This morning we were all told of a the major news story that Dejan wrote about in the Post Gazette of the meeting of Mario Lemeiux and Ron Burkle with Bob Nutting. There seems to be a divergence in opinions on what happened at this meeting. Some are saying, mainly on the Penguins side, that Lemeiux and Burkle were meeting to discuss the purchase of the Pirates with an offer being made, while the Pirates are saying that the meeting was about an entirely different topic.
A story like this, as soon as I read it, would immediately get the general yinzer populace in a tizzy. When I use that term, I mean it to apply to the general 'fan' out there in Pittsburgh. You know who I am talking about, the ones that deride anything the Pirates do, are currently putting the Penguins on a pedestal, and the ones that probably called for mass changes to the Steelers as they did not make the playoffs. Simply put the people that would really take this seriously are the groups of fans that have been calling for Mark Cuban to simply come out of nowhere and buy the Bucs.
I'll admit on some level this does seem like a good idea. I'll even admit that it makes a good PR move for the team to at least have Nutting out of the way, if only because the family name has been associated with the bad parts of ownership over the decade plus of losing.
Many would stop there and just full heartedly want this to happen because of that. But take another step back and ask what would change? Not much, just that the ownership office would have a different name plate. Ron Burkle is loaded with money, and yet it is not as though he is dumping millions into the Penguins. Mario Lemieux is a hockey legend, but what weight would that carry in the baseball world? In actuality we would be pretty much where we are right now, just with an ownership group with better name recognition. Nothing else would change.
So why would they meet? Obviously there was a reason for the meeting. There have been some theories that have been floated out there. One that makes sense to me is the media possibilities that emerge from the combining of the two teams under one ownership. Could it be the creation of a television station? That could be likely. It could also be to have a balanced portfolio of assets, as you could use the revenue streams from both teams to look better on the balance sheet.
While it is intriguing to think about new ownership of the Pirates, the team is not for sale. Bob Nutting has gone on record numerous times saying the team is not for sale. Any talk of him selling the team right now is ridiculous. Because of that this story really means nothing, other than more stuff for the yinzers to fantasize about.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Max Carey
Born Maxmillian Carnarius, Carey was on the path to become a Lutheran minster. While enrolled in divinity school, Max developed a fondness for atheltics, namely baseball. While still in school, Max went to play for a minor league team in South Bend, Indiana. The team there had a need for a shortstop and Max was going to inquire about the position. After showing off a school track medal, the manager allowed Max to play the next day. Not wanting to give up his amateur status, Max went by the name Max Carey, though it could have easily been Carney, to preserve that status.
After finding out how much money he could quickly make playing baseball, Carey decided to stop going to divinity school and focus on baseball full time. After another year in school, Carey went back to the South Bend team where he became a left fielder. Carey played superbly during that 1910 season and caught the eye of a Pirate scout. Later that year Carey would be in Pittsburgh playing for the defending World Champions.
There is a tale that when he first reported to Pittsburgh, Carey went to 'his' position of shortstop only to find Honus Wagner asking him what he was doing. It is rumored that Wagner told the young play to wait a minute, he'd have to talk with Fred Clarke about his position. Wagner, allegedly told Clarke that he was the shortstop and if he thought that kid would stick with the team, perhaps he (Clarke) should retire and let him play left. So for the final few games of 1910 Carey would be taking Clarke's place out in left.
The next year Clarke would become a semi-regular player, splitting time between left and center. He would not hit extremely well that year, batting only .258, but he would show the promise of great things to come, with his excellent speed. Carey was a monster on the basepaths has he racked up steals and infield hits. His speed also was apparent in the field, as he once had 450 putouts in a season.
Carey had an excellent eye at the plate, as he routinely would draw more walks than strikeouts. Despite that prowess, he never hit for an extremely high average, though in 1922 he batted a then career high .329 after altering his hitting style to mimick Ty Cobb.
Carey's best season was more than likely his 1925 season, when he helped to lead the Pirates to the World Series. That season he batted .343 and had 46 stolen bases at the age of 35. In the World Series against the Senators, he hit .458 in helping to bring home the Pirates 2nd World Series. Carey had 4 hits in Game 7 alone. Those numbers he put up probably would have made him Series MVP, though they did not give out such an award.
Unfortunately that would be his swan song as a Pirate player. The next season was the year of the ABC affair, as Fred Clarke, then a member of the Pirate managment, would sit in the office and critize manager Bill McKechnie. Carey, along with Babe Adams and Carson Bigbee took exception to this and spoke up. Carey was promptly released by owner Barney Dreyfuss after the affair. Carey would end up in Brooklyn playing for the Robins. He would spend two years there finishing out his playing career.
After his playing career, Carey remained in baseball. He returned to the Pirates as a coach and eventually became manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers for a time, being replaced by Casey Stengel. Carey would continue to coach with various organizations and teams, at one point, running the Woman's Pro Baseball League during World War II.
Carey was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1961 by the Veteran's Commitee. Carey would pass away in 1976. Prior to his death, Carey advocated for better retirement benefits for players, after seeing his fortunes and that of others go away. He also championed the small ball and speed approach to the game that he excelled at.
Many may not think of Max Carey as one of the greats, but when you look at his numbers they seem to speak for themselves. He had incredible durability and is still, 9th All-Time in stolen bases and second to Cobb in steals of home. Add to his speed his great defensive prowess, and you have a player that could have played in almost any era, not just his own.
Career Stats:
| Year | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 1910-29 | 2476 | 10770 | 9363 | 1545 | 2665 | 419 | 159 | 70 | 800 | 738 | 92 | 1040 | 695 | .285 | .361 | .386 | .747 |
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Honoring Maz
Today we learned that the Pirates have been planning on dedicating a statue to Bill Mazeroski, one of the few Pirate Greats that deserve such an honor at the ballpark. (Of course I am still waiting for some honor for Fred Clarke, but that is neither here nor there.)
This weekend at Piratefest the design will be unveiled and according to this article, the statue will be on Mazeroski Way, which is the first base side of the ballpark. We won't know for certain what the statue will look like until then, but I am guessing it will look something like this...
That will be quite the scene on the banks of the Allegheny.
This weekend at Piratefest the design will be unveiled and according to this article, the statue will be on Mazeroski Way, which is the first base side of the ballpark. We won't know for certain what the statue will look like until then, but I am guessing it will look something like this...
That will be quite the scene on the banks of the Allegheny.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Random Thoughts
Why is it that as soon as the Bucs sign a guy the age of Octavio Dotel and even Brendan Donnelly, all of a sudden questions start to pop up asking if the youth movement is over? To me that is an absolutely stupid question and Neal Huntington should laugh at people who ask it. Take a look at the roster. It is still young. The rotation is all under the age of 28. The core of the position players currently and the ones soon to be here, all under the age of 30. Why is it then that adding a few outliers who are not going to be a part of the core, a departure from the youth movement? A departure from the youth movement would be adding an aging third baseman and playing him everyday.
Why do people seem to think that it is a given that Andy LaRoche can play second base? He has only played a total of 11 games there in his professional career, with 3 coming with the Dodgers. I don't see how you can extrapolate his defensive skills at third automatically transferring to second. He would have to re-learn a great deal about how to play the infield. He played a little there in the Instructional League and will supposedly get work there in the spring. Even if he does move, I can almost bet he still won't hit.
Is anyone else wondering what is going to happen with first base? It seems no one knows what is going to happen there. The Pirates Brass seem bent on fitting the square peg into the round hole approach with Jeff Clement at first, but where does that leave Garrett Jones. Granted he may be a one year wonder, but you would think that he has earned the right to play every day somewhere. Quite frankly he may be best served playing at first base, with Ryan Church in right.
Where has the fascination with collecting outfielders come from? We have 10 on the 40 man currently. That seems like quite a lot when you figure two of the starting spots are taken. A side note to having that many outfielders, we have only 2 catchers, injury prone Ryan Doumit and Jason Jaramillo. We could have a third, if the Jeff Clement experiment does not work out.
Finally, one name, Steve Pearce. Why do we still have him on the roster? It is not as though he is going to play in Pittsburgh. It is unfair to him and it is wasting a spot for us.
Why do people seem to think that it is a given that Andy LaRoche can play second base? He has only played a total of 11 games there in his professional career, with 3 coming with the Dodgers. I don't see how you can extrapolate his defensive skills at third automatically transferring to second. He would have to re-learn a great deal about how to play the infield. He played a little there in the Instructional League and will supposedly get work there in the spring. Even if he does move, I can almost bet he still won't hit.
Is anyone else wondering what is going to happen with first base? It seems no one knows what is going to happen there. The Pirates Brass seem bent on fitting the square peg into the round hole approach with Jeff Clement at first, but where does that leave Garrett Jones. Granted he may be a one year wonder, but you would think that he has earned the right to play every day somewhere. Quite frankly he may be best served playing at first base, with Ryan Church in right.
Where has the fascination with collecting outfielders come from? We have 10 on the 40 man currently. That seems like quite a lot when you figure two of the starting spots are taken. A side note to having that many outfielders, we have only 2 catchers, injury prone Ryan Doumit and Jason Jaramillo. We could have a third, if the Jeff Clement experiment does not work out.
Finally, one name, Steve Pearce. Why do we still have him on the roster? It is not as though he is going to play in Pittsburgh. It is unfair to him and it is wasting a spot for us.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Dotel Finally Arrives?
In what has seemed like a long build up for this free agent signing, it looks like it might just happen as Dotel is reported to be coming to Pittsburgh for a physical and if all goes well he'll sign by the afternoon. Whether or not that deal will be official and a someone will have to come off the 40 man remains to be seen. We may have to wait for the Commissioner's Office to catch up.
Dotel, while no longer the young fireballer with the Mets, still has the ability to strike guys out. His stuff is just fast enough to still be effective for him. If the reports are true, we may be looking at him as a part of the bullpen for the next two years. Well at least he could be signed up for the next two years.
What is interesting about Dotel is that he chose to come here so that he could close. That is pretty funny as he has multiple opportunities elsewhere, but has never really done much as the closer elsewhere.
A look at his stats show him getting some saves with the Mets, though not their primary closer. Some saves with the Astros, though again not the primary closer. The two teams where he has been the closer has been in Oakland and in Kansas City. As the closer, Dotel has got about 40 saves, where you could say that he is the closer.
In fact it seems that he is a much better setup guy in a power bullpen, than being the man in the pen. I almost wonder if that will indeed happen to him at some point here in Pittsburgh as well. If history is any indicator it almost surely will be the case. It won't be long before the Pirates brass thinks that Hanrahan or the emerging Evan Meek, could take the reigns at the end of the ball game.
Despite this fact, I think that bringing in Dotel is a good move, if the money looks right. He has pitched in really good bullpens, most notably that Astros one, and can provide a great deal of veteran presence in a bullpen that could really use it. If anything we know what we are getting with Dotel, a somewhat steady veteran hand to turn to later int he game.
Dotel, while no longer the young fireballer with the Mets, still has the ability to strike guys out. His stuff is just fast enough to still be effective for him. If the reports are true, we may be looking at him as a part of the bullpen for the next two years. Well at least he could be signed up for the next two years.
What is interesting about Dotel is that he chose to come here so that he could close. That is pretty funny as he has multiple opportunities elsewhere, but has never really done much as the closer elsewhere.
A look at his stats show him getting some saves with the Mets, though not their primary closer. Some saves with the Astros, though again not the primary closer. The two teams where he has been the closer has been in Oakland and in Kansas City. As the closer, Dotel has got about 40 saves, where you could say that he is the closer.
In fact it seems that he is a much better setup guy in a power bullpen, than being the man in the pen. I almost wonder if that will indeed happen to him at some point here in Pittsburgh as well. If history is any indicator it almost surely will be the case. It won't be long before the Pirates brass thinks that Hanrahan or the emerging Evan Meek, could take the reigns at the end of the ball game.
Despite this fact, I think that bringing in Dotel is a good move, if the money looks right. He has pitched in really good bullpens, most notably that Astros one, and can provide a great deal of veteran presence in a bullpen that could really use it. If anything we know what we are getting with Dotel, a somewhat steady veteran hand to turn to later int he game.
Roster Manuevering
Is it just me or with Neal Huntington as the GM, we are learning a great deal more as fans who rules with the Commissioner's office works? First we were treated to a great deal of knowledge about the draft process with Pedro Alvarez. The Jason Bay trade also highlighted how a trade gets made with the deadline, as that one happened moments before the clock struck. Today we learned how a 40 man roster, at a time when it should only have 40 men, can have 41?
That is sort of what happened earlier today when the Pirates claimed Brandon Jones off waivers from the Braves. Many thought that the roster was full, I mean we had just traded Brian Bixler to the Indians to clear space for Brendan Donnelly, shouldn't some one have to come off? Well the Ryan Church deal from last week had not cleared the Commissioner's office, but for some reason the Donnelly one did, and we could add Jones, and wait for the Church deal to be official until another move needed to be made.
Sometime during the evening the Church deal, which we thought was done last week, became official and we needed to make a space for him, so we designated...Steven Jackson. I hope that all makes sense, because to me the timeline of events in who and when they were added makes no sense. I guess Bud Selig likes to review each and every contact personally.
As for the player we added, Brandon Jones was once a top prospect of the Braves. Then he sort of stalled out in AAA. There is nothing that jumps out when you look at his numbers, which is probably his strength, he is just a solid all around type of guy. He hits for good average, not great power, not great speed on the base paths, but he is not horrible at those things either. He is a left handed hitter and as Huntington said, perhaps the change in scenery will do him good.
Designating Steven Jackson sort of came out of nowhere, as he was a guy that John Russell liked to go to as his ground ball guy. He had stretches last season where he was good and bad, but ended the season pretty consistently. I would have definitely pegged him as a guy that they might want to have in the bullpen. I would have thought that Anthony Claggett or Chris Jakusbauskas might have been the guy to get designated. There is still time for one of the them if Octavio Dotel ever signs, as we have been waiting for seemingly weeks for.
If Jackson does clear waivers, there is now a growing group of serviceable pitchers at the AAA level that are not on the 40 man. Guys that can help this team, and that is not including the guys that will join them from the 40 man. That is clearly a change from the year's past.
That is sort of what happened earlier today when the Pirates claimed Brandon Jones off waivers from the Braves. Many thought that the roster was full, I mean we had just traded Brian Bixler to the Indians to clear space for Brendan Donnelly, shouldn't some one have to come off? Well the Ryan Church deal from last week had not cleared the Commissioner's office, but for some reason the Donnelly one did, and we could add Jones, and wait for the Church deal to be official until another move needed to be made.
Sometime during the evening the Church deal, which we thought was done last week, became official and we needed to make a space for him, so we designated...Steven Jackson. I hope that all makes sense, because to me the timeline of events in who and when they were added makes no sense. I guess Bud Selig likes to review each and every contact personally.
As for the player we added, Brandon Jones was once a top prospect of the Braves. Then he sort of stalled out in AAA. There is nothing that jumps out when you look at his numbers, which is probably his strength, he is just a solid all around type of guy. He hits for good average, not great power, not great speed on the base paths, but he is not horrible at those things either. He is a left handed hitter and as Huntington said, perhaps the change in scenery will do him good.
Designating Steven Jackson sort of came out of nowhere, as he was a guy that John Russell liked to go to as his ground ball guy. He had stretches last season where he was good and bad, but ended the season pretty consistently. I would have definitely pegged him as a guy that they might want to have in the bullpen. I would have thought that Anthony Claggett or Chris Jakusbauskas might have been the guy to get designated. There is still time for one of the them if Octavio Dotel ever signs, as we have been waiting for seemingly weeks for.
If Jackson does clear waivers, there is now a growing group of serviceable pitchers at the AAA level that are not on the 40 man. Guys that can help this team, and that is not including the guys that will join them from the 40 man. That is clearly a change from the year's past.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Bixler is Still an Indian
Brian Bixler was probably going to get pretty tired of seeing the same old stuff at Indianapolis, as a member of the Indians. There was very little chance that we would see him in Pittsburgh this season, but of course the same could be said of the past few seasons as well. Now Brian Bixler will possibly suit up for the Cleveland Indians, as the Pirates dealt him there today to clear roster space for Brendan Donnelly.
In return for Bixler we get a 22 year old infielder/outfielder in Jesus Brito. Brito has played all around the diamond, but has mostly been an infielder staying at short and third. Neal Huntington has said that the team will explore his versatility and see where he seems to fit.
While we may not currently know where Brito may play, we do know that he has plenty of room to grow, as he is only 160 pounds in his 6'1" frame, and he has good strike zone judgment. He has not done much else, as it took him three years to leave the DSL, but he has shown the ability to draw a walk. This past season he added a good batting average to it. Taking those two together you may have something to work with, even if he is a little older than you may ideally like.
As for Brian Bixler, he is headed to a new organization and hopefully for him a new start. There was perhaps never a guy that epitomized the AAAA label more in recent years with the Bucs. Bixler would look more than comfortable at the plate in Indy, but lose it somewhere on the plane trip here. I won't be missing his strikeouts. And really to get seemingly anything for an aging guy that has shown nothing in the majors, I'd say that is a deal you will want to make any day of the week.
Video of Jesus Brito from Indians Prospect Insider
In return for Bixler we get a 22 year old infielder/outfielder in Jesus Brito. Brito has played all around the diamond, but has mostly been an infielder staying at short and third. Neal Huntington has said that the team will explore his versatility and see where he seems to fit.
While we may not currently know where Brito may play, we do know that he has plenty of room to grow, as he is only 160 pounds in his 6'1" frame, and he has good strike zone judgment. He has not done much else, as it took him three years to leave the DSL, but he has shown the ability to draw a walk. This past season he added a good batting average to it. Taking those two together you may have something to work with, even if he is a little older than you may ideally like.
As for Brian Bixler, he is headed to a new organization and hopefully for him a new start. There was perhaps never a guy that epitomized the AAAA label more in recent years with the Bucs. Bixler would look more than comfortable at the plate in Indy, but lose it somewhere on the plane trip here. I won't be missing his strikeouts. And really to get seemingly anything for an aging guy that has shown nothing in the majors, I'd say that is a deal you will want to make any day of the week.
Video of Jesus Brito from Indians Prospect Insider
The Bullpen is Growing
The past few days there has been numerous reports of the Pirates looking to build a bullpen from the free agent options available. First they signed DJ Carrasco to a minor league contract. If that name sound familiar it should as he was one of the handful of players that GM Dave Littlefield lost in the Rule Five draft all those years ago.
Carrasco was picked by the Royals in that debacle and has been around a bit, but most recently was with the White Sox, where he led the league in innings pitched by a reliever. Getting him to agree to a minor league contract gives just a glimpse at the volatility that is the major league relief market.
Over the weekend, we were treated to the news that Brendan Donnelly had agreed to terms with the Bucs, but it is dependent on a physical. When he actually signs, we will see a corresponding roster move as the 40 man is currently full. Donnelly may be another familiar name, as he was a member of the original Altoona Curve for a while, but odds are you may remember him as part of the Angels bullpen at the beginning of the decade.
Having Donnelly gives the Bucs bullpen a tried arm that has been through the battles. He pitched effectively for the Marlins down the stretch last season, so he may have some bullets left in his arm for the Bucs to be effective enough for this season.
Joining these two, we will more than likely if reports are true, will be adding Octavio Dotel to the bullpen as well in the coming days. Dotel, again another familiar name, does not throw as hard as he had in the past, but is still an effective strike thrower to add to the back of the bullpen. One would think that he would be the closer to start the season, but I seriously would not rule out Meek or Hanrahan getting the job with Dotel setting them up.
Just for fun we could 'project' the bullpen to look like the following:
RHP Evan Meek
RHP Joel Hanrahan
RHP Octavio Dotel
RHP DJ Carrasco
RHP Brendan Donnelly
RHP Steven Jackson
LHP Javier Lopez
Or we could have someone we don't even know about manning a spot in that bullpen. Whatever the outcome, Huntington has done a good job at creating a bullpen, where once there was none. He has also done it cost effectively, while creating some diversity, though I use that term with caution, as there is only one lefty listed there. Overall, I'd be please with the prospects of this bullpen.
Carrasco was picked by the Royals in that debacle and has been around a bit, but most recently was with the White Sox, where he led the league in innings pitched by a reliever. Getting him to agree to a minor league contract gives just a glimpse at the volatility that is the major league relief market.
Over the weekend, we were treated to the news that Brendan Donnelly had agreed to terms with the Bucs, but it is dependent on a physical. When he actually signs, we will see a corresponding roster move as the 40 man is currently full. Donnelly may be another familiar name, as he was a member of the original Altoona Curve for a while, but odds are you may remember him as part of the Angels bullpen at the beginning of the decade.
Having Donnelly gives the Bucs bullpen a tried arm that has been through the battles. He pitched effectively for the Marlins down the stretch last season, so he may have some bullets left in his arm for the Bucs to be effective enough for this season.
Joining these two, we will more than likely if reports are true, will be adding Octavio Dotel to the bullpen as well in the coming days. Dotel, again another familiar name, does not throw as hard as he had in the past, but is still an effective strike thrower to add to the back of the bullpen. One would think that he would be the closer to start the season, but I seriously would not rule out Meek or Hanrahan getting the job with Dotel setting them up.
Just for fun we could 'project' the bullpen to look like the following:
RHP Evan Meek
RHP Joel Hanrahan
RHP Octavio Dotel
RHP DJ Carrasco
RHP Brendan Donnelly
RHP Steven Jackson
LHP Javier Lopez
Or we could have someone we don't even know about manning a spot in that bullpen. Whatever the outcome, Huntington has done a good job at creating a bullpen, where once there was none. He has also done it cost effectively, while creating some diversity, though I use that term with caution, as there is only one lefty listed there. Overall, I'd be please with the prospects of this bullpen.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Crowded Outfield
The Pirates and their quest to find some major league ready talent that can play in the outfield have seemingly settled on Ryan Church to be their part time outfielder. The deal is pending a physical, and that is no given, considering how injury prone Church has been in his career.
Early reports had the Pirates eying Rick Ankiel, as he was left handed and played good defense. When Scott Boras let it be known that Ankiel is a starter, the Pirates looked elsewhere and decided on Ryan Church, who is left handed and plays good defense. He brings a defensive flexibility, as he can play all across the field, while probably not coming too expensive. He fits in well with the kind of guy that they are looking for to play with Jose Tabata, when he comes up to the bigs.
While I generally like the signing, it also brings many other questions. Adding Church would seemingly make the move of Garrett Jones to first base a necessity. That move makes the idea of Jeff Clement starting there, seem in-congruent, unless they plan on shuffling Jones back and forth between the outfield and first base again.
If that is not enough, take a look at the other outfielders on the roster. You have McCutchen and Milledge. Add in Brandon Moss, Josh Raynor, Delwyn Young, Tabata, and Church, you have quite a crowded picture. Oh and I forgot sometime outfielder, Jones.
Tabata won't start the year in Pittsburgh, so he does not factor in just yet. You would think they would not want to lose Moss on waivers, unless they think that he will clear waivers, which he just might, I mean Jeff Karstens did. Young seems penciled in as their bench guy, where he excelled, so I would not think it would be him moving anywhere. I would think it comes down to Raynor and Moss as guys that may eventually be on the outside in all of this.
Signing Church is a pretty good move that fits what they were looking for. What will be telling in the end is what moves are made later in the offseason or in spring training with the roster to know if bringing him in was worth losing another player.
Early reports had the Pirates eying Rick Ankiel, as he was left handed and played good defense. When Scott Boras let it be known that Ankiel is a starter, the Pirates looked elsewhere and decided on Ryan Church, who is left handed and plays good defense. He brings a defensive flexibility, as he can play all across the field, while probably not coming too expensive. He fits in well with the kind of guy that they are looking for to play with Jose Tabata, when he comes up to the bigs.
While I generally like the signing, it also brings many other questions. Adding Church would seemingly make the move of Garrett Jones to first base a necessity. That move makes the idea of Jeff Clement starting there, seem in-congruent, unless they plan on shuffling Jones back and forth between the outfield and first base again.
If that is not enough, take a look at the other outfielders on the roster. You have McCutchen and Milledge. Add in Brandon Moss, Josh Raynor, Delwyn Young, Tabata, and Church, you have quite a crowded picture. Oh and I forgot sometime outfielder, Jones.
Tabata won't start the year in Pittsburgh, so he does not factor in just yet. You would think they would not want to lose Moss on waivers, unless they think that he will clear waivers, which he just might, I mean Jeff Karstens did. Young seems penciled in as their bench guy, where he excelled, so I would not think it would be him moving anywhere. I would think it comes down to Raynor and Moss as guys that may eventually be on the outside in all of this.
Signing Church is a pretty good move that fits what they were looking for. What will be telling in the end is what moves are made later in the offseason or in spring training with the roster to know if bringing him in was worth losing another player.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Trades of the Decade: # 1 A Gift for Jim Hendry
The Pirates, a team seemingly on a Quixotic search for young talent, had just that in third baseman Aramis Ramirez. A young power hitter that was still years form his prime, Ramirez was a talent that the Pirates should have been protecting. Instead we traded him and Kenny Lofton, having a great year, to the Chicago Cubs for Jose Hernandez, Matt Bruback, and the ever popular Player to Be Named Later.
Jim Hendry just probably loved this trade. He got the era's best hired gun in the outfield in Kenny Lofton and added a centerpiece to his lineup for the next couple of seasons. All it cost him was aging Jose Hernandez, Matt Bruback, and a Player to Be Named.
Jose Hernandez was just plain terrible in his first go round here. It was probably because we were expecting him to do something. It was not until he came back as a bench guy, where we don't expect much, that we saw some results.
Bruback, an alumnus of Bradenton Community College, never made it to the big leagues. In fact Bruback only appeared in 4 games for the Nashville Sounds, as he was, hold on, removed from the 40 man so that we cold have room for the Player to Be Named in this trade.
Who was that Player to Be Named? Well after Littlefield looked over the list given to him by Hendry, he decided on Bobby Hill. Yes that is right, Bobby Hill was the final piece of the trade. Hill would spend most his time bouncing in and out of the lineup in 2004, then to the bench in 2005, before he was dealt to San Diego.
This trade is without a doubt the biggest trade, as it left the team without a guy in the middle of the order, that they still have not replaced, and at the same time it helped a division foe. It stings more and more every time we play the Cubs. We got nothing and the Cubs got away with highway robbery. The trade of the decade, was also the deal of the decade for the Cubs.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Trades of the Decade: #2 An All Star for a future All Star
After awhile, Littlefield focused in on San Diego and the Padres had narrowed in on Giles as the guy that they had wanted. After the trading deadline came and went. the Pirates and Padres would pull off the trade before the end of the waiver trading deadline of 2003.
Brian Giles, already a part of the better traded in recent Pirate history, was dealt to San Diego for Jason Bay, Oliver Perez and a player to be named later, minor leaguer Cory Stewart. What I have always found interesting is that Littlefield had wanted Xavier Nady in addition or instead of Bay, according to some, he would later get Nady from the Mets in another trade, that included Oliver Perez.
The trade was not universally liked, as Giles was the face of the franchise. Perez could be considered the centerpiece of the deal, as he was a young lefty with a ton of talent. It would only take some time and patience and many thought you had an ace with his left arm.
Bay was more a nice piece to be added, but there were some questions about him as he had been traded multiple times before. There were some questions to be had with Bay, but it almost seemed as though he just needed to find a place to play.
Giles was dealt away at perhaps just the right time. His offensive value at the cavernous Petco Park diminished even further his declining offensive value. He would never again hit over 23 home runs or drive in over 100 RBI in a single season.
The Pirates on the other hand got Oliver Perez, who had a brilliant 2004 only to become an enigma on the mound for the Bucs over the next two seasons. No one is quite sure why it did not work out, though I would look to Jim Colborn. Now Perez is a very overpaid pitcher for the Mets.
Bay would go on to perhaps be the player of the decade for the club. Bay would become the first Rookie of the Year for the club, while getting selected to two All Star games. One of the better offensive players in recent Pirate history, Bay now too is a very well paid New York Met.
In trading Giles, Littlefield was able to equal his production with Bay, while Giles started to decline offensively for the Padres. Getting the extras in Perez and even in minor leaguer Cory Stewart, make this perhaps the best trade of the decade, though not necessarily the trade of the decade.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Non-Roster Invitees
Now that the calendar has turned, the Pirates are looking at the annual rite of stock piling non roster invitees for spring training. As a baseball geek, this is one of the coolest times of the year, as you get to see all the names that you may have heard about from the minors getting these invites.
One name that jumped out to me was Neal Cotts. You may remember him as the young lefty that pitched out the bullpen for the Chicago White Sox when they won the World Series. It has been up and down for Cotts since then and he just had Tommy John surgery this past season. Who knows what type of shape he could be in coming off the surgery, but he is a lefty that has had some big league success.
The Bucs also invited a much more interesting guy in Brian Burres. Burres has had a decent amount of success in the minors as he was a starter for the Orioles and Blue Jays. In the majors, Burres has been a bit of a swing man. He has had some success, though recently it has been a down time the past few years he has been called up.
Also getting a NRI was old friend Tyler Yates, who also is coming back from Tommy John as well.
Beneath all that snow sitting out there in Pittsburgh a spring training is coming.
One name that jumped out to me was Neal Cotts. You may remember him as the young lefty that pitched out the bullpen for the Chicago White Sox when they won the World Series. It has been up and down for Cotts since then and he just had Tommy John surgery this past season. Who knows what type of shape he could be in coming off the surgery, but he is a lefty that has had some big league success.
The Bucs also invited a much more interesting guy in Brian Burres. Burres has had a decent amount of success in the minors as he was a starter for the Orioles and Blue Jays. In the majors, Burres has been a bit of a swing man. He has had some success, though recently it has been a down time the past few years he has been called up.
Also getting a NRI was old friend Tyler Yates, who also is coming back from Tommy John as well.
Beneath all that snow sitting out there in Pittsburgh a spring training is coming.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Trades of the Decade: #3 Replacing Manny
There was no rush to trade all of these players at once, but Huntington started to move them during the trading season of 2008. Xavier Nady was dealt with Damaso Marte to the Yankees for a trio of pitchers and Jose Tabata, signaling the beginning of the purge. Five days later Neal Huntington go himself involved with a trade with the big boys of baseball.
After hinting at trading Bay to the Rays for Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac, Huntington was able to get in with the Red Sox, who were looking to part ways with disgruntled slugger Manny Ramirez. The Pirates would send Bay to Boston, if the Sox could find someone to take Manny and add some prospects to the Pirates. After awhile the Dodgers came to the fore and took Manny while adding two prospects to the Sox prospects already agreed upon. So the deal was:
Boston gets: Jason Bay
Los Angeles gets: Manny Ramirez
Pittsburgh gets: Brandon Moss, Craig Hansen, Andy LaRoche, and Bryan Morris
The two big market clubs got what they wanted a star and production, while the Pirates were able to load up on prospect talent for their marquee player. At the time, I had written that the Pirates had done a good job of seeing an opportunity as the Red Sox were stuck with Manny and took advantage of it. They were able to get 4 quality guys for one player and I could not argue with it on the surface. Once these players came to Pittsburgh things took a turn for the worse.
Brandon Moss, tabbed as a Bay type player that needed an opportunity and time, has not done anything in his time in Pittsburgh. He has not shown any power, strikingly so for a lefty at PNC, and has not hit very much in general. He may well be on his way out of Pittsburgh soon.
Craig Hansen was a bust on the mound when he got here. He was lit up anytime he took the rubber and has been out since early 2009 with a nerve disorder. While you cannot fault him for the injury, the bad luck that the team has gotten with him has not helped with this trade.
Bryan Morris, the "centerpiece" of the deal, has been erratic at best in the minors. His apprach has gotten him suspended by the team and he looks light years away from the prospect that the Pirates thought that they had.
Finally the most "productive" player from the trade has been Andy LaRoche, who is also one of the most frustrating Pirates in recent memory, which puts him on par with his brother. Some look at the stats and see that his slugging an on base percentages point to some possible improvement for LaRoche. Others look at this horrendous batting average and lack of raw power from a power position as huge minuses. He will get pushed aside at some point this season in favor of Pedro Alvarez, where he goes is a mystery.
The other two teams in this trade have reaped enormous benefits. Manny has hit like a monster since going to LA and Bay was nothing short of spectacular for the Sox. The Pirates on the other hand are looking like they made a bad decision. They have two players that look as though they may not do anything with the major league club, one prospect that may never make it, and a guy that we really have no clue what to think of. It would have been nice to get more for your marquee player in Bay, but we can never tell the future. If we could, we would not be in this mess.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Trades of the Decade: #4 Matt Morris?
At almost the exact deadline, Dave Littlefield called up Brian Sabean and inquired about Matt Morris, who the Giants had been shopping to anyone, offering to take some of his enormous contract. Littlefield offered youngster Rajai Davis and to take all of the contract, in fact he would add in a player to be named. Sabean probably almost had a heart attack then accepted the offer.
The Pirates added a name pitcher, but a pitcher that had not pitched up to his level of previous ability. Morris was the ace of the Cardinals in the late 1990's and early part of the decade, but had fallen to time and was not the dominate pitcher he once was. Littlefield was seemingly hoping that Morris would find the fountain of youth in Pittsburgh and return to dominance, making this trade look like a great one.
It never happened as Morris went 3-8 over parts of two seasons. He started only 16 games and had an ERA of 7.04. Morris was released early in 2008 by new GM Neal Huntington, as it was clear that Morris was no longer an effective pitcher.
The Giants had Rajai Davis for a little under a year, before losing him to waivers to Oakland, where he has turned into a nice little player for them. The player to be named, Steven MacFarland seemingly left baseball after the 2008 season.
This trade is important not in what the Pirates got in return, no that was horrible. It is important in that it was the nail in the coffin that sealed the fate of Dave Littlefield. This trade so boggled industry experts and insiders that Bob Nutting made the decision to fire Dave Littlefield. While the team paid out millions for practically nothing, the money may have been well worth it as it finally convinced the team that Littlefield had to go.
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