- The Pirate loss Thursday was the first opener they've dropped since 2006.
- Clint Hurdle is expected to start Matt Hague and Casey McGehee at the infield corners against the lefty Cliff Lee on Saturday. McGehee has been there and done that, but for Hague, well, welcome to the show.
- AJ Burnett will make his first rehab start tonight for the High A Bradenton Marauders.
- Speaking of Bradenton, JJ Cooper of Baseball America named the Marauders as the fifth best minor league as of now, citing Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Alex Dickerson, Evan Chambers and Mel Rojas Jr. as players to watch.
- In Baseball America's "Daily Dish," Ben Badler featured Class A West Virginia SS Alex Hanson, a Dominican player signed by Pirate Latin American scout Rene Gayo in 2009.
- Dan Wade of Fangraphs pumps up Jose Tabata as a late pick for fantasy baseballers.
- Matthew Pouliot of The Hardball Times has a very confusing post on the Pirates. We think he's dissing Clint Hurdle, or maybe the free agent signings, or maybe the team, or maybe...well, it's hard to tell, except it's a negative piece. Geez, can't the national guys wait a week or two before shoveling dirt on the club?
- Ya can't keep 'em down. SS Brian Bixler has been recalled by the Astros to replace the injured Jed Lowrie, notes John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus.
- Another blast from the past has returned. Kip Wells, who last pitched in 2009, has signed a minor league deal with the White Sox after hitting 93 MPH on the gun during a workout, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
- Ben Nicholson Smith of MLB Trade Rumors looked at the opening day pitchers, and found that half were home-grown and the other 15 joined their current clubs via trade or free agency. The fact that half are with their original organizations shows the premium teams are paying to develop their own players, especially pitchers.
Showing posts with label pirates 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pirates 2010. Show all posts
Friday, April 6, 2012
Friday Notepad
A few notes before the game tomorrow:
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Bucs and Bucks
Curious about the payroll gap in the NL Central? Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball has a decade long breakdown of the spending and the growing financial chasm between everybody and the Pirates (with links to the rest of the MLB figures).
Brown notes:"...the NL Central shows how growing revenues and possibly disincentivized low-revenue maker the Pittsburgh Pirates, has seen a growing gap between the highest and lowest end of year payroll."
Brown notes:"...the NL Central shows how growing revenues and possibly disincentivized low-revenue maker the Pittsburgh Pirates, has seen a growing gap between the highest and lowest end of year payroll."
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Bucco Bits
-- The Pirates' potential shopping list: here's FA starting pitchers who are still unsigned and would fit into Pittsburgh's rotation - Jeff Francis, Chris Young, Bruce Chen, Ben Sheets, Justin Duchscherer & Kevin Millwood. Some back end relievers remaining are Chad Durbin, Kevin Gregg, Brian Fuentes, Jon Rauch, and Hiroyuki Kobayashi.
-- Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweets that the Bucs, along with half of major league baseball, have interest in Brian Fuentes.
-- Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors takes a look at the needs of the NL Central teams; his take on Pittsburgh is that they're short a starter, a veteran reliever, and need a taker for Ryan Doumit.
-- RJ Anderson of Fangraphs has the tale on new Bucco Garrett Atkins.
-- Ben Nicholson-Smith of MLB Trade Rumors has a piece on the "New Look Pirates". Well, new look bench, anyway.
-- Jen Langosch of MLB.com has an article on the Top Five Pirate stories from the 2010 season.
-- John Dreker of the Pirates Prospects blog interviewed Pirates' prospect Evan Chambers on his first full professional season.
-- According to John Paul Morosi of Fox Sports, "...the Toronto Blue Jays have finalized a one-year, $3.5 million contract with reliever Octavio Dotel...The contract includes a $2.75 million salary in 2011, followed by a $3.75 million club option — with a $750,000 buyout — for 2012."
-- LHP Sean Burnett and the Washington Nats agreed on a two-year, $3.95M contract with a mutual option for 2013, avoiding arbitration. Burney went 1-7 with three saves and a 2.14 ERA in 73 appearances in 2010; he's 9-16 with four saves and a 3.80 ERA in four major league seasons.
His deal pays $1.4M next season and $2.3M in 2012. There is a $3.5M option for 2013 with a $250,000 buyout. The contract also includes potential bonuses up to $500K each season based on games finished.
-- Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweets that the Bucs, along with half of major league baseball, have interest in Brian Fuentes.
-- Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors takes a look at the needs of the NL Central teams; his take on Pittsburgh is that they're short a starter, a veteran reliever, and need a taker for Ryan Doumit.
-- RJ Anderson of Fangraphs has the tale on new Bucco Garrett Atkins.
-- Ben Nicholson-Smith of MLB Trade Rumors has a piece on the "New Look Pirates". Well, new look bench, anyway.
-- Jen Langosch of MLB.com has an article on the Top Five Pirate stories from the 2010 season.
-- John Dreker of the Pirates Prospects blog interviewed Pirates' prospect Evan Chambers on his first full professional season.
-- According to John Paul Morosi of Fox Sports, "...the Toronto Blue Jays have finalized a one-year, $3.5 million contract with reliever Octavio Dotel...The contract includes a $2.75 million salary in 2011, followed by a $3.75 million club option — with a $750,000 buyout — for 2012."
-- LHP Sean Burnett and the Washington Nats agreed on a two-year, $3.95M contract with a mutual option for 2013, avoiding arbitration. Burney went 1-7 with three saves and a 2.14 ERA in 73 appearances in 2010; he's 9-16 with four saves and a 3.80 ERA in four major league seasons.
His deal pays $1.4M next season and $2.3M in 2012. There is a $3.5M option for 2013 with a $250,000 buyout. The contract also includes potential bonuses up to $500K each season based on games finished.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Yes, Even On Christmas...
-- Dave Gershman of SPANdemonium has an interview with the newest Bucco, Corey Wimberly, a 27 year old burner that plays just about everywhere.
-- The Pirates are in the middle of the pack as far as free agent spending goes, according to the calculations of Major League Trade Rumor's Ben Nicholson-Smith. He figures the median amount spend so far this off-season is $19M per team; the Buccos have lightened their pockets by $17.75M.
-- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reported that "in an offseason dedicated to finding creative solutions to their dearth of pitching, the Mets might already have signed free-agent rotation help: D.J. Carrasco, who may be used as a back-end starter."
-- The Pirates are in the middle of the pack as far as free agent spending goes, according to the calculations of Major League Trade Rumor's Ben Nicholson-Smith. He figures the median amount spend so far this off-season is $19M per team; the Buccos have lightened their pockets by $17.75M.
-- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reported that "in an offseason dedicated to finding creative solutions to their dearth of pitching, the Mets might already have signed free-agent rotation help: D.J. Carrasco, who may be used as a back-end starter."
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Busy Bucs
-- The Pirates signed 1B/3B Garrett Atkins, who played for Clint Hurdle at Colorado, to a minor league contract. The 31 year old has had consecutive sad seasons, with lines of .214/1/9 for Baltimore in 2010 and .226/9/48 for the Rox in 2009.
He joins Andy Marte and Josh Fields as corner bench candidates. Steve Pearce looks like he's going to have his hands full trying to avoid another year at Indy.
-- The Pirates claimed LHP Aaron Thompson off waivers from the Washington Nationals and DFA'ed LHP Wil Ledezma to make room for Thompson on the 40-man roster. The 23-year-old Thompson was the Florida Marlins first-round selection (22nd player chosen overall) in the 2005 draft.
Ledezma, who will turn 30 in January, can opt for free agency if he clears waivers, but since he has already inked a $700K major league contract for 2011, he may want to remain a Pirate and report to Indy rather than try out the free-agent market.
-- The Pirates acquired Corey Wimberly from the A's, tweets MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The A's acquire 23 year old RHP Ryan Kelly in the deal, counter-tweets MLB.com's Jane Lee.
The 27-year-old Wimberly posted a .284/.373/.354 line with 56 steals while playing at at short, second, third, left and center. Seems like they're loading up on middle infielders, too.
Kelly is a reliever for West Virginia who was 3-2-6 with a 4.30 ERA & struck out 75 batters in 75 innings last season in low Class A.
He joins Andy Marte and Josh Fields as corner bench candidates. Steve Pearce looks like he's going to have his hands full trying to avoid another year at Indy.
-- The Pirates claimed LHP Aaron Thompson off waivers from the Washington Nationals and DFA'ed LHP Wil Ledezma to make room for Thompson on the 40-man roster. The 23-year-old Thompson was the Florida Marlins first-round selection (22nd player chosen overall) in the 2005 draft.
Ledezma, who will turn 30 in January, can opt for free agency if he clears waivers, but since he has already inked a $700K major league contract for 2011, he may want to remain a Pirate and report to Indy rather than try out the free-agent market.
-- The Pirates acquired Corey Wimberly from the A's, tweets MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The A's acquire 23 year old RHP Ryan Kelly in the deal, counter-tweets MLB.com's Jane Lee.
The 27-year-old Wimberly posted a .284/.373/.354 line with 56 steals while playing at at short, second, third, left and center. Seems like they're loading up on middle infielders, too.
Kelly is a reliever for West Virginia who was 3-2-6 with a 4.30 ERA & struck out 75 batters in 75 innings last season in low Class A.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Wednesday Widgets
-- Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports reports a rumor we passed on a bit back and still has some legs: The Bucs are interested in bringing back Octavio Dotel as a closer, along with Toronto and Tampa Bay.
-- The Bucs have invited a dozen non-roster players to camp so far: Dusty Brown, Jeff Clement, Josh Fields, Sean Gallagher, Andy Marte, Fernando Nieve, Rudy Owens, Justin Thomas, Cesar Valdez, Donnie Veal, Justin Wilson, and Tyler Yates.
-- OK, the Bucs finally cleared up the 40-man roster mess by DFA'ing RHP Joe Martinez, who came with John Bowker from the Giants. He may get through waivers. Martinez pitches ala Jeff Karstens and most teams already have a couple of those guys on hand. We assume the delay in making the move was because someone they signed got into the MLB pipeline late.
-- The Bucs have invited a dozen non-roster players to camp so far: Dusty Brown, Jeff Clement, Josh Fields, Sean Gallagher, Andy Marte, Fernando Nieve, Rudy Owens, Justin Thomas, Cesar Valdez, Donnie Veal, Justin Wilson, and Tyler Yates.
-- OK, the Bucs finally cleared up the 40-man roster mess by DFA'ing RHP Joe Martinez, who came with John Bowker from the Giants. He may get through waivers. Martinez pitches ala Jeff Karstens and most teams already have a couple of those guys on hand. We assume the delay in making the move was because someone they signed got into the MLB pipeline late.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tuesday Tidbits
-- The Pirates resigned RHP Tyler Yates according to a tweet from Baseball America's Matt Eddy. One of Neal Huntington's first pick-ups in 2008, he hasn't pitched since undergoing his second TJ surgery in mid-2009.
-- Tim Dierkes of Major League Trade Rumors noted that Argenis Diaz, the good hands SS recently released by the Bucs, has signed a minor league deal with the Tigers.
-- Tim Dierkes of Major League Trade Rumors noted that Argenis Diaz, the good hands SS recently released by the Bucs, has signed a minor league deal with the Tigers.
Monday, December 20, 2010
The Monday Shuffle
-- We're still waiting on the Pirates to trim their roster to 40 players; they've been carrying 41 since Friday's signing of Kevin Correia. We thought that MLB was a little stricter about their rules, but hey...
-- The Pirates signed Josh Fields, 28, to a minor league deal. He was a first-round pick (18th overall) of the White Sox in 2004. Looks like with Andy Marte's signing and the long audition of Andy LaRoche that Pittsburgh is becoming the elephant's graveyard for third base hot shots.
He's also played a little first and corner outfield and is another guy who will compete with Marte and Steve Pearce for a RH bench spot. In parts of five seasons, Fields has hit .234/34/107 in 796 at-bats with 235 Ks.
-- John Perrotto and Rob Biertempfel tweet that the Pirates might be in on Carl Pavano. Interesting choice for a veteran anchor, as he's almost 35 and is said to be looking for a three year deal. Maybe the FO is hoping to buy some time for the young guns - or maybe they're set on finding a new home for Paul Maholm.
-- Chan Ho Park won't be back, and he's not going to Korea, either. He decided to cast his lot with the Orix Buffaloes of the Japanese League in 2011. He had a nice career in the show, pitching for seven teams over 17 years and going 124-98 with a 4.36 ERA.
-- Brian Bixler signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nats. BB has a .178 lifetime average and spent 2010 playing AAA ball for three teams.
-- The Pirates signed Josh Fields, 28, to a minor league deal. He was a first-round pick (18th overall) of the White Sox in 2004. Looks like with Andy Marte's signing and the long audition of Andy LaRoche that Pittsburgh is becoming the elephant's graveyard for third base hot shots.
He's also played a little first and corner outfield and is another guy who will compete with Marte and Steve Pearce for a RH bench spot. In parts of five seasons, Fields has hit .234/34/107 in 796 at-bats with 235 Ks.
-- John Perrotto and Rob Biertempfel tweet that the Pirates might be in on Carl Pavano. Interesting choice for a veteran anchor, as he's almost 35 and is said to be looking for a three year deal. Maybe the FO is hoping to buy some time for the young guns - or maybe they're set on finding a new home for Paul Maholm.
-- Chan Ho Park won't be back, and he's not going to Korea, either. He decided to cast his lot with the Orix Buffaloes of the Japanese League in 2011. He had a nice career in the show, pitching for seven teams over 17 years and going 124-98 with a 4.36 ERA.
-- Brian Bixler signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nats. BB has a .178 lifetime average and spent 2010 playing AAA ball for three teams.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Jeff Francis News
Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post says that Jeff Francis' decision of whom to sign with should be made shortly. He could enlist for another go-around with the Rockies or accept an offer from his known suitors, the Pirates, Mets or Nats.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Friday Flashes
-- M. Spiciarich of The Sports Banter thinks that Garrett Jones and Lyle Overbay are the same player, and has some stats to bolster his point. The general tone of his post is captured by its head "Piling On the Pirates."
-- Jen Langosch of MLB.com writes that Garrett Jones accepts his platoon role, but is going to spend the off-season shortening his swing so he can handle LHP better.
-- Matthew Leach of MLB.com looks at the 2011 NL Central race, and calls it "wide open." But for the Pirates, he says "...the better tactic might still be to keep 2012-14 in mind. Pirates fans are obviously sick of looking to the future, though, so you can understand where the front office is coming from. Either way, the question for the '11 Pirates is the continued development of the kids..."
-- Keith Law of ESPN touched on these draft topics that may be of interest to Bucco fans during his chat yesterday:
Anthony Rendon isn't assured to be the Bucco pick in the draft this year. "Rendon is not the lock that Strasburg and Harper were. Cole, Springer, Gray, Barnes, Starling ... it's a good list of high-end talent." But if he is, Law is high on him. "Rendon should be in the big leagues in a year, 18 months at the most, and fairly productive out of the chute."
And he doesn't feel that Rendon will influence Pedro's position on the diamond. "I think Alvarez is going to 1b no matter what."
-- Mike Puma of New York Post writes that the Mets are looking at ex-Bucco Tom Gorzelanny, whom the Cubs are shopping. Gorzo was 7-9 with a 4.09 ERA and averaged 7.9 K's/9 and 4.5 W's/9 last season.
-- The Orioles announced that they have reached a one-year deal with reliever Jeremy Accardo, who the Bucs were said to have on their short list. He signed for $1.08M next season, according to a tweet by Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
-- Jen Langosch of MLB.com writes that Garrett Jones accepts his platoon role, but is going to spend the off-season shortening his swing so he can handle LHP better.
-- Matthew Leach of MLB.com looks at the 2011 NL Central race, and calls it "wide open." But for the Pirates, he says "...the better tactic might still be to keep 2012-14 in mind. Pirates fans are obviously sick of looking to the future, though, so you can understand where the front office is coming from. Either way, the question for the '11 Pirates is the continued development of the kids..."
-- Keith Law of ESPN touched on these draft topics that may be of interest to Bucco fans during his chat yesterday:
Anthony Rendon isn't assured to be the Bucco pick in the draft this year. "Rendon is not the lock that Strasburg and Harper were. Cole, Springer, Gray, Barnes, Starling ... it's a good list of high-end talent." But if he is, Law is high on him. "Rendon should be in the big leagues in a year, 18 months at the most, and fairly productive out of the chute."
And he doesn't feel that Rendon will influence Pedro's position on the diamond. "I think Alvarez is going to 1b no matter what."
-- Mike Puma of New York Post writes that the Mets are looking at ex-Bucco Tom Gorzelanny, whom the Cubs are shopping. Gorzo was 7-9 with a 4.09 ERA and averaged 7.9 K's/9 and 4.5 W's/9 last season.
-- The Orioles announced that they have reached a one-year deal with reliever Jeremy Accardo, who the Bucs were said to have on their short list. He signed for $1.08M next season, according to a tweet by Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The New 40-Man
Just in case you want to keep score on the 2011 Buccos, here's the 40-man roster as it exists today. There are actually 41 guys; Kevin Correia needs a space cleared for him. (The players in italics were added after the season.)
Pitchers (23): Ramon Aguero, Jose Ascanio, Michael Crotta, Joel Hanrahan, Kevin Hart, Jeff Karstens, Wilfredo Ledezma, Chris Leroux, Brad Lincoln, Jeff Locke, Paul Maholm, Joe Martinez, Daniel McCutchen, James McDonald, Kyle McPherson, Evan Meek, Bryan Morris, Charlie Morton, Daniel Moskos, Ross Ohlendorf, Scott Olsen, Chris Resop, and Tony Watson.
Waiting to be added: Kevin Correia.
Removed after season: Zach Duke, Sean Gallagher, Steve Jackson, Justin Thomas, and Donnie Veal.
Catchers (3): Ryan Doumit, Jason Jaramillo, and Chris Snyder.
Infielders (7): Pedro Alvarez, Ronny Cedeno, Pedro Ciriaco, Lyle Overbay, Steve Pearce, Josh Rodriguez, and Neil Walker.
Removed after season: Jeff Clement and Andy LaRoche.
Outfielders (7): John Bowker, Matt Diaz, Gorkys Hernandez, Garrett Jones, Andrew McCutchen, Alex Presley, and Jose Tabata.
Removed after season: Lastings Milledge, Delwyn Young, and Brandon Moss.
GW's shot-in-the-dark order: McCutchen (CF), Tabata (LF), Walker (2B), Alvarez (3B), Overbay (1B), Diaz/Jones (RF), Snyder/Doumit(C), Cedeno (SS).
Walker could drop down, but he runs better than the guys behind him, so we kept him at the three spot. Cedeno and Snyder are interchangeable at the bottom of the order; we don't think Dewey is long for Pittsburgh.
Pitchers (23): Ramon Aguero, Jose Ascanio, Michael Crotta, Joel Hanrahan, Kevin Hart, Jeff Karstens, Wilfredo Ledezma, Chris Leroux, Brad Lincoln, Jeff Locke, Paul Maholm, Joe Martinez, Daniel McCutchen, James McDonald, Kyle McPherson, Evan Meek, Bryan Morris, Charlie Morton, Daniel Moskos, Ross Ohlendorf, Scott Olsen, Chris Resop, and Tony Watson.
Waiting to be added: Kevin Correia.
Removed after season: Zach Duke, Sean Gallagher, Steve Jackson, Justin Thomas, and Donnie Veal.
Catchers (3): Ryan Doumit, Jason Jaramillo, and Chris Snyder.
Infielders (7): Pedro Alvarez, Ronny Cedeno, Pedro Ciriaco, Lyle Overbay, Steve Pearce, Josh Rodriguez, and Neil Walker.
Removed after season: Jeff Clement and Andy LaRoche.
Outfielders (7): John Bowker, Matt Diaz, Gorkys Hernandez, Garrett Jones, Andrew McCutchen, Alex Presley, and Jose Tabata.
Removed after season: Lastings Milledge, Delwyn Young, and Brandon Moss.
GW's shot-in-the-dark order: McCutchen (CF), Tabata (LF), Walker (2B), Alvarez (3B), Overbay (1B), Diaz/Jones (RF), Snyder/Doumit(C), Cedeno (SS).
Walker could drop down, but he runs better than the guys behind him, so we kept him at the three spot. Cedeno and Snyder are interchangeable at the bottom of the order; we don't think Dewey is long for Pittsburgh.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Some Minor Signings...
Minor League deals:
-- LHP Donnie Veal returned to the Bucs today after being removed from the 40-man roster last month. The Pirates announced that he signed a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
-- The Yankees signed LHP Neal Cotts. The Pirates signed him as a minor-league free agent last year, but he never got into a game as he was recovering from TJ surgery performed in 2009. They also inked veteran farmhand Doug Bernier who spent 2010 at Indy as a utility player. Both were reported by Zach Links of Major League Trade Rumors.
-- Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweeted that RHP Jonah Bayliss, who spent 2006-07 traveling between Indy and Pittsburgh, was signed by Tampa Bay.
He also tweeted that the Oakland A's inked LHP Vinnie Chulk, who pitched at Indy in 2010 before moving on to the Japanese League Hiroshima Carp.
The busy Eddy added another tweet to announce Jonathan Van Every's contract with Washington. He was an OF with Indy last season.
-- Previous transactions: RHP Brian Bass & C Erik Kratz signed with the Phils and LHP Dana Eveland went to the Dodgers.
-- LHP Donnie Veal returned to the Bucs today after being removed from the 40-man roster last month. The Pirates announced that he signed a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
-- The Yankees signed LHP Neal Cotts. The Pirates signed him as a minor-league free agent last year, but he never got into a game as he was recovering from TJ surgery performed in 2009. They also inked veteran farmhand Doug Bernier who spent 2010 at Indy as a utility player. Both were reported by Zach Links of Major League Trade Rumors.
-- Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweeted that RHP Jonah Bayliss, who spent 2006-07 traveling between Indy and Pittsburgh, was signed by Tampa Bay.
He also tweeted that the Oakland A's inked LHP Vinnie Chulk, who pitched at Indy in 2010 before moving on to the Japanese League Hiroshima Carp.
The busy Eddy added another tweet to announce Jonathan Van Every's contract with Washington. He was an OF with Indy last season.
-- Previous transactions: RHP Brian Bass & C Erik Kratz signed with the Phils and LHP Dana Eveland went to the Dodgers.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Sunday Shorts
-- The Pirates don't look to be in the race for additional free agent pitching, with the only remaining players we've heard them associated with being Chris Young and Justin Duchscherer. But there are couple of interesting names being offered around the league.
The Bucs don't have the organizational depth to take on a Zack Greinke deal with KC, but Tampa Bay is reportedly offering Matt Garza and James Shields. And they're said to be looking for pen help (Hanrahan), OF/C help (Doumit) and/or prospects. We don't know if there's a deal to be made there, but hopefully the FO is at least chatting with the Rays.
-- Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports lists the Pirates among the winter meeting winners, saying "The Pirates, meanwhile, have said they will spend and are starting to do it. The names aren't big — Kevin Correia, Matt Diaz, Scott Olsen — but Clint Hurdle should have a respectable roster in his first year as the Pittsburgh manager."
-- Tony Beasley, JR's third base coach, was hired to manage the Washington Nat's AA team at Harrisburg.
-- MLB Network will air the 1960 Pirate-Yankee Game #7 at 7PM on Wednesday, 12/15. Bob Costas will be the host, and he'll have interviews from the sneak preview held last month at the Byham Theater.
-- Upcoming dates to remember: January 5th-15th, arbitration filings (Ross Ohlendorf & Joel Hanrahan tendered but unsigned); February 1st-21st, arbitration hearings; March 1st, mandatory camp reporting date (voluntary report date is mid-February); April 1st Opening Day @ Wrigley Field and April 7th, home opener vs. Colorado.
The Bucs don't have the organizational depth to take on a Zack Greinke deal with KC, but Tampa Bay is reportedly offering Matt Garza and James Shields. And they're said to be looking for pen help (Hanrahan), OF/C help (Doumit) and/or prospects. We don't know if there's a deal to be made there, but hopefully the FO is at least chatting with the Rays.
-- Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports lists the Pirates among the winter meeting winners, saying "The Pirates, meanwhile, have said they will spend and are starting to do it. The names aren't big — Kevin Correia, Matt Diaz, Scott Olsen — but Clint Hurdle should have a respectable roster in his first year as the Pittsburgh manager."
-- Tony Beasley, JR's third base coach, was hired to manage the Washington Nat's AA team at Harrisburg.
-- MLB Network will air the 1960 Pirate-Yankee Game #7 at 7PM on Wednesday, 12/15. Bob Costas will be the host, and he'll have interviews from the sneak preview held last month at the Byham Theater.
-- Upcoming dates to remember: January 5th-15th, arbitration filings (Ross Ohlendorf & Joel Hanrahan tendered but unsigned); February 1st-21st, arbitration hearings; March 1st, mandatory camp reporting date (voluntary report date is mid-February); April 1st Opening Day @ Wrigley Field and April 7th, home opener vs. Colorado.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
A Little More Pitching News
-- The D-Backs announced that they sent 25 year old RHP Cesar Valdez to the Bucs as the PTBNL in the Zach Duke dump. Valdez got a cup of coffee in Arizona last year, going 1-2 with a 7.65 ERA in nine appearances, two of them starts.
Valdez, who was signed out of the Dominican Republic as an amateur free agent in 2005, isn't considered a prospect, and his AAA stats bear that out. In two seasons at Reno, he was a starter with a 13-16 record, 5.34 ERA, 1.508 WHIP and 7.1 Ks/game against 3.7 walks/game. Not very inspiring; he looks like just a warm body.
-- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN tweeted that Scott Olsen's contract is for $500K with up to $3M more available in incentive money. The deal includes a $4M club option for 2012.
Valdez, who was signed out of the Dominican Republic as an amateur free agent in 2005, isn't considered a prospect, and his AAA stats bear that out. In two seasons at Reno, he was a starter with a 13-16 record, 5.34 ERA, 1.508 WHIP and 7.1 Ks/game against 3.7 walks/game. Not very inspiring; he looks like just a warm body.
-- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN tweeted that Scott Olsen's contract is for $500K with up to $3M more available in incentive money. The deal includes a $4M club option for 2012.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Bucco Hot Stove
The names being bandied about as players of interest to the Pirates by various sources: Jeremy Accardo, Jason Bartlett, Justin Duchscherer, Kevin Gregg, Aaron Heilman, Kenshin Kawakami, JJ Hardy and Brendan Ryan.
They have already signed Kevin Correia, Andy Marte, Fernando Nieve, and Scott Olsen. Also, Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio will be back after losing 2010 to injuries. Both are starters who will have to work out of the pen until their arms strengthen, and both are out of options. At least the Bucs should have some numbers in the spring.
It's easy enough to see that the FO is emphasizing pitching after last year's train wreck. Right now, the rotation looks like James McDonald, Ross Ohlendorf, Kevin Correia, Paul Maholm, and Craig Morton/Scott Olsen/Brad Lincoln, with more arms to come. And they can use the help.
Surprisingly to GW, the Pirates don't seem to be very high on Matt Diaz. We're not sure if that's because of price (10 teams are said to have inquired about him) or ability; he'd seem to be a good fit for the right field platoon. (EDIT - the Bucs were high on Diaz, after all. Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette reports that they signed him to a two-year deal. It's not often that GW and the FO agree on something.)
They have already signed Kevin Correia, Andy Marte, Fernando Nieve, and Scott Olsen. Also, Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio will be back after losing 2010 to injuries. Both are starters who will have to work out of the pen until their arms strengthen, and both are out of options. At least the Bucs should have some numbers in the spring.
It's easy enough to see that the FO is emphasizing pitching after last year's train wreck. Right now, the rotation looks like James McDonald, Ross Ohlendorf, Kevin Correia, Paul Maholm, and Craig Morton/Scott Olsen/Brad Lincoln, with more arms to come. And they can use the help.
Surprisingly to GW, the Pirates don't seem to be very high on Matt Diaz. We're not sure if that's because of price (10 teams are said to have inquired about him) or ability; he'd seem to be a good fit for the right field platoon. (EDIT - the Bucs were high on Diaz, after all. Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette reports that they signed him to a two-year deal. It's not often that GW and the FO agree on something.)
Old Names In The News
Hey, not only are the Buccos kicking tires, but a few ex-Pirates are making some noise at the winter meeting.
-- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweeted that the Brewers, Marlins, and Phillies are talking to Delwyn Young.
-- Jim Tracy collapsed inside his hotel room and was taken to the hospital. The Rockies' skipper was diagnosed with mild arrhythmia and left Orlando to return to his home (Bradenton) with his family. If serious enough, Tracy may require a pacemaker.
-- Acording to Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette, the Cubs are aggressively shopping Tom Gorzelanny. Gorzo was 7-9 with a 4.09 ERA last season, and 36-37 with 4.68 ERA lifetime.
-- The Mets are scooping up old Pirates: Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted that they have a 2-year deal with RHP DJ Carrasco, while Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes tweeted (in Spanish) that Ronny Paulino signed on for $1.3M pending his physical.
Don Long also interviewed today for a coaching gig with the Metropolitans.
-- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweeted that the Brewers, Marlins, and Phillies are talking to Delwyn Young.
-- Jim Tracy collapsed inside his hotel room and was taken to the hospital. The Rockies' skipper was diagnosed with mild arrhythmia and left Orlando to return to his home (Bradenton) with his family. If serious enough, Tracy may require a pacemaker.
-- Acording to Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette, the Cubs are aggressively shopping Tom Gorzelanny. Gorzo was 7-9 with a 4.09 ERA last season, and 36-37 with 4.68 ERA lifetime.
-- The Mets are scooping up old Pirates: Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted that they have a 2-year deal with RHP DJ Carrasco, while Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes tweeted (in Spanish) that Ronny Paulino signed on for $1.3M pending his physical.
Don Long also interviewed today for a coaching gig with the Metropolitans.
Rule 5: Starters
LHP Douglas Arguello, 26, (Astros): The Nicaraguan was originally signed by the 'Stros in 2001. He's a soft tossing lefty who throws in the upper 80’s and touches 91 MPH. Arguello changes his speeds well and has a plus change.
He's a slow bloomer, but his work has improved year by year. While not a power guy, he does sport a 3:1 K-to-W ratio, and he's an extreme ground ball guy, getting 55-60% of his outs on the dirt. His upside isn't that high, but he can step in and fill a bottom of the rotation spot.
The Astros like him as at least an insurance policy; they inked him to a minor-league deal with an invite to camp if he gets through the draft.
RHP Adam Miller, 26, (Indians): Drafted in the first round of the 2003 draft, Miller was Indian's top prospect for several seasons. He fell victim to a tendon problem in his finger that eventually required a transplant. Anyway, he's supposedly healthy and throwing in the Instructional league, and hitting the mitt in the lower nineties.
He hasn't thrown a pitch in a game since 2008, and he's a project. But Miller's a project with upside; if he gets another foot back on his fastball, he could be a mid-rotation arm. And hey, if you can take a chance on Andy Marte, how much could a roll of the dice on Miller hurt?
RHP Aneury Rodriguez, 22, (Rays): Signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Colorado Rockies, Aneury Rodriguez debuted as a 17-year old in 2005 and was in full-season ball at age 19.
His arsenal of pitches is a low-90s fastball with a slider and work-in-progress change-up. But the heater is deceptive; in the past couple of years, it's more likely to sit in the upper eighties. His K ratio has dropped to about 7/game in that time, and this will be the second year he's been dangled as Rule 5 bait.
He's been mentioned as a guy on the Pirate radar, but that drop in velocity would be a red flag to us. Still, he could probably fit in as a back end rotation arm.
He's a slow bloomer, but his work has improved year by year. While not a power guy, he does sport a 3:1 K-to-W ratio, and he's an extreme ground ball guy, getting 55-60% of his outs on the dirt. His upside isn't that high, but he can step in and fill a bottom of the rotation spot.
The Astros like him as at least an insurance policy; they inked him to a minor-league deal with an invite to camp if he gets through the draft.
RHP Adam Miller, 26, (Indians): Drafted in the first round of the 2003 draft, Miller was Indian's top prospect for several seasons. He fell victim to a tendon problem in his finger that eventually required a transplant. Anyway, he's supposedly healthy and throwing in the Instructional league, and hitting the mitt in the lower nineties.
He hasn't thrown a pitch in a game since 2008, and he's a project. But Miller's a project with upside; if he gets another foot back on his fastball, he could be a mid-rotation arm. And hey, if you can take a chance on Andy Marte, how much could a roll of the dice on Miller hurt?
RHP Aneury Rodriguez, 22, (Rays): Signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Colorado Rockies, Aneury Rodriguez debuted as a 17-year old in 2005 and was in full-season ball at age 19.
His arsenal of pitches is a low-90s fastball with a slider and work-in-progress change-up. But the heater is deceptive; in the past couple of years, it's more likely to sit in the upper eighties. His K ratio has dropped to about 7/game in that time, and this will be the second year he's been dangled as Rule 5 bait.
He's been mentioned as a guy on the Pirate radar, but that drop in velocity would be a red flag to us. Still, he could probably fit in as a back end rotation arm.
Correia Corraled?
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports that "RHP Kevin Correia has reached an agreement with the Pittsburgh Pirates on a two-year, $8 million contract. The deal, which includes unspecified incentives, is contingent on Correia passing a physical exam.
Correia, 30, posted a 12-11 record with a 3.91 ERA in 2009 for San Diego before slumping to 10-10 with a 5.40 ERA last season." (Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review and Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette both confirmed the rumor this morning.)
A little competition for the rotation? Now there's a concept.
Correia, 30, posted a 12-11 record with a 3.91 ERA in 2009 for San Diego before slumping to 10-10 with a 5.40 ERA last season." (Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review and Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette both confirmed the rumor this morning.)
A little competition for the rotation? Now there's a concept.
Monday, December 6, 2010
And The Rumors Fly...
-- The Pirates have a tentative one-year deal with LHP Scott Olsen, 26, for $1M plus incentives, according to the beat writers, pending a physical later in the week. He's coming off 2009 labrum surgery, and missed much as last season with shoulder issues.
Olsen kept his nose clean with Washington, but was locker room trouble in Florida, getting into fights with teammates and managers. On the performance side, he went 4-8 with a 5.56 ERA in 15 starts last season and is 37-49 lifetime with a 4.85 ERA and 1.479 WHIP.
He doesn't seem like much of an upgrade over what we already have; GW is decidedly underwhelmed.
-- The Pirates are strongly pursuing non-tendered Blue Jay RH reliever Jeremy Accardo, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette.
-- Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweets that the Bucs have interest in free agent RHP Kevin Correia, who pitched for the Padres in 2010.
-- Jen Langosch of MLB.com reports that RHP Kenshin Kawakami of the Braves is a blip on the Bucco trade radar. He'll come cheap; Atlanta's trying to dump his contract.
-- Gordon Edes of ESPN tweets that a "couple of teams have approached Pirates about McCutcheon...Pirates would have to be 'overwhelmed'" to move him. In an afternoon press conference today, Neal Huntington replied to the the rumor with "I wouldn't always believe what you read."
He also added that as of now, Ryan Doumit will get most of the time in RF. 2011's team doesn't look a lot different than 2010's so far. And that ain't good.
Olsen kept his nose clean with Washington, but was locker room trouble in Florida, getting into fights with teammates and managers. On the performance side, he went 4-8 with a 5.56 ERA in 15 starts last season and is 37-49 lifetime with a 4.85 ERA and 1.479 WHIP.
He doesn't seem like much of an upgrade over what we already have; GW is decidedly underwhelmed.
-- The Pirates are strongly pursuing non-tendered Blue Jay RH reliever Jeremy Accardo, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette.
-- Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweets that the Bucs have interest in free agent RHP Kevin Correia, who pitched for the Padres in 2010.
-- Jen Langosch of MLB.com reports that RHP Kenshin Kawakami of the Braves is a blip on the Bucco trade radar. He'll come cheap; Atlanta's trying to dump his contract.
-- Gordon Edes of ESPN tweets that a "couple of teams have approached Pirates about McCutcheon...Pirates would have to be 'overwhelmed'" to move him. In an afternoon press conference today, Neal Huntington replied to the the rumor with "I wouldn't always believe what you read."
He also added that as of now, Ryan Doumit will get most of the time in RF. 2011's team doesn't look a lot different than 2010's so far. And that ain't good.
Rule 5: Relievers
RHP Pedro Beato, 24, (Orioles): Beato was a sandwich round pick of the Orioles in the 2006 draft who was shifted from starter to a relief role in AA this year. He had done well enough as a starter to make the Futures Game roster in 2007, but he began to lose velocity and his star dimmed.
The heat's back with his switch to the pen, though. Beato is a fastball/curveball pitcher, throwing in the low-to-mid 90s, and made the Eastern League's All-Star team for Bowie going 4-0-16 with a 2.11 ERA.
More encouraging for a team looking to break him in as a long man, at least for 2011, he made 43 appearances and went nearly 60 innings, so he's not limited to one-and-out work from the pen.
RHP George Kontos, 25 (Yankees): He was the fifth round selection of the New York Yankees in the 2006 draft, and the Pirate thought highly enough of him to try to get him in the 2008 Nady deal. Now they have the chance again.
But they may have to wait; he's recovering from TJ surgery and isn't expected to be ready to throw again until at least June. Still, not a problem, especially if the Bucs want to stockpile him; he gets his rehab time in before they have to place him on the 25-man roster.
His heater was timed in the low-to-mid nineties before the injury, though his plus slider was his out pitch. Kontos was 21-29 in the minors, with a 3.47 ERA and a K per inning. He's a starter; we've included him with the relievers because it will take a while to get him stretched out again, and he'll see action from the pen if Pittsburgh picks him.
LHP Jeremy Horst, 26, (Reds): Horst was originally drafted by the Pirates in the 40th round in the 2004 draft, but went off to college. The Reds then selected him in the 21st round in 2007.
Pitching through three levels of the minor leagues (Hi A, AA, AAA) in 2010, Horst put up a combined 2.62 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 72 innings. Horst uses a slider and change to put batters away, as his fastball sits in the 88-90 MPH range.
It looks like his niche is as a middle-inning guy bridge guy, although his splits suggest he could become a LOOGY. His walk-to-whiff ratio is strong (2.2 BB/9 and 9.4 K/9 in 2010), and he may be the most MLB ready, although not the most toolsy, of the available relievers.
RHP Wynn Pelzer, 24, (Orioles): Drafted in the ninth round by San Diego in 2007, the Padres traded him to the O's for Miguel Tejada, where Pelzer made a full-time transition from starting to the pen.
He doesn't really have an effective off-speed pitch, just a two and four seam heater thrown with sink and at 93-95 MPH. Pelzer gets grounders and strikes out nearly a batter per inning; he also walks five per game, and that's why he's Rule 5 eligible. But he projects down the road as a closer.
The Bucs look for hard-throwing guys even the control-challenged like past picks Meek and Veal, so he could well be on their radar.
RHP Zach Simons, 25, (Tigers): Simons was the Rockies second round draft pick in 2003 as a starter, and he converted to the bullpen in 2007. He thrived in that role, and was traded to the Tigers for Jason Grilli in early 2008.
Simon was on Erie's roster during 2009-10, and he made the Eastern league All-Star team both seasons. That's also the league the Altoona Curve play in, so the Pirate scouts have gotten to see plenty of him.
He's a fastball/curveball pitcher, throwing in the low 90s and somewhat a flyball pitcher. His line over the past two seasons is 4-6-6 with a 2.59 ERA for AA Erie and 3-0-1 with a 3.09 ERA at AAA Toledo as a set-up man. Simon has issued 53 walks and collected 135 K in 139-1/3 IP the past two years, so he can miss bats - and sometimes the plate, too.
The heat's back with his switch to the pen, though. Beato is a fastball/curveball pitcher, throwing in the low-to-mid 90s, and made the Eastern League's All-Star team for Bowie going 4-0-16 with a 2.11 ERA.
More encouraging for a team looking to break him in as a long man, at least for 2011, he made 43 appearances and went nearly 60 innings, so he's not limited to one-and-out work from the pen.
RHP George Kontos, 25 (Yankees): He was the fifth round selection of the New York Yankees in the 2006 draft, and the Pirate thought highly enough of him to try to get him in the 2008 Nady deal. Now they have the chance again.
But they may have to wait; he's recovering from TJ surgery and isn't expected to be ready to throw again until at least June. Still, not a problem, especially if the Bucs want to stockpile him; he gets his rehab time in before they have to place him on the 25-man roster.
His heater was timed in the low-to-mid nineties before the injury, though his plus slider was his out pitch. Kontos was 21-29 in the minors, with a 3.47 ERA and a K per inning. He's a starter; we've included him with the relievers because it will take a while to get him stretched out again, and he'll see action from the pen if Pittsburgh picks him.
LHP Jeremy Horst, 26, (Reds): Horst was originally drafted by the Pirates in the 40th round in the 2004 draft, but went off to college. The Reds then selected him in the 21st round in 2007.
Pitching through three levels of the minor leagues (Hi A, AA, AAA) in 2010, Horst put up a combined 2.62 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 72 innings. Horst uses a slider and change to put batters away, as his fastball sits in the 88-90 MPH range.
It looks like his niche is as a middle-inning guy bridge guy, although his splits suggest he could become a LOOGY. His walk-to-whiff ratio is strong (2.2 BB/9 and 9.4 K/9 in 2010), and he may be the most MLB ready, although not the most toolsy, of the available relievers.
RHP Wynn Pelzer, 24, (Orioles): Drafted in the ninth round by San Diego in 2007, the Padres traded him to the O's for Miguel Tejada, where Pelzer made a full-time transition from starting to the pen.
He doesn't really have an effective off-speed pitch, just a two and four seam heater thrown with sink and at 93-95 MPH. Pelzer gets grounders and strikes out nearly a batter per inning; he also walks five per game, and that's why he's Rule 5 eligible. But he projects down the road as a closer.
The Bucs look for hard-throwing guys even the control-challenged like past picks Meek and Veal, so he could well be on their radar.
RHP Zach Simons, 25, (Tigers): Simons was the Rockies second round draft pick in 2003 as a starter, and he converted to the bullpen in 2007. He thrived in that role, and was traded to the Tigers for Jason Grilli in early 2008.
Simon was on Erie's roster during 2009-10, and he made the Eastern league All-Star team both seasons. That's also the league the Altoona Curve play in, so the Pirate scouts have gotten to see plenty of him.
He's a fastball/curveball pitcher, throwing in the low 90s and somewhat a flyball pitcher. His line over the past two seasons is 4-6-6 with a 2.59 ERA for AA Erie and 3-0-1 with a 3.09 ERA at AAA Toledo as a set-up man. Simon has issued 53 walks and collected 135 K in 139-1/3 IP the past two years, so he can miss bats - and sometimes the plate, too.
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