Judgement Day

Today was the day for the Pirates to decline options on players, that had options in their contracts. The Pirates went all in and did not pick up the options on any of their players. Now Chris Snyder, Ryan Doumit, Paul Maholm, and surprisingly, Ronny Cedeno are all free to go elsewhere.

Also being outrighted to AAA, essentially allowing them to leave via free agency, are Brian Burres, Kevin Hart, Steve Pearce, Brandon Wood, and Aaron Thompson. Those moves coupled with the inevitable free agency of Derek Lee an Ryan Ludwick give the Bucs 33 men on the active roster. I don't know if I can remember such a large purge of the roster in one day.

Perhaps the only real surprises of the day were Maholm, who really is not a surprise, and Cedeno. there was some thought that the Bucs might bring back Maholm if they wanted him to help solidify the rotation. It was also widely assumed that the price tag on Cedeno was going to be right, if he started at short or was a utility infielder.

Seeing Maholm go leaves a rather big hole in the rotation. While never a superstar, Maholm was a steady and reliable presence, that now the team will look to replace via free agency or graduation from the minors.

Letting Cedeno walk is a horrible move in my opinion. I do not see where there is an in house option. d'Arnaud is not ready and he is perhaps the best option. A shortstop could be pricey on the free agent market and might not be better than Cedeno.

Today is the first day in what will more than likely be a rather weird offseason. I don't know if anyone seems to know what will happen.

Declining the Catchers

Per MLBTradeRumors, via Jen Langosch, the Pirates plan to decline the options on Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder. It is no surprise.

From Huntington:

"The impact Snyder has had on our staff since he got here is measurable," Huntington said. "That's an important element for us to keep in mind. His impact is measured much more than just in batting average and home runs that he hit. If he gets healthy and is able to come back, those benefits are still tangible."

I assume he means that he is measuring days on the disabled list, as that really is the only measure you can look at during Chris Snyder's tenure.

As for Doumit:

"In Ryan's case, he's obviously swung the bat as well as he has since 2008. He has still worked hard defensively."

He can keep on working hard, he will never be an adequate defensive catcher.

Perhaps the best quote:

"We have some level of interest, in a vacuum, of keeping both players," Huntington said

In a vacuum of course, we should be players for Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols this offseason.

So long Doumit and Snyder.

Looking Into the Future

The new broke today that the Pirates are leaning towards not picking up the option for Paul Maholm for next season, not wanting to spend $9.75 million for his services. Nothing has been made official as of yet, but it appears they have at least told Maholm of this fact.

Maholm will then hit the free agent market to see what he can get in free agency. Whether he gives the Pirates another shot to sign him, is another matter all together.

Not brining back Maholm leaves a fairly sizable hole in the rotation. He has been the anchor for sometime and not brining him back signals one of two things: one, the Pirates think that they can perhaps bring in someone better or they think that they can have someone in house replace him.

As we witnessed last season, the Pirates are not very good at luring valuable free agent talent to Pittsburgh. Their best signing was in getting replacement level All-Star Kevin Correia to come to Pittsburgh. Maholm is more than replacement level.

In house there really is no one that is ready to step up. Sure there are tons of arms that they would like to get innings, but no one is ready to replace Maholm, not even the men who were in the rotation is a sure thing to take a step forward.

But in reality the decision to not bring back Maholm is simply that they want to bring in some of the younger arms. With Maholm they would not have a rotation spot to take, with him gone Rudy Owens, Jeff Locke and others have a spot to compete for.

Like it or not the Pirates are perhaps again not improving for next year, but are perhaps again looking to improve down the line.

Pirates Move Back to KDKA

In what was perhaps one of the worst kept secrets in Pittsburgh sports, the Pirates have announced a deal with KDKA-FM, also known as the Fan in Pittsburgh. It was pretty obvious that when the downsizing of the sports department happened at 104.7, it was only a matter of time until the Pirates moved. Coming back to the KDKA name, albeit on the FM dial, is like a homecoming of sorts.

While I think there is a lot, and by a lot I mean tons and tons, to be desired with the on air talent on the Fan, being on an all sports station on the FM dial is probably the best move for the Pirates.

What Do We Have: Bullpen

Neal Huntington must like to play with middle relievers. It seems every year he likes to comb through the free agent market to find minor leaguers, cast offs, and other misfits to build a bullpen. Huntington did it this past season and I am sure that he will take joy in doing again for next season, though he might have less spots to work with.

Joel Hanrahan, the all star closer, took a huge step forward this season and is a sure lock to be offered a contract. If the Hammer is in a Pirate uniform next season is another question, as he could be moved if the right opportunity presented itself.

Also coming back, and hopefully bouncing back from injury, will be Evan Meek. Meek did not really pitch all that much this year. He was hurt in the spring and the injury got exacerbated as the season started, and he never really came back. If he is able to bounce back to be the Meek of last season, he will be a great one two with Hanrahan.

Chris Resop is first time arbitration eligible and will more than likely come back. Resop has been a rather reliable arm for the Bucs. Jose Veras is also arbitration eligible and I would guess that he would come back as well. Jason Grilli might be on the fence to come back, but one can envision him returning.

Tony Watson has pitched extremely well out of the bullpen and is a strong candidate to be the one of the lefties in the pen for next season. Danny Moskos made his much anticipated major league debut this season and could be in the mix to make the bullpen next season to join Watson.

Other non veteran arms that could make up the bullpen include Daniel McCutchen, who has come up big numerous times this season, Chris Leroux, whom management seems to like, and Jared Hughes, whom has been given quite a few looks since his call up.

There are many in house options for the bullpen, as there is perhaps a bullpen and half on the roster now. How it plays out will probably be decided rather quickly as we will see who gets tendered or non-tendered rather quickly. Of course will also be around that time the Huntington will continue to add arms as well.

One would think that not much would change with the bullpen, but bullpens change. Huntington likes to look for arms that intrigue him. I would think that the bullpen will be a strength again for the club, but who is in it is up in the air right now.

What Do We Have: The Rotation

The following pitchers have started games this season for the Pirates:

Charlie Morton
Jeff Karstens
James McDonald
Ross Ohlendorf
Brad Lincoln
Jeff Locke
Kevin Correia
Paul Maholm

On that list there are a few surprises. One no one would have thought Charlie Morton would have the season he had. Even the most optimistic would not have said he would last the entire season in the rotation and take some strong strides. Jeff Karstens might have been the biggest surprise, as he was not in the rotation, and ended up being the most dependable arm. James McDonald also had good season, his first full time as a starter in the big leagues.

Among the other surprises are that Kevin Correia was an All-Star. Paul Maholm finished the season as a Bucco, and on the DL. Jeff Locke made a handful of starts, when many may not have thought that would happen.

While there were some surprises, we really don't have too much that is concrete going into next season. The only guarantees are that James McDonald, Charlie Morton and Jeff Karstens will more than likely be in the rotation. All good options, but no certain things there.

Ross Ohlendorf might not be tendered an offer and could still return though, I would think his starting days might be behind him. Brad Lincoln has shown some signs of being a starter, but it will not be a sure thing for him. Jeff Locke will be more than likely competing with Lincoln for the final spot next season.

Kevin Correia is due to return, but do the Pirates want to have him back. And if so will they want him in the rotation? He has been sort of replacement level on the season, so a move out of the rotation would not be horrible.

Paul Maholm is the wild card. There are arguments to be made to keep him and to let him go. If he comes back, he will surely be in the rotation and will more than likely do what he has done the past 7 seasons.

Outside of these players, Rudy Owens will perhaps make a run at the fifth starter, though Locke might have a leg up at this point. Justin Wilson could be in play as well, though he did pitch in the bullpen later in the AAA season.

I am sure that the Pirates will be linked to some free agent pitcher like last winter, remember Jorge De La Rosa?, but might end up over paying slightly to get that guy. If Maholm is out of the picture, that slight overpay could be worth it if it is the right arm.

In the end, the Pirates rotation will continue to be work in progress. there might be less work next season than in seasons past. The team is still an arm or three away in the rotation.

What Do We Have: Centerfield

There is perhaps one positon n the entire roster where I think any Pirate fan can agree that everyone is pretty sure of what we have. That position is in centerfield, where the all everything Andrew McCutchen resides.

McCutchen made some big strides at the plate in 2011, the September swoon notwithstanding. He showed more power and presence at the plate than in years past. There were times where he might have been one of if not best hitter in the league. We got to see glimpses of what is possible, once he feels even more comfortable in the majors. He has the ability to make it look really easy and fun to watch.

Really there are no questions about centerfield. The only question is how long/when they approach McCutchen about an extension.

What Do We Have: Right Field

Earlier this summer the Pirates signed Jose Tabata to a long term deal, signing through the 2016 season with options that can keep him in Pittsburgh until 2019. That is quite a long time and a decent investment in the young man.

Tabata started the season in left field, but as the season progressed and Alex Presley got called up, shifted to right field. Tabata seems to really like the move, as he is literally playing in the shadow of his hero, Roberto Clemente.

Tabata is not nearly the player that Clemente was, but does play with a bit of that Clemente abandon when he has been healthy. That is the key with Jose Tabata, can he stay healthy. Looking at his data over at Baseball Prospectus, it looks as though he will have missed close to 70 games this season to various injuries. When healthy the club has a guy that they can put at the top of the lineup to get on base, and is an asset in the outfield. The move to right will more than likely help increase his defensive value, as playing at PNC's right versus left, is much less ground to cover.

As with many positions in the Pirates regular lineup, right field is clearly going to be for Tabata. Barring any changes due to free agency, he will be out in right to start next season, which is a good thing as there is not a ton of outfield options.