Another Trade?

I just received word the Pittsburgh Pirates have been contacted by the Texas Rangers about the availability of a third baseman.  The name given to me was none other than Andy LaRoche.  With the injury to Michael Young for the Rangers and the recent addition of Neil Walker to the the team, this seems like a good possibility.  With the depth the Pirates have at 3B in the system at this time, remembering Pedro Alvarez is close, it will be interesting if anything develops from this inquiry.

BTW Take:

This would not be a surprising move considering the offense that Texas carries.  A lighter hitting 3B with a good to great glove would fill their needs until Young is healthy, estimated to be in two to three weeks.  LaRoche would not be eligible for the post season so he would seem to be a good inexpensive fit for a team rumored to have financial concerns.  Other names thrown around in Internet rumors include Garrett Atkins, Melvin Mora, Troy Glaus and Jamey Carroll.  LaRoche would be by far the least expensive player of the list I have seen.

Monroe is Torqued

Craig Monroe is not happy.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking at a trade with Detroit for Brent Clevlen.  Clevlen, 26 OF, is out of options and may be heading to Pittsburgh.  The Tigers are looking for bench players or bullpen arms.  I wonder if they will take Bautista back?

Monroe needs to be placed on the 25 man roster today or he has the option of opting out.

Report: Breaking Trade News

At first I thought this was some kind of joke, but now I am finding links all across the Internet.  Apparently the Pirates and Blue jays are in serious discussion for a deal sending Roy Halladay to Pittsburgh.

My first link is from our friendly GM's:

Pittsburgh Pirates are apparently in negotiations to acquire Vernon Wells and Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays in the packaged headlined by Jose Tabata.

From a few other sources, we have these comments:

Buccos GM Neal Huntington thinks that with stud ace Halladay and offensive force Wells in tow that the Pirates can contend with the Chicago Cubs for the NL Central and break out of this 16 year losing streak.

And this one:

The Pirates can contend with the Chicago Cubs for the NL Central and break out of this 16 year losing streak.

I am having a hard time believing the deals contents.  One site is claiming McCutchen is actually part of the trade. 

Apparently the deal could be done at some point today.

 

I will try to keep this updated as the day wears on.  Check the comment section for updates, I will be posting from my Black Berry.

Don't Count Your Chickens

Before Jeff Karstens is hatched.

 

According to the PG's Dejan, it looks like Jeff Karstens has secured the 5th starters spot.  But don't bet on that just yet.  Karstens has not been told he has made the team as of this time.

 

There are rumors of a few trades on the wires where the Pirates are looking for starting pitching.  I will post more as I can find out more.  The Pirates are in discussions with as many as 4 teams about possible deals.

 

A list of today's cuts so far:

SP Virgil Vasquez

RP Chris Bootcheck

RP Denny Bautista

RP Jason Davis

OFJeff Salazar

IF Andy Phillips

IF Garrett Jones

C Erik Kratz

 

The 25 man is down to 27, Dumatrait is expected to be placed on the DL which will drop the number to 26.  More to come as the day wears on.  I will be posting from Black Berry the better part of the day.

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.

Ohman, Jaramillo, Steroids

Ohman:

Jerry Crasnick is reporting on ESPN.com that the Pirates are one of three teams who have offered major league contracts to Will Ohman, the other two are the Padres and Marlins.  Ohman plans to continue discussions with three contending teams being the Mets, Dodgers and Phillies.

BTW Take:

While it is nice to know the Pirates have an offer on the table, all three contending teams could still use help in the pen.  One of them will step up and offer a deal to Ohman.  The only chance the Pirates actually have is if the money is so far off that Ohman looks at a deal with the Pirates as nothing more than a preamble to a trade to a contender in June.

 

Jaramillo:

A player happy to come to the Pittsburgh Pirates?  Yes there is such a player.  His name is Jason Jaramillo. 

BTW Take:

While on the surface one would wonder if Jaramillo is destined to pop a drug test, he actually has a lot of reasons to be happy.  He and John Russell have a good history.  He was trapped behind two solid catchers in Philly, much the same as where Ronny Paulino sits now, but now has a chance to make the majors.  He also knows quite a few Pirate players and coach Long.  He feels like he is coming home in a sense.

Jaramillo is a good defensive catcher, a nice alternative to the average at best defensive catcher in Doumit.  Don’t think Jaramillo will take away Doumit’s position, Doumit is a catcher because of his bat which is much better that Jaramillo. 

 

Steroids:

Just like anyone else, I am sick of hearing this story and how everyone wants to hear the other 103 players named.  What does it matter?  It has already been leaked that players were warned of the tests prior to 2003.  It is not hard to “study” for such tests.

If anyone is gullible enough to believe the 104 players who tested positive are the only players to have used?  I have some ocean front property here in Iowa I’d like to sell you.

People are calling for “clean” players to come forward and be “role models” by standing up for clean and fair play.  The name I hear most often is Jeter.  Has anyone considered why Jeter may not step up and do this?  Might he be viewed as a hypocrite the same way A-Rod is being viewed?  Might he be afraid his name will be mentioned in the future on a different report?

The 104 failures are not the only doping cheaters in the history of the game.  Please people, stop acting like this list is the be all end all list of cheaters.  It is merely a start of what is sure to be a long laundry line of dirty laundry to be aired in the coming years. 

There is a reason the 1990-2003 seasons are looked at as the “Steroid Era”. 

This is why I don’t write about steroids.  The more time that passes.  The more players get named.  The important thing is MLB does everything possible to keep the game clean.  Lord knows there are no players in the Hall that have cheated.  Right?  (Sarcasm alert in case you missed it)

 

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.

 

BTW Note:

My wife is having surgery on Tuesday.  I can not guarantee a post Tuesday night, but I have been working on my most challenging piece yet…An optimistic view of the Pirates 2009 season.  Hopefully it will be up soon.

I am also working a new 5 Questions piece that I hope to have up sometime in the next couple weeks.  I am getting the questions together and hope to have them sent out sometime this week.  Thanks to the surprise 5 Question target.

Pirates Set Sites On Abreu, Links

Pirates Set Sites On Abreu, Kinda:

According to Jon Heyman, the Pittsburgh Pirates are one of five teams interested in Bobby Abreu.

However…

MLB Trade Rumors has a series of links pointing to the Angels being close to signing Abreu.  They have opened up a spot on their 40-man roster and it is believed to be for Abreu or Adam Dunn.

Abreu is still looking for a multi-year deal, but the Angels are believed to be offering a one-year contract.

BTW Take:

Abreu is the type of signing that could help the Pirates immensely going forward.  He would be a name player to inspire fans and send the message the team is playing to win in 2009.  (It was hard to type that without some sarcasm seeping through.) He would also fill a pretty decent void on the team, a true number 3 hitter.  Abreu would also be a good fit in right field.

The Pirates would need to offer more cash and a multi-year deal to land him.

A word of advice:  Don’t hold your breath.

 

Links:

A former Pirates name has finally popped into the steroid conversation in relation to the 2003 drug test that has come back to haunt A-Rod and soon 103 other MLB players.

Cory is less than impressed with MLB Front Office Manager.

 

Question:

What MLB player would you love to see named as popping the 2003 steroid test?

For my answer and to make your own call, visit The Buccos Forum and let your voice be heard.

 

Apologies:

Sorry for no post yesterday, one of my 3 year old sons has to get some very painful shots and was not a happy camper.  Dad role still rules over BTW role.

 

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.

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:

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.

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.

 

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.

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.

Long and Mini and More

Long

HeraldNet ran a pretty good article on Pittsburgh Pirate hitting coach Don Long.  The article starts off recapping how long caught half a bat upside his head last season.  After the gruesome details, the article goes on to recap his career and some great advice he received from Lee Elia.

BTW Take:

It is interesting to read how Long took Elia’s advice and has parlayed it into his every day coaching style.  Just reading how Bay reacted to him should explain why he is a good coach.

 

Mini

Dejan Kovacevic, over at the PG, is running some frequent updates from Pirates mini-camp.  He has been updating as need be, which seems to be at least three times a day.

A few highlights include Capps and Gorzy coming to mini-camp in excellent shape.  Maholm is shaping up to be the staff leader.  At least one LaRoche is hitting before June.  Moss took his first hacks in a cage after walking around all day like Pedro Cerano, Major League, with a bat in his hand.  Hopefully he was not cursing Jobu for not helping him hit breaking balls and hopefully no one sacrificed any live chickens.

BTW Take:

When Dejan took over the Pirates beat a couple years ago, I cringed.  I really did not enjoy his coverage of the Penguins.  Why?  I do not remember.  But as the Pirates beat writer, he has been fantastic and has really grown on me.  The guy seems to never sleep and it is fantastic actually getting so much Pirates info year round.  I always liked Paul Meyer, but Dejan is an old school baseball reporter.  I can imagine him in a hat with his press badge gnawing on a day old cigar.  Thanks DK, you truly are a bright spot for a desolate franchise.  The great thing, more than once I have seen on ESPN, and other large sites, references to the tireless Dejan Kovacevic.   Well done old chap.

More

There is an AP recap of some of the events of the owners meeting in Arizona.  The main focus of the article is a salary cap.

BTW Take:

There has been a huge call for a salary cap by many owners after the Yankees most recent spending spree.  Needless to say the large market teams don’t mind what the Yankees are doing, but the rest of the owners seem to be banding together on the topic.

 

Dig Doug

I’ve been trying to dig up some info on what is going on with Doug Mientkiewicz and the Pirates.  From what I have unearthed, it seems there was an un-official understanding with Greg Landry, Doug’s ex-agent, on what the Pirates terms would be and a general idea of what the contract offer would look like.  The Pirates are still interested in bringing Doug back, but, as Dejan reported, there does not seem to be a good fit between what Doug would like to have in playing time and what the Pirates can offer in terms of playing time.

Along the same lines, if the Pirates found a taker for Adam LaRoche and could get fair return, Doug and Steve Pearce would likely split time at first if terms could be reached with Mientkiewicz.  As of now, the Pirates have not been shopping LaRoche but a few teams have inquired loosely about his price tag.

 

Arbitration

All six players eligible for arbitration filed before the deadline.

Rumor

Just heard through the grapevine the Indians may be on the market for a shortstop.  The Indians would like to have Peralta play 3B if they can find a suitable shortstop. 

Add that to Huntington's ties to the Indians.

We have a blooming Jack Wilson rumor.

I'll update this if I get any concrete evidence of the Indians being interested in Wilson.

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.

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.

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.

Trade Bait Special

Here are some rumors, and me shooting holes in a few...

Jack Wilson

The Detroit Free Press is reporting the Pirates could be working on a deal with the Marlins as a precursor to a deal sending Wilson to the Tigers.

Foxsports.com reported Saturday that the Pirates are attempting to acquire catcher Matt Treanor from the Florida Marlins and then package Wilson and Treanor in a trade with Detroit.

The Insider on Pittsburgh Sports claims the following teams are interested in Wilson: Det, Tor, Bal, CLE, LAD, ATL.

 

BTW Take:

The rumors are starting to fire up as we near the winter meetings.  My advice, take it with a grain of salt.  Huntington has said he will listen to offers, but don't read too much into that statement. 

Wilson is coming off an injury plagued season, his value is quite low at this point.  Wilson will take the field at PNC this spring in a Pirates uniform.  Huntington will hold onto one of his bargaining chips until his value is back where it should be. 

Why do I think this?

Bay and Nady could have been moved last off-season, but the return would be nowhere near what was gained at the July non-waiver deadline.  Wilson fits the same mold.  For the Pirates to gain, they need to be patient and hope a bidding war arises or Jack is hitting .300 in July to improve his value.

 

Freddy Sanchez

There has been a lot of speculating on Freddy's future with the Pirates.  Follow the same line of thinking for the former batting champion.  Freddy is coming off a season where arm, shoulder and eye problems affected him throughout.  The Pirates need Freddy to be healthy and hitting if he is to have any value on the trade market.

At the end of 2008, he was once again hitting like a batting champion.  Freddy needs to start 2009 the same way proving he is healthy and boosting his value. 

Freddy is the opening day second baseman for the Pirates.  No doubt in my mind.  I won't say he will finish the year with the Pirates, but he will start the season there.

 

LaRoche

Pick the brother, and either could be traded.  The more likely of the two is Adam.  A team in need of a defensive first-bagger who can carry a BIG stick late in the season will be interested, but not until that bat starts warming up.  Adam won't be traded until he starts hitting.  If he can start early in the season, that will make his value skyrocket.  Don't wait for fireworks though.  Adam has never hit in the first couple months of the season.  Teams will wait until his offense is worth picking up.   Another deadline day deal is in order here.

Andy is another story.  IF he can hit and play defense like he has in the minors at the Major League level, he will keep the position warm for Pedro Alvarez to arrive.  If he flails early in the season, Neil Walker will be on the bus from Indy to Pittsburgh.  Don't think for a second that Andy doesn't feel Walker breathing down his neck on the 40 man roster.  If he fails with regular playing time, he will either spend time in Indy or be traded as a throw in component for another deal.

If Andy LaRoche succeeds, don't be surprised to see him move to second after Sanchez is moved.  Look for him to get some time there in spring training as well with some spot starts throughout the season to spell Freddy.

Walker was not added to the 40 man to push Andy LaRoche, but that is what he will do.  Walker was added to protect him from the rule 5 draft.

 

John Grabow

Grabow is the one Pirate that will likely be moved this off-season.  He had a good left-handed year and will garnish some attention.  As mentioned earlier, if Matt Treanor is acquired, and possibly traded to Detroit, don't be surprised if Grabow is in the deal somewhere.  Most general managers covet lefty help in the bullpen and will pay a nice price to land even an average lefty.

 

Nate McLouth

I doubt his value could get any higher. 

He should be traded. 

He may be traded.

But...

This is the Pirates we are talking about.  They will hang onto McLouth and hope he hits well to start the season and see what happens on the trade front.  He still has 2 arbitration years ahead of him so the Pirates will roll the dice and hope for more of the same offensively from their new left fielder. 

He could be a mid-season trade if the offer is good enough to land a gold glove center fielder.

 

Zach Duke

Texas has shown a lot of interest in Duke, but I doubt there will be much of a return.  If Duke goes anywhere, look to the Lone Star State.

 

Rule 5

I look for the Pirates to be active in the rule 5 draft this year.  Huntington wants to get some talent in the minors and the drafts are the way to do it.  It would not surprise me if the Pirates actually took multiple players in the Major League portion of the draft and also be quite active in the minor league portion of the rule 5 fiasco.

 

That's it for now.  I'll start doing some "off-season" posts going over rumors and such.

 

Join The Buccos Forum and leave some thoughts there.  There are quite a few entertaining characters that hang out in the forum and will likely help you bash me.  There are always plenty of topics and plenty of opinions to keep you entertained and informed.

Good News, Congratulation and Disturbing News

Good:

My dad got out of the hospital yesterday.  Everything is fine and he is now at home.  In case anyone was wondering why I had not been posting.  Baseball was the furthest thing from my mind recently.

 

Congratulations:

Nate McLouth was an unanimous winner of the Roberto Clemente Award, presented annually by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America to the Pirates player who best exemplifies the standard of excellence achieved by Roberto Clemente.

 

Disturbing:

According to the New York Post, Nate McLouth is rumored in a deal with the Yankees.

Decision makers in The Bronx and Pittsburgh said yesterday there was nothing to the New York Yankees acquiring outfielder Nate McLouth from the Pirates - yet.

BTW Take:

If the deal happened, there would have to be a ton of talent coming to Pittsburgh.  I am not sure the Yankees have enough left in the farm system to make this deal happen, at least not enough they would be willing to part with.  Most of their best prospects are pitchers.

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.

New Forum, Bautista, Mets Wish List and Game 99

Vitals:

Pittsburgh Pirates (44-54)	RHP John Van Benschoten (1-2, 9.77)
Houston Astros (46-52)	RHP Runelvys Herndandez (0-3, 10.29)
Game Time	8:05 EDT
XM	XM 188
TV	FSN

Bautista:

So many people have ragged on the Pirates third base situation and the play of Jose Bautista, not totally undeserved, however it may be better than many think.

I ran a few numbers together to see where Bautista ranks amongst other third basemen in the league with a minimum of 150 AB's this season.  I wasn't looking at normal stats along the lines of OBP or OPS, no I wanted to see what kind of run support he gave.  Roughly, I wanted to see how many at bats it took for an RBI or a Run scored.  Surprisingly, Bautista faired pretty well.

Of the 34 players who qualified, Jose ranked 15th in number of at bats per RBI with a 6.83.  This number was better than Bill Hall, Pedro Feliz, Ryan Zimmerman, Adrian Beltre, Mike Lamb, Alex Gordon Edwin Encarnacion, Ty Wiggington and Scott Rolen.

Looking at at bats to runs scored, Bautista did not fair as well, possibly batting in front of the pitcher could explain his standing here.  Jose ranked 22 of the 34 third basemen eligible with a 8.00 AB/R ratio.  Better than Bill Hall, Ryan Zimmerman, Ty Wiggington and Scott Rolen among others.  Bautista was not far off of the numbers of Joe Crede, Brandon Inge Adrian Beltre Alex Gordon nor Troy Glaus.

I also noticed he ranked 17th in AB/HR ratio with a 25.45. 

Bottom line is Jose has produced in limited playtime, maybe not at an elite level, but he has been an average offensive third baseman this year.  That puts him in the same league as Melvin Mora, Brandon Inge, Mike Lowell and Bill Hall who are the 4 players immediately ahead of Bautista.

While Bautista has not played at an elite level, he has been a league average third baseman offensively when it comes to the all important run. 

The Mets Wish List:

AM New York has a list of players the Mets are allegedly looking at due to injuries in the outfield and bullpen.  Both Marte and Nady are listed.  The Mets are not good trade partners for the Pirates, their farm is pretty much devoid of talent thanks to the Santana deal with Minnesota.  Don't get your hopes up Met fans.

New Forum:

I am playing with a new forum software, 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/

Links:

Dejan runs down a list of trade rumors in the Pirates Notebook on the PG today.  Headlining is interest in Jack Wilson.

 

Visit the BTW Forum to discuss this post.

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Trade Winds

Rumor List:
Jason Bay: Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamond Backs
Xavier Nady: Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, New York Yankees
Jack Wilson: Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays

Damaso Marte: New York Yankees, Tamp Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies
John Grabow: Yankees

Alvarez: Signing could be announced during this home stand, prior to the All-Star Break.  (Running out of time on this rumor)

Other draft picks: Beyond Alvarez,an additional three draft picks could be signed and announced by the end of the All-Star Break.