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?

Pedro The PR Machine

Maybe it is the cynical Pirate fan in me, after 15 years of losing who can blame me, but I am getting the feeling signing Pedro Alvarez was nothing more than Bob Nutting taking an opportunity to improve the people's opinion of him.

Every article I have seen, every interview I have heard has praised Bob Nutting for allowing the Pirates to sign Alvarez.

Yes, Nutting controls the purse strings. He has proved a knack of having the ability to pinch every penny possible.

Why now would he change his ways and allow the baseball people go after the best talent and sign him?

Nutting is a shrewd businessman. He knows his product isn't going to sell in it's current form. He knows nearly every fan blames him and his family for the trials this franchise has endured since their ownership group took control in the 90's.

A mere $6 million investment has put blinders on a majority of the fan base, for at least the short term.

One small investment has restored his public image.

This signing should not restore a fans faith in the franchise and the ownership group. It should merely show fans what should have been happening for 15 years.

Ownership has not changed nor improved. Don't be fooled by one minute before midnight on a deadline day signing. The Nutting's are still part of the worst ownership group in professional sports.

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Trade Deadline Lies

Forgot this in the previous post...

I have followed baseball closely for over 30 years.  One thing I have noticed at every trade deadline, the deals that happen are the ones you don't hear rumors on, much like the Atlanta and Anaheim deal yesterday. 

I have found some rumors are started by the teams in an attempt to gain interest in their players or to get discussions going with other teams.  This is not always the case, but a few GM's have become very skilled at this method of dialogue. 

Just because someone posts a rumor with legitimate sources, but the deal does not happen, doesn't make the rumor any less true than when it was published.

Old News: Jose Castillo, SF Giants

Jose Castillo is now a fish. No, I didn't name a Christmas present Jose, the Marlins signed him this week.

BTW Take:
Jose will likely take over at 3B for the traded Cabrerra. Watch this be Castillo's breakout year, afterall he is just entering his prime years.


SF Giants:
There is a lot of talk recently on how bad last years signing of Zito was. The Giants have an even worse minor league than the Pirates, if you can believe that.

Some are saying that the move made litle sense, since the Giants were not a player away last season and were old. Now they will attempt a youth movement without the young talent to make the move.

Now, I will attempt to defend the move and show why the Giants are in better shape than the Pirates.

Signing Zito, a prominent pitcher, to a long term deal allows the team two roads to travel.

One, they can build arouund Zito and form a solid and experienced staff that will make the team appear competative until they ca build an offense.

Two, the Giants could trade Zito to get a jump start on rebuilding their farm system. Simply look at what the A's got for Haren, trades like that are what gives good GM's mythical status. It was also the type of deal that rebuilds a franchise.

One reason the Pirates will continue to do little more than tread water is the ownerships unwillingness to take a bold move and spend money in free agency for a tradeable commodity.

Rebuilding from within will take longer than anyone is willing to wait if you can not get an influx of talent from outside the draft.

Leave your opinion in the BTW Forum.

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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

At last, my off day look at what has happened since the last off day. Who would have thought I would struggle having only one good?

The Good:
The Pirates had a winning home stand going 4-2. Ideally they should have swept both series, but a winning record at home is better than what they had been doing. Possibly the most encouraging part of the home stand was the performance of Paul Maholm. He seems to have finally found his groove with another good outing this time against the White Sox.

The Bad:
After being hotter than a baked potato and winning player of the week honors, Jason Bay is in a horrendous slump. He has gone 5 for 46 over his last 13 games since being named player of the week.

The only thing worse than Bay's recent struggles is Ian Snell's cooking talents.

The Ugly:
Zach Duke has been bad, but not as bad as the bullpen. Duke had a 3 run lead and was cruising before giving up 5 runs in the 4th of his last outing. The bullpen can't keep a lead in any outing. Thank God for our stellar offense to bail us out.

Editors Note: I just injured my cheek typing that last line, my tongue went straight through it.

If I Were DL?

I'd fire myself.

Beyond that...

Two trades I make this year:

TRADE 1:
Trade Jack Wilson. I want to see what I can get for him. I take the best offer and move on. No this has nothing to do with Castillo making some great plays at SS over the weekend. We all know what Castillo is capable of when he keeps his head in the game.

This has to do with improving the team. Right now we have too many batters that fit the 8 hole perfectly. Jack is one of them.

TRADE 2:
Trade Duffy, McLouth and/or Davis. I have said it before, they are all the same type of player, lots of speed, little on base percentage. Speed does not help if the runners don't get a green light.

You can't have 3 of the same player on the team. Especially if none can handle pinch hitting duties.

Looking to the off-season:
I beg and plead ownership to raise payroll to $70-$75M. I promise I will increase attendance by 1 million and get the team over .500 in 2008.

How do I do that?

First, with the trade of Wilson I get $6M off the payroll.

Second, I have $4M under $50M this season.

Add in the $20M I am banking my career on, I have about $30M to take this team to a level not seen in 16 years.

What scrap heapers do I target, remembering I am DL?

Nope, I target one guy who will put butts in the seats, maybe get a few more female fans to the game. I make the impression of progress. I target A-Rod. This team is one player away from competing in the Comedy Central. Every team but the Pirates has one player that the other team fears.

Stl- Pujols (unless you speak with the Pirates, they fear Eckstein)
Chi - Derrek Lee
Hou - Carlos Lee
Mil - Prince Fielder
Cin - Griffey

The Pirates need a player on or above the same level. A-Rod is the only player that can carry and or turn around this team. We have every complimentary player anyone would want on their team.

With Wilson and Duffy/McLouth/Davis gone. I can play Bautista in CF or 3B, Castillo at SS or 3B and A-Rod where he wants to play.

My negotiation plan:
A-Rod: Dave who?

DL: Littlefield, I GM the Pirates.

A-Rod: Pirates? They play in the Majors? I thought we had a scrimmage against a college team from Pittsburgh the beginning of June?

DL: No, that was our team. But here is my offer. Where do you want to play 3B or SS?

A-Rod: You sure you aren't a college team?

DL: No, we are a MLB franchise. What position?

A-Rod: I love SS, I miss it.

DL: The position is yours.

A-Rod: Junior College?

DL: No, MLB. Here is my offer. I get you out of NY and the media crazies. I pay you $30M a season.

A-Rod: How long?

DL: You name the duration.

A-Rod: Huh? No, how long have you been a MLB franchise?

DL: Over 100 years, now about the contract duration?

A-Rod: 10 years?

DL: Deal.

A-Rod: Huh? No, I was just ordering 10 beers for the strippers, er uh, ladies at the table.

DL: Plus I can guarantee you will be on a contender in 2008. If we are not contending I will trade you for as many prospects as a franchise can send me.

A-Rod: So if you guys are still losers. I get dealt to whoever I want?

DL: Yes.

A-Rod: Let me think about it.

DL:

ESPN: Buster Olney is reporting A-Rod has agreed to return to college and stay in the Yankees organization. Allegedly he is willing to play for their AAAA team in Pittsburgh.

A-Rod: Damn strippers, er uh, ladies on, er, at the table.


BTW DISCLAIMER: I know the above will never happen. But I have been drinking and it is late, so a crazy post is the best I could come up with. Still, would this lineup send fear in the other teams?

Bautista CF
Sanchez 2B
Bay LF
Rodriguez SS
Nady RF
LaRoche 1B
Doumit/Paulino C
Castillo 3B

It is nice to dream sometimes. It is all we Pirates fans have left.

Moves

MOVE 1:
One right move, Cota being designated for assignment, is hopefully the start of some more smart moves. Cota had no place on this team, not anymore. He was an adequate backup when you had a catcher who handled 130+ games a season in Kendall. Cota missed an opportunity when he started last season as the starting catcher.

He blew his chance. Time to move on.

MOVE 2:
Rajai Davis has been recalled and started in CF Tuesday night for the Pirates. He had a rather uneventful night at the plate, 0 for 3 with a walk.

Does this mean Duffy is heading to the bench?

Don't count on it. Duffy has at least 7 of his 9 lives left.

The odd thing I see from Davis joining the team is the glut of speed that could be on the bench any given day. If the occasional outfield of Bay-Nady-Doumit plays, you have 3 speed merchants on the bench in Duffy, Davis and McLouth. All 3 are of the same mold, though McLouth has shown more power.

One of the three must be on the market. It makes no sense having 3 of the same player on the bench. Package one with Cota and DL can add to the middle reliever collection he has managed to stockpile.

MOVE 3:
Capps to closer, Torres to setup. That is until Capps gets his suspension from MLB. Torres is more effective when his arm is falling off. Capps throws strikes. Best move that could be made.

On to moves that need to happen:
Sharpless and Armas to Indy. Recall Kolb and a starter and either JVB or Bullington, since Burnett is on the DL.

What does this do?

First the biggest issue this team is having is in the bullpen, it needs to be solidified. Yes, the bullpen is my target over the offense, blowing 6 games this season at home with a leads is just not acceptable. This team is flirting with .500 if even half of those six are closed out.

As I have mentioned before, JVB would add a bat to the bench as well as an arm. He is a starting pitcher and should remain so. If he succeeds, he will make the rotation pretty strong. If he fails, Kuwata may be available to step into Chacons spot in the pen.

Chacon has done well in his last two starts. The first outing was excellent, but his value is in the pen. I can't help but think Tracy would have gone to Chacon to start the 7th Monday and pinch hit for Maholm in the 6th when the team was being no hit. The outcome of the game could have been much different. A few outings by Sharpless, Bayliss, McLeary, etc. would have likely have been Chacon appearances if he is in the pen.

Armas is a waste in the pen, Tracy won't dare use him in a close game. Bayliss was going to be protected, but has been forced into the heat of battle. Sharpless was to be protected. You can't have 3 pitchers in your pen you can't or don't want to use.

Chacon wants to start, but he also wants to win. His place on this team is in the pen, until someone else shows they can handle his spot as a reliever.

Kolb has been hitting the mid 90's on the gun and pitching well in Indy. He could be a solidifying force in the pen, especially in the late innings.

Back to Kuwata, if he is ready and JVB is pitching well, a move of Duke or Maholm to Indy is a possibility with Chacon returning to the rotation.

Right now I would say Duke would be the leading candidate to head to Indy. Maholm has strung together some good outing in his last 3 starts if he was pulled at the appropriate times. On the other hand Duke is allowing too many hits and is too inconsistent in the zone. Maybe working things out in Indy would help him long term.

This team needs its best arms in the bullpen if it is going to make the .500 mark.

So much to say...

And my ISP is not cooperating. It seems as if Mediacom is having DNS issues. I really hate Mediacom.

It has been an odd week. Work has kept me distracted from blogging, working 10-12 hour days someohow takes away from blogging time. Once again, if some billionaire would like to gift me a couple million, I will gladly focus on this blog more. Paging Mark Cuban. Bill Gates? Anyone!!!

Another option is someone sending me the Powerball numbers before the drawing.

Next, my mother-in-law comes to town. Could it get any better? Save any pity you are feeling, we actually get along well, she is pretty cool, but another distraction that kept me offline.

I guess it could be worse, my name could be Littlefield.

On to the rant

Why isn't Danny Kolb in Pittsburgh? He has been reacquiring his fastball, recently clocked in the mid 90's in Indy. With as poor as the bullpen has been performing, any good arm will do.

What is the sense of keeping Armas in Pittsburgh? He would be better served throwing BP every 5 days in Indy. This work keep his arm "stretched out" and open a spot on the roster for Kolb.

Adam LaRoche has found his bat. Today he hit his 6th (?) HR of the season and is batting well above .200 now. I'd be more accurate, but the ISP sucks!!!! Hard to do research when you have limited access to the internet. Thanks Mediacom.

Freddy is flirting with .300. Jason Bay is over .300 and on a tear. The offense seems to be finding a groove, just as the bull pen turns to bull manure.

Gorzo should be the Pirates All Star rep is there is only one. Bay has earned another trip to the game. Snell deserves a look, too bad the pen has failed him more often than the offense has.

Kuwata-mania is ramping up in Indy. When he is stretched out and has his arm back, expect the Mania to come to Pittsburgh.

Why does Tracy seem to pick the wrong arm so often from the pen? In the last few days I have cringed when Torres, Sharpless and Bayliss have been called on. Each time, the pen has imploded.

Moving Capps to closer was a no-brainer, now if the pen can just get to him we should be in good shape. I think Torres was struggling from having too many days off between appearances. A setup/late inning role is what he is best suited for. Problem is he seems to be having a problem when he pitches back to back days. It seems his pitches are always up when he pitched the night before. Maybe it is just me?

Until I have internet access worth a damn...Later.

Personnel Moves That Cause Rashes - Part 2

Check out these major league moves by the Pirates:

• 5/27/07 Recalled RHP Josh Sharpless from Triple-A Indianapolis; Optioned RHP Brian Rogers to Triple-A Indianapolis.
• 5/22/07 Recalled RHP Brian Rogers from Triple-A Indianapolis.
• 5/20/07 Activated C Humberto Cota from the 15-day disabled list and optioned INF Brad Eldred and RHP Marty McLeary to Triple-A Indianapolis.
• 5/3/07 Placed RHP John Wasdin on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right thumb; recalled RHP Marty McCleary from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Now check out the moves of an actual MLB franchise:

• 5/24/07 Placed LHP Dennys Reyes on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 21, with inflammation in his left shoulder; Purchased the contract of LHP Jason Miller from Triple-A Rochester and transferred INF Alejandro Machado from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list.
• 5/22/07 Placed LHP Glen Perkins on the 15-day disabled list with a mild muscle strain in the back of his left shoulder; Purchased the contract of LHP Carmen Cali from Triple-A Rochester.
• 5/18/07 Recalled RHP Scott Baker from Triple-A Rochester. and optioned 1B Garrett Jones to Rochester.
• 5/16/07 Placed RHP Jesse Crain on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation and recalled RHP Julio DePaula from Triple-A Rochester.
• 5/15/07 Recalled 1B Garrett Jones from Triple-A Rochester.
• 5/13/07 Designated RHP Sidney Ponson for assignment; Sold nonroster LHP Mike Venafro to the Blue Jays.
• 5/11/07 Placed OF Josh Rabe on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 10, with right shoulder inflammation and reinstated OF Lew Ford from his rehab assignment at Triple-A Rochester.
• 5/8/07 Recalled C Chris Heintz from Triple-A Rochester.
• 5/6/07 Placed C Joe Mauer on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left quad.
• 5/1/07 Activated INF Jeff Cirillo from the 15-day disabled list and optioned INF Alexi Casilla to Triple-A Rochester.

Some teams know when to cut their losses.

Minnesota gets rid of Ponson (2-5,6.93 ERA, 1.88 WHIP). The Pirates keep Armas (0-3, 8.19 ERA, 2.09 WHIP) on the 25 man roster.

The Pirates weaken the bullpen by adding Armas to the mix and taking Chacon out of the one spot he is most valuable.

The Pirates march Wasdin, McLeary and Rogers to Pittsburgh then back to Indy. Sharpless is the latest call up. Maybe calling up a starter, cutting Armas and sending Chacon to the pen would be a step forward.

But who am I to second guess Dave Littlefield? It is a hobby I know, but a blind monkey could do the job he has.

Sign the petition if you haven't yet, Sell the Pirates Petition. Tell your friends and neighbors, Email the Pope. Help me get the word out we are tired of these owners and their idea of being competitive.

Personnel Moves That Cause Rashes

I have tried writing this for a few days now, and it still isn't what I want to say, but I have been so focused on getting it right, I haven't posted anything else. So in an attempt to move on, I am posting what I am thinking.

I just do not understand the personnel moves the Pirates are making.

Why would you weaken a decent bullpen by pulling one of the better relievers on the team to move him to the rotation? Yes, I am talking about Chacon.

Not only do you remove a reliable pitcher from the bullpen, you move the worst starter in the Majors to the pen? How is that improving the team? Armas should have been sent down to fix things or he should have been cut.

JVB would have been a nice addition to a team carrying 12 pitchers. With a missing bat from the bench, a bench that supplies little offense, JVB could have been a decent bat added to the bench when he wasn't pitching. Remember the guy was a power hitting position player in college.

Then I look at the new lineup with Duffy batting 2nd. Why would you move one of the weaker bats on the team to 2nd in the order? If there is one player on the team that is a worse fit to bat second than Jack Wilson, it is Duffy.

Duffy doesn't make enough contact to bat second, he can't protect the plate and the runner. The one thing he can do is bunt, which can cause a big inning with an error from a sacrifice bunt.

If Duffy can't lead off, which he doesn't get on base enough to do, then he needs to be moved to the bottom of the order. He hits far too many line drives to be affective in the 2 hole. He will line into countless double plays if Tracy keeps him batting 2nd.

If anything, Duffy should bat 8th with Wilson in the 7th spot. Sanchez has the best bat control on the team, let him bat 2nd.

Act Like an MLB Franchise

May 13th the Minnesota Twins released Sidney Ponson, he was 2-5 with a 6.93 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP.

Tony Armas is 0-3 with a 8.76 ERA and a 2.23 WHIP.

Minnesota is 18-21.

Pittsburgh is 17-22.

Twins ownership is willing to admit when a mistake was made, a sign of excellent leadership.

The Pirates, well it's the Pirates. The furthest they will go is threaten a demotion to the bullpen.

This is just further proof that the poor management/ownership of this franchise is dooming it to continued failure. Until the Pirates are willing to act like a Major League franchise this team will not break its string of mediocrity, more like futility.

I asked myself, "Why would they want to keep Armas around?"

There is only one feasible answer I can come up with, especially knowing this ownership group.

Money.

Armas has a $3 million contract. If they cut Armas and bring up someone from Indy, they will have to pay another $300K or so out on the MLB roster in addition to the guaranteed money Armas gets.

That is the only reason I can think of to keep him around. It is kinda like saying I will keep driving the '82 Cadillac, even though the motor is shot, while having a 2007 model under a cover in the garage.

There is no sense to be made in keeping Armas.

It is time for this franchise to start acting like a MLB franchise and make the hard decisions, hell even making the obvious decisions would be a step in the right direction. If they are not willing to act like a MLB franchise, sell the team to someone who will run it correctly.

"Paging Mark Cuban."

Sign the petition to get the Pirates sold...

http://www.petitiononline.com/sellbucs/petition.html

Just a Rant

The Yankee broadcast team has annoyed me yet again.

No I am not complaining about all things Jeter being great.

I am talking about their utter lack of respect for the Yankees opponents. I understand it is spring training and doing a great deal of homework on the AA groundskeepers kid is a waste of time. All i am asking is at least be familiar with the other teams top prospects.

In one of the outstanding moments in todays 9-1 loss to the Yankees, the Yankees female announcer referred to Bixler as the "Number 1 top of the list A prospects for the Pirates." I know the farm is barren, but at least know who the top 5 prospects are.

I swear we bloggers put far more time and effort into research than these blow hards do. So to repay their fine work, I won't even waste my time to look up their names.

You may wonder why I would listen to the Yankees broadcast? For those of you who don't know me or haven't read my bio I have yet to write, I am a transplanted Pittsburgher living in Iowa. Shame on you for not reading my nonexistent bio!

I purchased an XM Radio subscription just to listen to the Pirates wherever I may be. So far I have really enjoyed listening to other broadcast teams view of the Buccos, fresh insight is always good. At least most of the other broadcast teams I have enjoyed. You know, the ones who take the time to do some homework even if it is spring.

How hard is it to find a top 5 prospect list? I thing 15 top 5 lists have been posted since I began writing this rant.

I could almost write this off as Yankee arrogance. The belief that Jeter is a god and the opponent should be in awe of the Mystique. All should bow down to the all powerful evil empire. The World Series Trophy should be renamed after whoever owns the Yankees that season. You know the arrogance I am speaking of.

Then it happened. They interviewed former Mayor of America Rudy Giuliani. They invited him to spread his campaign over their broadcast by inviting him to follow the team to visit all his campaign spots. It is obvious that everyone listens to the Yankee Broadcast over their home teams broadcast.

What better way to wax political than to speak to America over the Yankee Network?

Yup, it is Yankee arrogance rearing its ugly head again. Is it any wonder why so many people hate the Yankees?

For all the Yankee fans out there who embrace the arrogance, I have two word for ya! Bill Mazeroski!

For those down to earth true baseball fans who love the Yankees but understand them for what they are. I apologize for the previous statement.

There were many more comments that put additional burs in my drawers that I have forgotten, since it has been 7 hours since the game ended and I have simmered down a bit.

I just have one last example of arrogance. In a stretch of stretches, they actually tied Pirates utility man Yurendell DeCaster wearing number 5 immediately to Joe Dimaggio, knowing his history with the Pirates.

One would think a team like the Yankee would have a better broadcast team than this.