- Rob Biertempfel of the Trib said that the Bucs are closing in on deals for OF Nate McLouth and either IF Wilson Betemit or Mark DeRosa. Michael Sanserino of the P-G wrote that the McLouth deal is in the serious stages. Nate is a bit of a surprise. If he's being brought in as an insurance policy on Alex Presley, the numbers show that McLouth hits lefties worse than Presley does. Still, a veteran presence can't hurt and he may be over his Atlanta injury bugs.
- Pitchers that the Pirates are said to be interested in are LHP Jeff Francis and RHP Aaron Cook. Oddly, one name that hasn't come up at all has been that of Paul Maholm. We're wondering if that late season injury was a little more serious than reported.
- Pittsburgh will find out if Derrik Lee accepts arb tomorrow, although it seems to be a foregone conclusion that he'll move on. And if they're going to play in the Friday draft, they'll have to take someone off the 40-man Wednesday, too.
- As Will Pellas noted in his comment on the last post, the Bucs are frustrating because they refuse to address holes that won't be filled in the short term through the system. We'll see if they deal for any players in the longer run. Will mentioned the FA pitching; they could get creative and give guys like Chris Leroux or Chris Resop a shot. We're interested to see if they have a package in mind if Gaby Sanchez frees up (Albert Pujols is given a even chance of landing in Florida.) Take away the outfield and second base, and every other position could be upgraded. It would be a pity to see the first wave of talent crest before the next wave hits shore.
- The Pirates announced their upcoming PirateFest schedule and the players who will participate.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Tuesday Meeting Notes
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3 comments:
McLouth is back???
William J. just got a chubby.
Now, now, Anonymous. Even I will admit that Nate has a lot to prove. I can honestly say I've never---never---seen another guy as young and apparently fit as McLouth break down as totally as he has from a physical health standpoint. Even with Ryan Doumit, you could point to the position he played and also to his sometimes questionable conditioning. Not so with McLouth. Maybe he was just really, REALLY unlucky. Or maybe his body---he's not a big guy, obviously---only had so much mileage in it and the odometer rolled over. I dunno.
But I'll tell you this: as a fourth outfielder, he is a far better option than either Garrett Jones or Gorkys Hernandez, who would figure to be next in line. McLouth was a 20-20 man in back to back seasons not so long ago, and there are very few center fielders who can make that claim. Add in his very good defensive game, and he was one of the better all-around players in the National League. That versatility is what I liked most about him. And if by some minor miracle he can get healthy again, he might push Presley if not Tabata to the bench. I doubt it, particularly because it looks like Nate's once outstanding pick-your-spots baserunning is permanently debilitated, and Presley and Tabata can still run. Still. We'll see.
Nate has been an 80-game/year guy the past couple of seasons, so I guess the key is to figure out if he's had a streak of bad luck or if his bod is shot. Paul had wheels; Nate's got pop, and that's what the Bucs are hoping for.
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