Pirates In Talks With Edgar Gonzalez

A special thank you to Josh at Cardinals Best News Links for the news.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in talks with Edgar Gonzalez, translated ESPN Desportes link can be found here.  The soon to be 26 year old right handed pitcher most recently pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2008.  He was primarily a starter in the minors and has had some experience starting, as well as relieving, at the Major League level.  The deal is reported to be for a minor league contract with a spring training invite. 

The article also has some minor information on Sergio Valenzuela, who the Pirates have already invited to minor league camp and could be announced soon, and some quotes from Pirates Scout Jesus Valdez.

BTW Take:

Gonzalez had some very nice minor league numbers that have not yet translated to major league numbers.  He is likely a depth pitcher who is entering his peak years.  This is a pitcher that fans may want to keep an eye on in Indianapolis who has a real chance of getting innings in Pittsburgh before years end.

 

Rumors:

From MLB Trade Rumors:

Braden Looper (34) - Despite interest from the Orioles, Looper prefers the NL.  If the Dodgers sign Randy Wolf, maybe he'll turn to the Pirates.

Pedro Martinez (37) - Pedro intends to showcase himself in the World Baseball Classic.  The Pirates were involved at one point.

And a guy I would like to see the Pirates become interested in...

Chuck James (27) - James, only 27, was non-tendered by the Braves in December.  He had rotator cuff and labrum surgery in September, so he won't be ready until the second half.

More from MLB Trade Rumors:

One assistant GM doesn't think the WBC will be a good gauge for Pedro Martinez's abilities, since he'll be doing short stints.

 

Donate:

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Pittsburgh Pirates Top 20

John Sickels has his Pittsburgh Pirates Top 20 Prospect list out.  Here is the link:

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2009/1/1/706911/pittsburgh-pirates-top-20

 

BTW Take:

I agree with Sickels much more that I do with BP's assessments.

Links And Stuff

Bixler for Andino:

According to Joe Frisaro at MLB.com Hot Stove Blog, the Marlins are still shopping Robert Andino.  The rumor of a Bixler for Andino trade is said to still be in the works according to one MLB source.  Bixler is not identified as the Marlins target but he is speculated.

BTW Take:

Bixler for Andino does not make sense for the Pirates, Bixler still has a few options left while Andino is out of options.  Bixler has better minor league number and has been scouted as a better player.  Andino would have to be on the MLB roster otherwise the Pirates are giving away Bixler.  Bixler struggled in his first MLB action, but one bad stint should not condemn him as trade bait.  I have seen Bixler play in college as well as with the Pirates.  He seemed overwhelmed in 2008 in Pittsburgh, but he will rebound and at least be a viable option at short or second if the Pirates retain him.  Andino seems like a player who would be lost coming out of spring training and amount to nothing more than a poor mans Abe Nunez.

 

Top Prospects:

Baseball Prospectus has released their Pirates top 11 prospects list.  No big surprises, outside of Neal Walker falling to the 8th best prospect for the Pirates.

Charlie at Bucs Dugout has a link to Wilbur Millers Pirates Top 20 and a link to his top prospects.

BTW Take:

Wilbur Miller is by far a good judge of talent and should be a scout for the Pirates, if they were smart.  The interesting thing to note from WM's top 20, 13 of the top 20 are from the new regime.  This is just further proof how lowly DL left the minor league system.

 

Cuban Defectors:

Two Cuban ballplayers defected according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN.com. 

Right-hander Yadel Marti, Cuba's best pitcher in the first World Baseball Classic in 2006, and outfielder Yasser Gomez left the island and are in an unknown location before attempting to reach the Dominican Republic to seek an MLB career, sources told ESPNdeportes.com.

BTW Take:

Both players are believed to be MLB ready.  I point this story out as of interest and worth following since the Pirates have a renewed interest in Latin America.  Rene Gayo is one of the premier scouts in the region and likely has a bead on these two already.  Don't be surprised to hear both names mentioned as being in the Pirates cross hairs in coming weeks and months.  Both players fit the mold of talent the Pirates are looking for.  Gomez, 28, is a speedy outfielder with considerable upside.  Marti, 29, dominated in the most recent WBC posting a 0.00 ERA in 12+ innings. 

These two are not a remake of Yoslan Hererra.  They are legitimate talents with MLB potential.  Herrera was out of baseball for a couple years before the Pirates took a flyer on him.  He lost a lot in those two years with no proven track record.  he was a reach to begin with.

Essentially these are two more potential candidates to add some depth in the organization and improve the overall talent level of the organization.

Expect the Pirates rumored interest to start soon.

 

Turnbow:

Dejan Kovacevic is reporting the Pirates are one of the final three suitors for the services of Derrick Turnbow.

 

BTW Take:

Turnbow is a calculated gamble.  An experience closer who is on the rebound after arm troubles on 2008.  He will be a nice insurance policy in case Capps runs into the injury bug again.  He could also turn the Pirates games into 7 inning contests if he is used as a setup man for Capps, provided Turnbow is healthy and can rebound to 2006 All-Star form.

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.

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 128, 12 Games, Bad Blogger

Vitals:

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (57-70)	LHP ZACH DUKE (4-11, 5.26 ERA)
MILWAUKEE BREWERS (73-55)	RHP DAVE BUSH (7-9, 4.26 ERA)
Game Time	8:05 ET
XM	XM 187
TV	FSN

 

12 Games and Counting:

Only 12 more losses to 16 straight losing seasons....

Bad Blogger:

Work is still taking way too much of my time, damn the need for a paycheck.  Hopefully I will be back to normal posting in the next day or so.  In the meantime, here is something I wrote up as a draft on Tuesday, sorry about the poor formatting and links:

Charlie at Bucs Dugout http://www.bucsdugout.com/2008/8/20/597676/john-sickels-reviews-pirat has a link to John Sickels recap on the Pirates 2008 Prospects.  The grades are from pre-season.  On Sickels Minor League Ball site, he has notes up on each of the prospects.

Players acquired via trade:

2008 John Sickels rankings.
From LA Dodgers: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2008/7/22/576581/los-angeles-dodgers-top-20
2) Andy LaRoche, 3B, Grade A-
NR) Avery Brian Morris, P, NG*

From Boston: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2008/8/15/594345/boston-red-sox-top-20-pros
13) Brandon Moss, OF, Grade C+
14) Craig Hansen, RHP, Grade C+

From Yankees: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2008/8/12/591653/new-york-yankees-top-20-pr
10) Dan McCutchen, RHP, Grade C+
NR) Jeff Karstens, RHP, NG**
NR) Ross Ohlendorf, RHP, NG***
2) Jose Tabata, OF, Grade B+

*Brian Morris was ranked 16 on the Dodgers in 2007 with a C grade, would have been higher if not for Tommy John surgery.
**Karstens did not make the Yankees top 20 in 2007.  http://www.minorleagueball.com/2006/11/21/18409/026
***Ohlendorf was ranked 20 in Arizona's system in 2007 with a C grade.  http://www.minorleagueball.com/2006/12/6/12650/2877
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2006/12/26/161637/88

I joined the new acquisitions with the most recent top 20, here is what it looks like.  New players are placed at the top of their grade group.

Current Top 25 Based On Most Recent Sickels Rating (Excluding 2008 Draft Choices):
1) Andrew McCutchen, OF, Grade A-
2)* Andy LaRoche, 3B, Grade A-
3)* Jose Tabata, OF, Grade B+
4) Steven Pearce, OF-1B, Grade B+
5) Neil Walker, 3B, Grade B
6) Daniel Moskos, LHP, Grade B
7)* Brandon Moss, OF, Grade C+
8)* Craig Hansen, RHP, Grade C+
9)* Dan McCutchen, RHP, Grade C+
10) Brad Lincoln, RHP, Grade C+
11) Brian Bixler, SS, Grade C+
12) Shelby Ford, 2B, Grade C+
13) Duke Welker, RHP, Grade C+
14) Brian Friday, SS, Grade C+
15) Andrew Walker, C, Grade C+
16)* Avery Brian Morris, P, Grade C (2007)
17)* Ross Ohlendorf, RHP, Grade C (2007)
18) Jamie Romak, OF, Grade C
19) Nyjer Morgan, OF, Grade C
20) Brad Corley, OF, Grade C
21) Romulo Sanchez, RHP, Grade C
22) Quincy Latimore, OF, Grade C
23) Marcus Davis, OF, Grade C
24) Tony Watson, LHP, Grade C
25) Jeff Karstens, RHP, NG**

 

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