How do you hold the other team to two singles and lose? Heck, it's easy if you're Pittsburgh.
Have your pitchers walk nine guys, commit a timely error, miss a ball by diving past it, and then strike out 13 times when you're at bat. The Pirates did all of that in their 4-2 loss to the Brew Crew tonight.
Two things are glaringly obvious. First, all Milwaukee has to do is show up to whip the Bucs. And secondly, September 29th can't get here soon enough.
> Well, Pedro is finally signed, sealed, and delivered. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, Gorzo was put on the 60-day DL. So now it's time to see if the kid can play ball.
Where is the question. He signed too late to play winter ball, so it looks like he's going to start his career in the Florida Instruction League. Maybe missing three months won't delay his career, but then again...well, it can't help.
He addressed two of the questions his challenge presented. Regarding the lost goodwill of the Pirate faithful, Pedro said "I just want the fans of Pittsburgh to judge me on the field as a player. Starting today, I will work my hardest to be the best I can be."
Alvarez also said that the contract situation and ensuing soap opera was on him, not Scott Boras. "Throughout this whole process, I, myself, wanted a fair [negotiation]," he said. "I thought for myself and made decisions for myself."
Let the Pedro era begin. At last.
Showing posts with label alvarez contract dispute. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alvarez contract dispute. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Pittsburgh's Pedro Press Release
Major League Baseball announced today that the dispute regarding the status of Pedro Alvarez of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Eric Hosmer of the Kansas City Royals has been resolved by agreement with the Major League Baseball Players Association and that both players will be free to begin baseball activities immediately with their clubs.
The agreement with the MLBPA also clarifies how the August 15th deadline for signing selections in the First-Year Player Draft will be administered in future years. The agreement makes clear that deadline extensions can be made only by agreement between the Commissioner's Office and the MLBPA.
"From the beginning our primary concern was allowing Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Hosmer to begin their professional careers as quickly as possible and this settlement accomplishes that goal," said MLB Executive Vice President of Labor Relations Rob Manfred.
"We fully support and welcome the changes to the manner in which the August 15th deadline will be administered. We believe that the changes will result in a cleaner and more consistent application of the deadline which is in the best interests of both Clubs and players."
Yawn. Pedro gets a few more bucks if he's fast-tracked, a couple less if he takes a stutter step every here and there. The policy the MLB suits and MLBPA agreed on has been informally in place for years, and now it's set in stone.
And with a top five pick next year, we hope Scott Boras and Frank Coonelly can share the same sandbox if need be in the future. What a needless waste of time this whole thing has been.
The agreement with the MLBPA also clarifies how the August 15th deadline for signing selections in the First-Year Player Draft will be administered in future years. The agreement makes clear that deadline extensions can be made only by agreement between the Commissioner's Office and the MLBPA.
"From the beginning our primary concern was allowing Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Hosmer to begin their professional careers as quickly as possible and this settlement accomplishes that goal," said MLB Executive Vice President of Labor Relations Rob Manfred.
"We fully support and welcome the changes to the manner in which the August 15th deadline will be administered. We believe that the changes will result in a cleaner and more consistent application of the deadline which is in the best interests of both Clubs and players."
Yawn. Pedro gets a few more bucks if he's fast-tracked, a couple less if he takes a stutter step every here and there. The policy the MLB suits and MLBPA agreed on has been informally in place for years, and now it's set in stone.
And with a top five pick next year, we hope Scott Boras and Frank Coonelly can share the same sandbox if need be in the future. What a needless waste of time this whole thing has been.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Much Ado Over Nothing
Dejan reported that Pedro has agreed to a deal with the Bucs. It looks like little more than a reshuffling of the original offer. Alvarez gets his $6M bonus, but in four annual payments instead of two.
His contract is worth a tad more now, $6.4M, making him the highest paid rookie this year, and he gets a major league contract, meaning it's guaranteed and he goes on the 40-man roster now instead of being exempt for three years (see Andrew McCutchen, if you think that doesn't make a difference, especially in September).
The extra value of the deal is just about what the Pirates save by spreading out his bonus. And, of course, Boras gets his bragging rights, although somewhat belatedly. Our guess is that he would have taken this offer 15 minutes after Alvarez was drafted.
The MLB suits and the MLBPA have to settle their grievance before he's inked, and since it's now a major league deal, we assume the Pirates will give him a physical before the signing.
Our only two questions are 1) whether the arbitration issue will hang things up, and 2) how legit can a deal be when it's reached over a month past the deadline (and remember, now it's a MLB contract, not a minor league deal), while the original ended up in a hearing room for being maybe a 1/2 hour late?
What a tangled web we weave... But until his name is inked on the contract and approved by all the high hats, we're not going to count the Pirate eggs as being hatched. We just hope this isn't a situation where Boras outsmarted himself.
His contract is worth a tad more now, $6.4M, making him the highest paid rookie this year, and he gets a major league contract, meaning it's guaranteed and he goes on the 40-man roster now instead of being exempt for three years (see Andrew McCutchen, if you think that doesn't make a difference, especially in September).
The extra value of the deal is just about what the Pirates save by spreading out his bonus. And, of course, Boras gets his bragging rights, although somewhat belatedly. Our guess is that he would have taken this offer 15 minutes after Alvarez was drafted.
The MLB suits and the MLBPA have to settle their grievance before he's inked, and since it's now a major league deal, we assume the Pirates will give him a physical before the signing.
Our only two questions are 1) whether the arbitration issue will hang things up, and 2) how legit can a deal be when it's reached over a month past the deadline (and remember, now it's a MLB contract, not a minor league deal), while the original ended up in a hearing room for being maybe a 1/2 hour late?
What a tangled web we weave... But until his name is inked on the contract and approved by all the high hats, we're not going to count the Pirate eggs as being hatched. We just hope this isn't a situation where Boras outsmarted himself.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Bucs Feeling Dodger Blue
Judging by the line score, the Dodgers 6-2 win tonight was a laugher. And the Pirates did play like zombies much of the evening. Pittsburgh only mustered five hits off Derek Lowe and seven all together, and at least four Dodger knocks were off Bucco gloves. It wasn't pretty.
But the game actually turned on a pair of dribblers that put together wouldn't have gathered enough steam to get past the pitcher's mound. One launched an inning that shouldn't have been, and the other killed an inning that should have been.
The Dodgers were up 1-0 in the second inning with runners at first and second and one away when Lowe laid down a bunt. Three guys had a chance to make the right play, and all three blew it.
First, Jeff Karstens stepped in front of Andy LaRoche and fired a one hopper to Freddie Sanchez, covering first base. Sanchez couldn't field the ball cleanly, and it dropped beside him. He recovered in time to beat the pitcher.
But first base ump Tim Timmons missed the pick-up, and called Lowe safe. Instead of second and third with two away, the bases were juiced with one out. A sac fly - which should have been out #3 - single and double later, it was 4-0.
Karstens short armed an easy throw, Sanchez couldn't field a one-hopper, and Timmons missed a call. It added up to three runs.
In the fourth, the Pirates made their only challenge of the night. Three straight hits had a run in and runners on the corner with nobody out. But instead of making it interesting, Brandon Moss topped a ball off the plate, and it dropped five feet in front of home.
Inexplicably, he never ran the ball out. Catcher Russell Martin had all the time in the world to look the runner back at third and then start a 2-6-3 DP. Goodbye, big inning, hello, fat lady.
Karstens had another ugly line - 11 hits and 2 walks in five innings, and looks more and more like the right-handed version of Zach Duke.
> Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors reported that Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein has a source that says the union will claim that the Pirates and MLB engaged in a premeditated conspiracy, perhaps designed to take Scott Boras out of the picture by negotiating past midnight.
And you wonder why Pirate suits avoided Scott Boras clients so religiously? Our guess is that Boras may have just precipitated this whole midnight madness manuevering with exactly this scenario in mind. He then either gets the deal he wants or a juicy arbitration case. Running with the devil...
> Dale Sveum, one of the members of the Pirate's 1997 "Freak Show" that challenged for a division title until the final weeks of the season and one-time Altoona Curve manager, replaced Ned Yost as skipper at Milwaukee. He'll try to right the Brewer ship that was once a run-away leader for the wild card.
> Catch Michael's post at Hyzdu Headquarters, comparing Nate McLouth's 2008 season with Andy Van Slyke's 1988 year. You'll be surprised at the similarities.
But the game actually turned on a pair of dribblers that put together wouldn't have gathered enough steam to get past the pitcher's mound. One launched an inning that shouldn't have been, and the other killed an inning that should have been.
The Dodgers were up 1-0 in the second inning with runners at first and second and one away when Lowe laid down a bunt. Three guys had a chance to make the right play, and all three blew it.
First, Jeff Karstens stepped in front of Andy LaRoche and fired a one hopper to Freddie Sanchez, covering first base. Sanchez couldn't field the ball cleanly, and it dropped beside him. He recovered in time to beat the pitcher.
But first base ump Tim Timmons missed the pick-up, and called Lowe safe. Instead of second and third with two away, the bases were juiced with one out. A sac fly - which should have been out #3 - single and double later, it was 4-0.
Karstens short armed an easy throw, Sanchez couldn't field a one-hopper, and Timmons missed a call. It added up to three runs.
In the fourth, the Pirates made their only challenge of the night. Three straight hits had a run in and runners on the corner with nobody out. But instead of making it interesting, Brandon Moss topped a ball off the plate, and it dropped five feet in front of home.
Inexplicably, he never ran the ball out. Catcher Russell Martin had all the time in the world to look the runner back at third and then start a 2-6-3 DP. Goodbye, big inning, hello, fat lady.
Karstens had another ugly line - 11 hits and 2 walks in five innings, and looks more and more like the right-handed version of Zach Duke.
> Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors reported that Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein has a source that says the union will claim that the Pirates and MLB engaged in a premeditated conspiracy, perhaps designed to take Scott Boras out of the picture by negotiating past midnight.
And you wonder why Pirate suits avoided Scott Boras clients so religiously? Our guess is that Boras may have just precipitated this whole midnight madness manuevering with exactly this scenario in mind. He then either gets the deal he wants or a juicy arbitration case. Running with the devil...
> Dale Sveum, one of the members of the Pirate's 1997 "Freak Show" that challenged for a division title until the final weeks of the season and one-time Altoona Curve manager, replaced Ned Yost as skipper at Milwaukee. He'll try to right the Brewer ship that was once a run-away leader for the wild card.
> Catch Michael's post at Hyzdu Headquarters, comparing Nate McLouth's 2008 season with Andy Van Slyke's 1988 year. You'll be surprised at the similarities.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
A Battle of the Bullpens
Hey, the Bucs gave Gorzo a five run lead against Josh Fogg. Didn't help. Gorzelanny had no command, and left in the fourth. He threw 82 pitches, and just 48 were strikes. So much for running the table in September, hehe.
Chris Gomez went yard - don't expect that often - scored twice, and had 2 RBI. Steve Pearce plated a pair, and Nate McLouth scored twice. But the Red's pen effectively shut down the Bucs on the way to an 8-6 victory this afternoon.
Up 6-5 in the eighth, thanks to McLouth's 24th homer, Craig Hansen gave up an infield single on a sac bunt try, two walks, and tossed a wild pitch. He's given up 14 free passes in 10 Pirate innings. TJ Beam came on and hit a batter, gave up a single, and then a sac fly. Reds win.
The Pirates used six pitchers, and five of them had ERAs ranging from 5.06 to 10.45. Hard to hold a team down with arms like that serving up watermelons.
Ah well, maybe another juicy draft is in store for next year. Note to suits: avoid Scott Boras clients.
> The Pirates set a club record with Ross Ohlendorf's start yesterday. He became the 26th pitcher to make an appearance for the Bucs this season. The previous team high (25) was set in 1996 and matched last season.
Of those 26 pitchers, 13 have made at least one start. That's the most starters taking the hill in one season for the Pirates since 1996, when they used 18.
> Jason Starks of ESPN.com writes in his column:
Chris Gomez went yard - don't expect that often - scored twice, and had 2 RBI. Steve Pearce plated a pair, and Nate McLouth scored twice. But the Red's pen effectively shut down the Bucs on the way to an 8-6 victory this afternoon.
Up 6-5 in the eighth, thanks to McLouth's 24th homer, Craig Hansen gave up an infield single on a sac bunt try, two walks, and tossed a wild pitch. He's given up 14 free passes in 10 Pirate innings. TJ Beam came on and hit a batter, gave up a single, and then a sac fly. Reds win.
The Pirates used six pitchers, and five of them had ERAs ranging from 5.06 to 10.45. Hard to hold a team down with arms like that serving up watermelons.
Ah well, maybe another juicy draft is in store for next year. Note to suits: avoid Scott Boras clients.
> The Pirates set a club record with Ross Ohlendorf's start yesterday. He became the 26th pitcher to make an appearance for the Bucs this season. The previous team high (25) was set in 1996 and matched last season.
Of those 26 pitchers, 13 have made at least one start. That's the most starters taking the hill in one season for the Pirates since 1996, when they used 18.
> Jason Starks of ESPN.com writes in his column:
Now that the Pedro Alvarez controversy has raised the issue of MLB improperly extending deadlines, how come nobody has investigated what happened at the trading deadline?He also thinks there may be a little future fallout because of the whole Pedro mess:
There has been nonstop buzz in the industry for weeks that MLB extended the 4 p.m. ET July 31 trading deadline by as much as a half-hour to accommodate the Red Sox, Pirates and Dodgers in completing the Manny Ramirez/Jason Bay trade. Of course, Scott Boras wouldn't make an issue of that, because he needed to get his esteemed client, Manny, to a new destination.
One subtle ripple effect of the Pedro Alvarez grievance is that it just might lead to a worldwide draft. How do we connect those dots? Try to follow us:
The longtime alibi at MLB for not fixing the draft is that the union would never agree to negotiate, because it claimed the draft wasn't covered by collective bargaining. And why wasn't it covered? Because these weren't major leaguers being drafted.
But now that Scott Boras has pressured the union to file a grievance over MLB's alleged mishandling of this draft in general and Alvarez in particular, MLB might well respond by jumping on this grievance as proof that the union now agrees that the draft falls under its jurisdiction after all.
Whether the union buys it or not, you can bet the next labor discussions (still three years away) will include extensive talk about a formal slotting system, plus a worldwide draft. MLB currently has a committee, led by former Braves GM John Schuerholz, studying all those issues.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The Morning After...
OK, we know everybody is about up to here with Pedro stuff, deadlines, hearings, options, yada, yada.
And if it's over $200K for a contract already drawn up for a guaranteed $6M, Scott Boras has way more ego than smarts -and he's a very smart man - and Pedro didn't get a very good education at Vanderbilt, to pass up a possible chance to get into free agency a year quicker than he now will and burn his goodwill.
We think something deeper is going on than just an arbitration over a contract for nothing more than bragging rights. And we will be the first to admit, except for the possibility of some unknown physical problem or Boras' first assault on the player draft as it now is, we have no idea what the ultimate game may be.
Now ego is a powerful motivator, for both Boras and Alvarez. The uber-agent has a rep to uphold, and nobody knows how many people have whispered in the kid's ear that he's the best ballplayer drafted and should have gotten the biggest slice of pie. It could be as simple as that.
But it seems to be a high-risk gamble if it's all about saving face. So we'll be watching very closely to see if it's a pure old-fashioned money grab or something more. Your thoughts?
(Here is MLB.com's version Bucs, Boras Battle over Alvarez)
And if it's over $200K for a contract already drawn up for a guaranteed $6M, Scott Boras has way more ego than smarts -and he's a very smart man - and Pedro didn't get a very good education at Vanderbilt, to pass up a possible chance to get into free agency a year quicker than he now will and burn his goodwill.
We think something deeper is going on than just an arbitration over a contract for nothing more than bragging rights. And we will be the first to admit, except for the possibility of some unknown physical problem or Boras' first assault on the player draft as it now is, we have no idea what the ultimate game may be.
Now ego is a powerful motivator, for both Boras and Alvarez. The uber-agent has a rep to uphold, and nobody knows how many people have whispered in the kid's ear that he's the best ballplayer drafted and should have gotten the biggest slice of pie. It could be as simple as that.
But it seems to be a high-risk gamble if it's all about saving face. So we'll be watching very closely to see if it's a pure old-fashioned money grab or something more. Your thoughts?
(Here is MLB.com's version Bucs, Boras Battle over Alvarez)
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Bad Day to be a Buc
Imagine GW's surprise when arriving home from PNC to find out not only had the Pirates lost the ballgame but Pedro, too. Let it rain...
First, the ballgame. Nicely pitched by Zach Duke and Jason Marquis. The game was decided in the seventh on two bunts and a well-placed double.
Reed Johnson led off with a bunt single to the left side of the diamond, right after Andy LaRoche had dropped back after playing him tight, we would guess on the bench's command. Mark DeRosa followed by doubling down the line.
With the infield in, Ronny Cedano hit a soft roller to third. LaRoche had an iffy play at plate, and took the sure out at first. We're not sure we agree that was the right choice given the circumstances, but c'est la vie. Then Henry Blanco popped up a safety squeeze, dropping it in a step beyond Duke and stopping fair by a ball's width.
Two manufactured runs, and that was the ballgame. You won't win many with five hits anyway, although early on the Pirates stranded a pair at third with two down. But Raul Chavez' lead-off single in the fifth would be the last hit for Pittsburgh.
We did see enough in person of Andy LaRoche to confirm that he's gonna be a project at third base, after seeing reports all over the board on his fielding. We're not too concerned about his bat. Once he relaxes, it'll come around.
But he doesn't seem to be very instinctive or reactive at the hot corner, he doesn't range far afield, and we were surprised he didn't trip over himself a couple of times with his watusi footwork. He does have a nice arm.
Correctable faults? To a degree, but we don't ever see him as becoming more than an average fielding third baseman at best. His lumber will have to carry him, and that's not at all uncommon on the corner.
The Pirates made a roster move before the game, adding RHP Jesse Chavez to both the 40-man (Phil Dumatrait was placed on the 60-day DL) and active rosters, and sending Craig Hansen to Indy for a few days. He pitched a scoreless ninth, featuring a Chavez-to-Chavez battery.
Now on to the big news, the Boras claim that Pedro's contract is invalid because it was filed after midnight. This may not have much to do with Pittsburgh, but with the draft system as it currently exists.
He's always felt the deadline worked to managements' advantage, and if his goal is to stretch it out or perhaps dismantle the whole thing, his groundwork will be laid out in arbitration, with an eye towards the next contract.
Then again, it could and probably does have everything to do with Boras telling prospective clients that he was going to get the biggest bonus of the draft for his guys. Gotta protect that SBC (Scott Boras Corporation) brand name.
Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com wrote "According to one source familiar with the dissension, Boras is believed to be asking that the Pirates pay another $200,000 in addition to the agreed upon $6 million. Doing so would ensure that Alvarez joined Buster Posey as the highest paid player in the Draft."
The Player's Union is involved, too, and their participation will be on the contractual issue of the midnight deadlines and a wink-wink agreement to process late paperwork in violation of the Basic Agreement. It's not a strong case as we understand, but the MLBPA is the mechanism Boras chose to press his case.
We were always a bit concerned about the whole "e-mail the contract to the League unsigned" scenario legally. The Bucs never claimed that the entire contract was in by midnight, just that its basic agreed-upon structure was presented in a "timely manner." Now we'll find out what an arbitrator thinks of the process.
(Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com has a good piece with the history and legalities of the situation at The Alvarez Saga)
A third very-out-there possibility is that there are other forces at work that we're unaware of. What if, for example, Alvarez is hurt in some fashion?
There's nothing to suggest this scenario except Alvarez' reluctance to show up Pittsburgh, but if he is damaged goods, Boras has gained him another month (August 15 - September 10, the earliest arbitration date) to recover and pass his minor league physical, the last step of approving his contract.
In any case, don't look for the Pirates, along with many other teams, to deal with Boras again without a gun held to their heads. If a deal's not a deal, what's the point?
First, the ballgame. Nicely pitched by Zach Duke and Jason Marquis. The game was decided in the seventh on two bunts and a well-placed double.
Reed Johnson led off with a bunt single to the left side of the diamond, right after Andy LaRoche had dropped back after playing him tight, we would guess on the bench's command. Mark DeRosa followed by doubling down the line.
With the infield in, Ronny Cedano hit a soft roller to third. LaRoche had an iffy play at plate, and took the sure out at first. We're not sure we agree that was the right choice given the circumstances, but c'est la vie. Then Henry Blanco popped up a safety squeeze, dropping it in a step beyond Duke and stopping fair by a ball's width.
Two manufactured runs, and that was the ballgame. You won't win many with five hits anyway, although early on the Pirates stranded a pair at third with two down. But Raul Chavez' lead-off single in the fifth would be the last hit for Pittsburgh.
We did see enough in person of Andy LaRoche to confirm that he's gonna be a project at third base, after seeing reports all over the board on his fielding. We're not too concerned about his bat. Once he relaxes, it'll come around.
But he doesn't seem to be very instinctive or reactive at the hot corner, he doesn't range far afield, and we were surprised he didn't trip over himself a couple of times with his watusi footwork. He does have a nice arm.
Correctable faults? To a degree, but we don't ever see him as becoming more than an average fielding third baseman at best. His lumber will have to carry him, and that's not at all uncommon on the corner.
The Pirates made a roster move before the game, adding RHP Jesse Chavez to both the 40-man (Phil Dumatrait was placed on the 60-day DL) and active rosters, and sending Craig Hansen to Indy for a few days. He pitched a scoreless ninth, featuring a Chavez-to-Chavez battery.
Now on to the big news, the Boras claim that Pedro's contract is invalid because it was filed after midnight. This may not have much to do with Pittsburgh, but with the draft system as it currently exists.
He's always felt the deadline worked to managements' advantage, and if his goal is to stretch it out or perhaps dismantle the whole thing, his groundwork will be laid out in arbitration, with an eye towards the next contract.
Then again, it could and probably does have everything to do with Boras telling prospective clients that he was going to get the biggest bonus of the draft for his guys. Gotta protect that SBC (Scott Boras Corporation) brand name.
Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com wrote "According to one source familiar with the dissension, Boras is believed to be asking that the Pirates pay another $200,000 in addition to the agreed upon $6 million. Doing so would ensure that Alvarez joined Buster Posey as the highest paid player in the Draft."
The Player's Union is involved, too, and their participation will be on the contractual issue of the midnight deadlines and a wink-wink agreement to process late paperwork in violation of the Basic Agreement. It's not a strong case as we understand, but the MLBPA is the mechanism Boras chose to press his case.
We were always a bit concerned about the whole "e-mail the contract to the League unsigned" scenario legally. The Bucs never claimed that the entire contract was in by midnight, just that its basic agreed-upon structure was presented in a "timely manner." Now we'll find out what an arbitrator thinks of the process.
(Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com has a good piece with the history and legalities of the situation at The Alvarez Saga)
A third very-out-there possibility is that there are other forces at work that we're unaware of. What if, for example, Alvarez is hurt in some fashion?
There's nothing to suggest this scenario except Alvarez' reluctance to show up Pittsburgh, but if he is damaged goods, Boras has gained him another month (August 15 - September 10, the earliest arbitration date) to recover and pass his minor league physical, the last step of approving his contract.
In any case, don't look for the Pirates, along with many other teams, to deal with Boras again without a gun held to their heads. If a deal's not a deal, what's the point?
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