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.

Adam LaRoche Traded For Two Minor Leaguers

The Pittsburgh Pirates traded first baseman Adam LaRoche for minor league SS Argenis Diaz and minor league pitcher Hunter Strickland.  Diaz was rated 29th and Strickland 38th best prospects in the Red Sox system according to http://www.soxprospects.com/.

Diaz 22, SS:

Scouting Report: Diaz is an elite defensive shortstop, and if he improves his concentration on routine plays, he could compete for a gold glove in the bigs right now.  He has plus range, excellent footing, an impressive glove, and an outstanding  arm.  Makes impossible plays in the field.  However, he does make a lot of errors on off-the-mark long throws off of grounders that he has no business getting to in the first place.  He also really struggles with routine plays on occasion, almost as if he has a mental block.  That is a definite area in need of improvement. The other key for Diaz is how much he will hit. He's a slap hitter with below average to average on base ability and without much power, but he's swung the bat very well during a few prolonged stints here and there. Good bat speed through the zone.  Struggles with advanced off-speed stuff.  Can show lack of plate discipline in stretches. Hits lefties significantly better than righties.  Excellent at laying down bunts. Won't steal a lot of bases. 

 

Strickland 20, RHP:

Scouting Report: Tall righty with projectable frame. Fastball sits about 88-91 mph, topping out around 93.  Fastball is a little flat, but shows some good movement when he takes something off of it.  Strickland has a slow, easy delivery without much explosion at the moment. Good balance. Also works in a 79-82 mph slurve along with a change that sits at 83-85 mph. Changeup could stand to have some more separation from his fastball, look for that to be an area of improvement in 2009.Repeats delivery well, needs to work on his release point to improve his command. His father played in the Tigers organization.

 

Scouting reports are from Sox Prospects.

 

Diaz is planned to head to Indianapolis while Strickland is expected in West Virginia.

 

BTW Take:

The Pirates essentially got a 22 year old Jack Wilson and a right handed pitcher that seems to fit Huntington’s profile for pitchers: Tall and Projectable.  The key with Diaz, Wilson just became a little more expendable.  Expect Diaz to see some time in Pittsburgh if/when Jack Wilson is traded.

 

More later…

 

More:

2:28 - Steve Pearce was pulled from DH duties in Indianapolis’ game today.  Lastings  Milledge did not play in the game either.  Both may be recalled with Jeff Salazar returned to Indianapolis.  Huntington all but confirmed Pearce is being recalled and that Pearce has made some “significant” adjustments.

 

More BTW Take:

Considering LaRoche’s contract and pending free agency, add the fact the Pirates received two prospects in return, the deal seems to be a pretty even swap.

 

MOSS JUST GOES YARD TO TAKE THE SERIES!!!!!!….Wish this was October.

 

Some quotes from Huntington on the trade:

"Diaz is an intriguing shortstop prospect who projects to play above-average defense with soft hands, good first step quickness and an above average throwing arm," said Pirates GM Neal Huntington. "He is developing on the offensive side of the baseball, but Argenis quickly becomes the best defensive shortstop prospect in our system."

"Strickland is a young developing right-handed starting pitching prospect with a good frame, solid delivery, clean arm action and an interesting pitch arsenal," said Huntington. "He is a quality strike thrower with a fastball that has averaged as high as 93 miles per hour, with the potential for a Major League caliber breaking ball and changeup to complement his fastball."

 

BA had Diaz rated the Best Defensive Infielder in Boston’s system.

 

More Huntington Comments:

3:59 On MLB Home Plate Huntington flat out said the Pirates will not pick up the options on Wilson nor Sanchez.

McLouth Now A Brave

Like I said in my last post, if something major happens during my hiatus I will post on it.  What happened was one of the last things I expected to be posting on.  Nate McLouth has been traded to the Braves for three prospects.

The three prospects the Pirates have received in return are:

LHP Jeffrey Locke 21 A – Locke is a 6’2” lefty who was ranked number 7 by Baseball America in the Braves system.  Locke projects as a middle of the rotation pitcher with top of the rotation potential.  John Sickels had him rated as a B- player prior to 2009.

RHP Charlie Morton 25 AAA – Morton is a 6’4” righty.  The only info I can give, he was projected as the braves number 5 starter for 2012 by Baseball America.  He seems to project as a back of the rotation guy.  He has looked good in AAA this season going 7-2 with a 2.51 ERA.  He does have 16 games of MLB experience last year with the Braves.

OF Gorkys Hernandez 21 AA – Hernandez may be the most intriguing of the 3 players, in my eyes.  He was ranked number 4 in the Braves organization by Baseball America.  He is a right handed batter with speed and was ranked as a B- by Sickels.  He has yet to show the power he is expected to grow in to.  His defense is above average and could provide the Pirates a deadly outfield with McCutchen and Tabata also in the fold.

 

BTW Take:

My initial thought was, “WHAT?!” when I heard the news.  Then after I started digging, my impression did not change.

After spending some time looking at the deal, Huntington did what we have been waiting 16 years for a Pirates GM to do.  Sell high.  He has done that 3 times since last July with Nady and Bay being the other two deals.  In less than one year, Huntington has remolded the entire Pirates top 20 prospect list.  He is sticking to his plan and making the tough moves. 

Only time will tell if these were the right moves, but they haven’t looked bad so far.

Ironically the player who made this deal possible wasn’t even part of the trade.  Nyjer Morgan is the player who made this deal possible.  Morgan’s defense, as reported by Dejan in Wednesdays Notebook, is rated as a major defensive asset.  His number one rating in Ultimate Zone Rating among all MLB players helped make this deal possible.  The fact that he has been an offensive game changer has only helped his standing with the Pirates.  So far, I have been dead wrong on Morgan.

McCutchen is on his way to Pittsburgh for his MLB debut.  With McCutchen, Morgan and Moss (another highly ranked UZR) the Pirates could have one of the best defensive outfields around.  The Pirates as a team are ranked 3rd in MLB in UZR, McLouth was rated at a –1.00, and McCutchen should provide better performance than that. 

As with any defensive ratings, they are highly flawed.  There is no doubt in my mind McCutchen is a better defensive center fielder than McLouth.  My concern is if his bat is ready to make the jump.  Too often in Pirates history, highly touted prospects have failed to bring their bat to Pittsburgh with them. 

While this trade is not a popular trade, it is likely the right deal.  The Pirates get at least two players who will be in their top 10 prospect list and open a spot for their number one prospect to come up.  McLouth was traded while his value was still at a high point and the return was maybe more than valid for a one year starting outfielder.  This trade should also serve notice to players that they aren’t safe no matter the contract.  Ian Snell needs to take notice, Morton may be his replacement soon.

Just to be clear, I love Nate as a player, and his birthday should be a Holiday (same birthday as yours truly).  This deal, unlike Bay or Nady deals, will not show its true value for a few years to come.

 

BTW Slide Note:

I’ll likely be making some semi regular posts as I ramp back up to daily posts in the next couple weeks.

BTW News, Pirates 2009, New Young Buc

Ahhh!

Yesterday, my youngest son had surgery to remove adenoids and to have tubes put in his ears.  Everything went well and he is doing very well.  As a parent you have a tendency to be distracted when your child is about to have an operation, no matter how minor.  Just the thought of your child going under is a scary proposition, no matter how many times you have been through it.  Needless to say, holding him in the recovery room made a huge weight be lifted from my mind.

 

Pirates 2009:

While sitting in recovery holding Nicky as he slept, my mind started wandering back to baseball and the Pirates.  The 4-3 start to the 2009 season is a good thing, like that is breaking news. 

My biggest interest going forward is what will happen first.

You see, I have a belief that it is easier to stay above .500 than it is to get back to .500.  When trying to recover lost ground, teams always seem to press because of a tangible goal of .500.  When a team gets close, then fails, the pressure keeps building.

Failing to reach .500 for a young team, such as the Pirates, seems to always have a snowball affect, more like an avalanche.  When they get close but come a win or two away from the mark, as we have seen a few times in the last 16 years, the team seems to always have that losing streak right then.

A team that is over .500 can endure a losing streak and still not worry of a tangible goal they are failing to achieve, as long as they stay above .500.

So what I am looking for is what happens first.  Do the Pirates have a long winning streak or long losing streak?  If they can attain a long winning streak first, that will go a long way towards breaking the 16 year spiral we as fans have endured.

As for players so far, here are a few things I have noticed:

• Brandon Moss seems to be a little faster than last year, I have been impressed with the speed he has shown so far.  While not blazing speed, he has been impressive none the less.
• Staying with Moss, he has yet to earn a RBI.  A somewhat distressing fact.
• Was I wrong on Nyjer Morgan?  He has been a catalyst for this team with the bat and with his speed and toughness.  He is doing a lot of little things right that have plagued him in the past.  A couple example are breaking up a double play to keep the inning going just prior to Doumit's grand slam.  Another example was taking out the catcher on an excellent hip check from his youth.  While he didn't need to make contact, the play was closer than it appeared as the ball was on it's way home.
• Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson both look like they want to stay in Pittsburgh.  Each has been fantastic, maybe no more so than the fantastic double play they turned against the Reds.
• Zach Duke looks as if he has turned back the clock, or at least hit the same point that Maholm did a year and a half ago.  He seems to be trusting his pitches again and is pitching to all parts of the plate.
• With Maholm, Duke and Ohlendorf all pitching well, getting Snell to stay in a groove rather than grooving too many pitches will be a big hurdle for Russell and Kerrigan to clear.  If Snell finds himself again, the bullpen may not be an issue as they will not be used often.

I fear the warm and fuzzy sensation I have been having about the Pirates, too many times in has turned into a stomach virus the last 16 years.

 

New Young Buc:

The Pirates have acquired Delwyn Young from the Dodgers for two PTBNL.  Look for Luis Cruz to be demoted after Young arrives in Pittsburgh.  Young will likely be used as a utility player who can play outfield and most infield positions save 1B.

BTW Take:

Cruz was on the roster due to Bixler becoming a prospect again in spring training.   This move allows the Pirates to have a bat on the bench, rather than just a glove.  It doesn't make perfect sense, since Young has not played 2B in two years. 

Andino Not A Pirate

The Marlins traded Roberto Andino to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Hayden Penn.

 

BTW Take:

Yawn!  At least the Pirates didn't get Andino, good glove but you can't hit with a glove.

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.