get moved, at least until he has less that 2 years guaranteed with the team left.  There is no way he is moved before 2010 trade deadline.

Bay By The Bay?:

Dejan reports at the PG that Tampa and other parties are in deep trade talks over Jason Bay.

BTW Take:

Bay to the Rays makes sense for both teams, considering Bay is signed through next season, he is not a rental to Tampa.  Tampa has a DEEP farm.  Perfect match.  Let's see what happens.

It's Getting Deep:

Joe Starkey at the Trib has a good column up on what should happen before the deadline with an excellent quote from Doug Mientkiewicz:

"The franchise has to get deeper," said Mientkiewicz, who has experienced big-league baseball's high-revenue (Boston, New York) and low-revenue (Minnesota, Kansas City) districts. "They have to get a lot more talent in the minor-league system to be competitive. I think we're all seeing now that this franchise is very limited in talent at the higher levels.

"The only way you're going to get better as a big-league team is to get deep in the minor leagues. You have to be 28 to 35 (players) strong in order to be competitive."

"This isn't a one-year project," Mientkiewicz said. "You have to give them time, because the people who were here before were ... "

With that, Mientkiewicz just shook his head...

Quote from a reader:

Understand the concept that the team has to get more prospects. TBay probably is only team right now able to pry Bay. My point is Bay is ONE veteran they should keep, at least until next August because without him, Nate and Doumit become weighted down with expectations. Pirates will not get ANYONE in trade or FA with Bay value and character in next 4-5 years. Tabata may be high ceiling but also very high risk. Pirate fans are so used to seeing players dumped, their mindset has become "let's trade away all our vets and start over". ...that being said, I honestly believe Huntington has had no intention of keeping Bay from day one and he will be dealt today or Wed....this team got an o.K. return for Nady/Marte, but they really could have got more( I live in Trenton area and have seen all 4 play). THey will take less for Bay and 3 years from now, Nate and Doumit will be Bay today. Why? Because look at who Huntington signed and wanted to sign over the winter to long deals...Snell, Sanchez and LaRoche. He is better than Littlefield( who wouldn't be), but his prime evaluations are curious.

Update 5:32:  The above quote is from W.G.

BTW Take:

I won't publish their name, until I get an OK from them...

The Doug M. quote says it all, the system needs to get deeper to get better and stay better.  It is easy for we fans to look at Bay and want to keep him, but that does not make it the right thing for the organization in general.  Huntington needs to plan for the future and turn over every bargaining chip he can to bring water to the desert that is the Pirates minor league system.

Until there is actual talent in all levels of the franchise, there will be no long term sustained success at the major league level.  While I hate comparing to Oakland or Minnesota, they have built their franchises the right way with plenty of depth.  There are few teams the Pirates can be compared to thanks to the ineptitude of the previous front office.  Tampa has taken the right approach by drafting the best available player in the drafts, they are reaping the rewards this season.

If Huntington were to build only through the draft and keep any players of worth to stay mildly competitive, it would take 4-6 more years of losing to rebuild this franchise.  A large part of that would be luck and health as much as it would be talent and homework just to improve in 6 years.  By the time the franchise was rebuilt, Huntington would likely be out of a job.

Live Blog:

I am going to start up a live blog to run through the deadline starting today through after the deadline.  Leave some comments, questions or links in the live blog and I will have them posted as I see them.  As always, I will have the first 10 posters have unmodified posts so they can post any links or comments for trades that may come down the wire before I see them.

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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