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.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
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.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
More Fishing For Pitching
Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review writes that the "Pirates will turn their attention to lower-tier free agents such as Aaron Heilman. They also have checked out four veteran pitchers trying to rebound from injuries — Jeff Francis, Brandon Webb, Justin Duchscherer and Chris Young."
The only surprise there is Heilman. He's 31, made $2.1M in 2010, and posted a 4.50 ERA with the D-Backs. Surely there are better bullpen options available (and believe us, there are). And we don't think they're bringing him back to join the rotation since he hasn't started a game since 2005.
Heck, maybe that goes to show just how much trouble the FO is having getting people to take Pittsburgh's money. Anyway, it should be an interesting four days in Florida. Let's hope it results in more than an Aaron Heilman signing.
The only surprise there is Heilman. He's 31, made $2.1M in 2010, and posted a 4.50 ERA with the D-Backs. Surely there are better bullpen options available (and believe us, there are). And we don't think they're bringing him back to join the rotation since he hasn't started a game since 2005.
Heck, maybe that goes to show just how much trouble the FO is having getting people to take Pittsburgh's money. Anyway, it should be an interesting four days in Florida. Let's hope it results in more than an Aaron Heilman signing.
Fishing For A Pitcher
Thursday is the red circle day on the Bucco calendar; that's the day of the Rule 5 draft. And the Pirates of the Coonelly/Huntington era haven't failed to take a player since they've arrived.
The Rule 5 draft usually tilts toward pitching; last year, 14 of the 17 players selected were hurlers. Also, Pittsburgh has had some luck with pitchers, getting Evan Meek and Donnie Veal, and that's where we think they'll stay. Here's a couple of names to watch for:
Potential MLB-ready relievers are available, and we like RHP Zach Simons, 25, (Tigers) and LHP Jeremy Horst, 26, (Reds).
Younger and longer shots with more upside if carried through a season are RHP George Kontos, 25 (Yankees), and the Orioles' 24 year old RHPs Pedro Beato & Wynn Pelzer.
A handful of starters are available, too. Adam Miller, 26, (Indians), Aneury Rodriguez, 22, (Rays), and LHP Douglas Arguello, 26, (Astros) look to be the top arms on the block.
(We'll post reports on these guys over the next three days, preceding the draft)
Pittsburgh may not limit themselves to one of these players; if an arm they like is available on the second go-around, the Pirates have four spots open on the 40-man roster.
And the Bucs may not escape cleanly this year; we've seen reliever Mike Dubee's name mentioned in a couple of pre-draft mock-ups.
The Rule 5 draft usually tilts toward pitching; last year, 14 of the 17 players selected were hurlers. Also, Pittsburgh has had some luck with pitchers, getting Evan Meek and Donnie Veal, and that's where we think they'll stay. Here's a couple of names to watch for:
Potential MLB-ready relievers are available, and we like RHP Zach Simons, 25, (Tigers) and LHP Jeremy Horst, 26, (Reds).
Younger and longer shots with more upside if carried through a season are RHP George Kontos, 25 (Yankees), and the Orioles' 24 year old RHPs Pedro Beato & Wynn Pelzer.
A handful of starters are available, too. Adam Miller, 26, (Indians), Aneury Rodriguez, 22, (Rays), and LHP Douglas Arguello, 26, (Astros) look to be the top arms on the block.
(We'll post reports on these guys over the next three days, preceding the draft)
Pittsburgh may not limit themselves to one of these players; if an arm they like is available on the second go-around, the Pirates have four spots open on the 40-man roster.
And the Bucs may not escape cleanly this year; we've seen reliever Mike Dubee's name mentioned in a couple of pre-draft mock-ups.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Filling the Holes
OK, the Bucs are rolling into the winter meetings with an alleged pocketful of cash and four openings on the 40-man roster. Among Rule 5, free agency, and some good ol' wheelin' and dealing, who should the Bucs be targeting?
First and foremost, they need a starter. A lefty would be nice for balance, but not a necessity. Right now, they have Ross Ohlendorf, James McDonald and Paul Maholm to build around, with Craig Morton, Jeff Karstens and Brad Lincoln eying the final two spots. The Pirates claimed Fernando Nieve to add to the competition, and may resign Brian Burres, who they just chopped from the 40-man roster.
The mid-tier FA guys the Pirates were targeting are shying away from the 'Burgh, so it looks like either they select a comeback kid like Brandon Webb, Jeff Francis, Scott Olsen, Justin Duchscherer or Chris Young, or make a deal. And pitching costs dearly, so we're not holding our breath waiting for them to pull the trigger on a trade.
One arm that just popped loose that could be a fit for the Pirates is the Met's RHP John Maine. He underwent a pair of shoulder surgeries, so he neatly falls into the comeback category. Maine is 29, had three solid seasons before going under the knife, and would be willing, we assume, to ink an incentive-laden one-year deal. He made $3.3M in 2010 and is entering his final arbitration season.
Adam Miller, 26, the injury-plagued righty top gun from the Indian organization, is available via Rule 5 and could prove a better risk than any of the guys on the comeback trail. But he is unproven, and in fact hasn't pitched since 2008 when he had the first of two surgeries on his finger during the offseason.
Then there's the RF/1B situation. They let Lastings Milledge go; apparently he felt he was an everyday player and the Pirates thought he was fourth outfielder material or worse. We were surprised they non-tendered him not because of performance issues, but because they don't have anyone to fill that platoon/fourth outfielder role on hand.
The FA marketplace is relatively thin in right-handed 1B/OFs with some pop in their bop. The market consists of guys like Austin Kearns, Carlos Pena, Marcus Thames, Bill Hall, Xavier Nady, Jorge Cantu and Troy Glaus. A new name just popped up on the radar, though.
Matt Diaz, 32, was non-tendered by the Atlanta Braves and fits the Bucco bill to a tee. The OF hit just .250/7/31 in 84 games last year, missing half the season with a thumb infection. But lifetime, he's a .301 hitter and has 12-15 HR potential along with a .456 slugging %. His downside is that he's never played first, but with Steve Pearce on the mend, that may not be a problem.
He has one year of arbitration eligibility left, and made $2.55M in 2010, so he's not priced out the Pirate market.
Shortstop has been temporarily plugged with the signing of Ronny Cedeno, but the FO doesn't seem as enchanted with him as JR was. In fact, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports wrote that as late as Thursday night, the tender deadline, the Bucs were deep in talks with the Twins to land JJ Hardy.
Other available guys are Jason Bartlett (through trade), and free agents led by Edgar Renteria and Cesar Izturis.
The bullpen is in fairly good shape. Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan hold down the back end, Chris Resop did a decent job as a bridge man, and they inked Wil Ledezma. Karstens/Nieve should claim another spot, and Jose Ascanio will fill another seat on the bench. So they're probably looking at filling one job, and should be looking for a lefty.
The rest of the team is set, with Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata, Pedro Alvarez, Neal Walker and Chris Snyder/Ryan Doumit. Pedro Ciriaco should be the bench infielder, unless Cedeno is replaced. Pearce should be a RH platoon option, although the Pirates just picked up Andy Marte as a potential corner bat.
So the brass know what they need as they set up shop in Lake Buena Vista for the winter meetings next week. The Bucco's 2011 team should start to take shape then; right now, it doesn't look a heck of a lot different from September's squad.
First and foremost, they need a starter. A lefty would be nice for balance, but not a necessity. Right now, they have Ross Ohlendorf, James McDonald and Paul Maholm to build around, with Craig Morton, Jeff Karstens and Brad Lincoln eying the final two spots. The Pirates claimed Fernando Nieve to add to the competition, and may resign Brian Burres, who they just chopped from the 40-man roster.
The mid-tier FA guys the Pirates were targeting are shying away from the 'Burgh, so it looks like either they select a comeback kid like Brandon Webb, Jeff Francis, Scott Olsen, Justin Duchscherer or Chris Young, or make a deal. And pitching costs dearly, so we're not holding our breath waiting for them to pull the trigger on a trade.
One arm that just popped loose that could be a fit for the Pirates is the Met's RHP John Maine. He underwent a pair of shoulder surgeries, so he neatly falls into the comeback category. Maine is 29, had three solid seasons before going under the knife, and would be willing, we assume, to ink an incentive-laden one-year deal. He made $3.3M in 2010 and is entering his final arbitration season.
Adam Miller, 26, the injury-plagued righty top gun from the Indian organization, is available via Rule 5 and could prove a better risk than any of the guys on the comeback trail. But he is unproven, and in fact hasn't pitched since 2008 when he had the first of two surgeries on his finger during the offseason.
Then there's the RF/1B situation. They let Lastings Milledge go; apparently he felt he was an everyday player and the Pirates thought he was fourth outfielder material or worse. We were surprised they non-tendered him not because of performance issues, but because they don't have anyone to fill that platoon/fourth outfielder role on hand.
The FA marketplace is relatively thin in right-handed 1B/OFs with some pop in their bop. The market consists of guys like Austin Kearns, Carlos Pena, Marcus Thames, Bill Hall, Xavier Nady, Jorge Cantu and Troy Glaus. A new name just popped up on the radar, though.
Matt Diaz, 32, was non-tendered by the Atlanta Braves and fits the Bucco bill to a tee. The OF hit just .250/7/31 in 84 games last year, missing half the season with a thumb infection. But lifetime, he's a .301 hitter and has 12-15 HR potential along with a .456 slugging %. His downside is that he's never played first, but with Steve Pearce on the mend, that may not be a problem.
He has one year of arbitration eligibility left, and made $2.55M in 2010, so he's not priced out the Pirate market.
Shortstop has been temporarily plugged with the signing of Ronny Cedeno, but the FO doesn't seem as enchanted with him as JR was. In fact, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports wrote that as late as Thursday night, the tender deadline, the Bucs were deep in talks with the Twins to land JJ Hardy.
Other available guys are Jason Bartlett (through trade), and free agents led by Edgar Renteria and Cesar Izturis.
The bullpen is in fairly good shape. Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan hold down the back end, Chris Resop did a decent job as a bridge man, and they inked Wil Ledezma. Karstens/Nieve should claim another spot, and Jose Ascanio will fill another seat on the bench. So they're probably looking at filling one job, and should be looking for a lefty.
The rest of the team is set, with Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata, Pedro Alvarez, Neal Walker and Chris Snyder/Ryan Doumit. Pedro Ciriaco should be the bench infielder, unless Cedeno is replaced. Pearce should be a RH platoon option, although the Pirates just picked up Andy Marte as a potential corner bat.
So the brass know what they need as they set up shop in Lake Buena Vista for the winter meetings next week. The Bucco's 2011 team should start to take shape then; right now, it doesn't look a heck of a lot different from September's squad.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Milledge, Veal Cut Loose
In a bit of a surprise, the Pirates non-tendered OF Lastings Milledge and didn't offer a contract to LHP Donnie Veal, along with SS Argenis Diaz and LHP Brian Burres.
Milledge, whose erratic outfield play, sometimes comical baserunning and lack of power became trademarks in 2010, still was the closest thing the Pirates had to a platoon/fourth outfielder on the roster, is only 25, and always gave 100% on the field physically.
The brass say they're open to bringing him back, but it's difficult to imagine LM not wanting to start clean with another organization after becoming an afterthought in Pittsburgh. It's also difficult to imagine that the FO feels he has any upside, as they let him go when his salary would probably be in the $750K-1M range.
If the Pirates don't make another move, it appears that Ryan Doumit will become the RH right fielder, and he only batted .186/2/10 in 129 AB as a righty. The nearest thing the Pirates have to MLB ready RH outfielder in their system is Altoona's Gorkys Hernandez, who is a much better defender than Milledge but has no pop at all in his bat.
Veal underwent TJ surgery last season. Rather than carry him on the 40-man roster, the Pirates didn't offer him a standard contract but plan to resign him to a minor league deal.
Burres' release was also unexpected; he fit in adequately as a fifth starter, going 4-5 with a 4.99 ERA. Just yesterday, team president Frank Coonelly said in his monthly chat that Burres was a candidate for the fifth rotation spot. There's a chance they may ink him to a minor league deal, though Altoona's staff is ready to land at Indy en masse in 2011.
Diaz, a good gloveman, got caught in a numbers game of upper level Pirate middle infielder prospects, and his bat (.242/.306/.273) wasn't strong enough to hold off the more toolsy Pedro Ciriaco and the approaching wave of prospects.
Joel Hanrahan and Ross Ohlendorf were tendered contracts. They don't have to file for arbitration until mid-January and the hearings aren't until February, so they have that long to work out a deal with the Bucs before an administrator does it for them.
Ronny Cedeno signed a one-year contract reportedly worth $2M+ with a club option in 2012, and Jeff Karstens signed for one year/$1.1M.
Previously, the Pirates had signed Wil Ledezma to a one year contract, dealt Zach Duke to Arizona, and released Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young, who are now free agents. Their 40-man roster is now at 36, so they have some room to bake and shake during the upcoming winter meetings.
There are a couple of interesting non-tender players who were cut loose around the league: Jack Cust, Matt Diaz, Sean Green, JP Howell, Bobby Jenks, John Maine, Russell Martin, Andrew Miller and Zach Miner among them; maybe there's a player or two there who interest the FO.
Former Bucs that were tendered are Jose Bautista, Sean Burnett, Matt Capps, Rajai Davis and Zach Duke (Duke signed a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2012). Those who were non-tendered include DJ Carrasco, Ryan Church, and Ronny Paulino.
Milledge, whose erratic outfield play, sometimes comical baserunning and lack of power became trademarks in 2010, still was the closest thing the Pirates had to a platoon/fourth outfielder on the roster, is only 25, and always gave 100% on the field physically.
The brass say they're open to bringing him back, but it's difficult to imagine LM not wanting to start clean with another organization after becoming an afterthought in Pittsburgh. It's also difficult to imagine that the FO feels he has any upside, as they let him go when his salary would probably be in the $750K-1M range.
If the Pirates don't make another move, it appears that Ryan Doumit will become the RH right fielder, and he only batted .186/2/10 in 129 AB as a righty. The nearest thing the Pirates have to MLB ready RH outfielder in their system is Altoona's Gorkys Hernandez, who is a much better defender than Milledge but has no pop at all in his bat.
Veal underwent TJ surgery last season. Rather than carry him on the 40-man roster, the Pirates didn't offer him a standard contract but plan to resign him to a minor league deal.
Burres' release was also unexpected; he fit in adequately as a fifth starter, going 4-5 with a 4.99 ERA. Just yesterday, team president Frank Coonelly said in his monthly chat that Burres was a candidate for the fifth rotation spot. There's a chance they may ink him to a minor league deal, though Altoona's staff is ready to land at Indy en masse in 2011.
Diaz, a good gloveman, got caught in a numbers game of upper level Pirate middle infielder prospects, and his bat (.242/.306/.273) wasn't strong enough to hold off the more toolsy Pedro Ciriaco and the approaching wave of prospects.
Joel Hanrahan and Ross Ohlendorf were tendered contracts. They don't have to file for arbitration until mid-January and the hearings aren't until February, so they have that long to work out a deal with the Bucs before an administrator does it for them.
Ronny Cedeno signed a one-year contract reportedly worth $2M+ with a club option in 2012, and Jeff Karstens signed for one year/$1.1M.
Previously, the Pirates had signed Wil Ledezma to a one year contract, dealt Zach Duke to Arizona, and released Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young, who are now free agents. Their 40-man roster is now at 36, so they have some room to bake and shake during the upcoming winter meetings.
There are a couple of interesting non-tender players who were cut loose around the league: Jack Cust, Matt Diaz, Sean Green, JP Howell, Bobby Jenks, John Maine, Russell Martin, Andrew Miller and Zach Miner among them; maybe there's a player or two there who interest the FO.
Former Bucs that were tendered are Jose Bautista, Sean Burnett, Matt Capps, Rajai Davis and Zach Duke (Duke signed a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2012). Those who were non-tendered include DJ Carrasco, Ryan Church, and Ronny Paulino.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
On The Arb Tenders:
Here's what team president Frank Coonelly said during his chat this afternoon: "We will definitely tender [Ross] Ohlendorf and [Joel] Hanrahan. We continue to have discussions with the reps for [Ronny] Cedeno, [Lastings] Milledge and [Jeff] Karstens."
Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette said Karstens was the only bubble guy, and we're not even sure why they'd stint on JK. For the money the trio will be earning, it would be folly to non-tender Milledge, Cedeno and Karstens, like they did with Matt Capps last season, and get nothing in return.
(EDIT - Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review tweets that the team is close to signing a one-year deal with Ronny Cedeno; Kovacevic tweets that Karstens inked a one-year contract for $1.1M. All quiet on the Milledge front, hmmmm...)
Now could that change with a trade or FA signing? Sure - but right now they're worth whatever they'll get in arbitration, which won't bust the bank, just as insurance policies.
As for the other arb-eligible guys, Wil Ledezma was signed to a one-year deal, Zach Duke was traded to Arizona (and hasn't signed with them yet), and Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young were released and are free agents.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette said Karstens was the only bubble guy, and we're not even sure why they'd stint on JK. For the money the trio will be earning, it would be folly to non-tender Milledge, Cedeno and Karstens, like they did with Matt Capps last season, and get nothing in return.
(EDIT - Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review tweets that the team is close to signing a one-year deal with Ronny Cedeno; Kovacevic tweets that Karstens inked a one-year contract for $1.1M. All quiet on the Milledge front, hmmmm...)
Now could that change with a trade or FA signing? Sure - but right now they're worth whatever they'll get in arbitration, which won't bust the bank, just as insurance policies.
As for the other arb-eligible guys, Wil Ledezma was signed to a one-year deal, Zach Duke was traded to Arizona (and hasn't signed with them yet), and Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young were released and are free agents.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Short Stop Shopping?
Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports wrote today: "While the Pirates weren’t close to dealing for a shortstop early Wednesday afternoon, they have a chance to do so before Thursday’s deadline to tender contracts.
Sources say the Pirates have interest in Tampa Bay’s Jason Bartlett and Minnesota’s J.J. Hardy. Both are available via trade, because the San Francisco Giants (Miguel Tejada) and St. Louis Cardinals (Ryan Theriot) shopped elsewhere for their infield upgrades.
With the addition of a good shortstop, Pittsburgh fans could look at a credible everyday lineup in 2011. Now, if only they had some pitching..."
Geez, sounds like a Pittsburgh blogger.
They do have a couple of shekels to spend (sources we've seen say that they can add $15-20M to the current payroll) and made a competitive bid for Jorge De La Rosa, according to a Dejan Kovacevic tweet.
Gotta spend it on something, right? Bartlett and Hardy will cost about $5-6M this season. The FO would likely try to tie them up for a couple of seasons since both are free agents in 2012.
A shortstop, a pitcher and a RH 1B/OF is the 2010 shopping list; the brass have enough to cover the contracts, it appears. And if they don't get who they want, they could start trying to ink their core guys long term. McCutch would be a great start.
Sources say the Pirates have interest in Tampa Bay’s Jason Bartlett and Minnesota’s J.J. Hardy. Both are available via trade, because the San Francisco Giants (Miguel Tejada) and St. Louis Cardinals (Ryan Theriot) shopped elsewhere for their infield upgrades.
With the addition of a good shortstop, Pittsburgh fans could look at a credible everyday lineup in 2011. Now, if only they had some pitching..."
Geez, sounds like a Pittsburgh blogger.
They do have a couple of shekels to spend (sources we've seen say that they can add $15-20M to the current payroll) and made a competitive bid for Jorge De La Rosa, according to a Dejan Kovacevic tweet.
Gotta spend it on something, right? Bartlett and Hardy will cost about $5-6M this season. The FO would likely try to tie them up for a couple of seasons since both are free agents in 2012.
A shortstop, a pitcher and a RH 1B/OF is the 2010 shopping list; the brass have enough to cover the contracts, it appears. And if they don't get who they want, they could start trying to ink their core guys long term. McCutch would be a great start.
Bucs Sign Three To Minor League Deals
The Pirates signed three players today, 3B Andy Marte, RHP Fernando Nieve and C Dusty Brown, to minor league contracts with an invite to spring camp.
Marte was ranked among Baseball America‘s top 15 prospects in 2004, 2005, and 2006, but hit just .218/20/95 in 924 plate appearances during parts of five seasons with the Indians. Marte's also seen time at first base, which is probably where Pittsburgh will look at him, although he won't be blocking anyone in the system at either corner spot.
Reliever Nieve, 28, tossed 42 innings in 2010, posting a 2-4 slate, 6.00 ERA and 38 K in 42 IP for the Mets; he's also pitched for Houston. His record is 8-11 with a 4.61 ERA during his four-year MLB career.
Nieve is a fastball/slider guy and hits 93 on the gun, but is susceptible to the longball and has control issues. Still, he has a chance at filling last year's Park/Gallagher role in the pen, and the Bucs are planning to stretch him out as a starter in camp.
Brown, 28, appeared in thirteen games for the 2009-10 Red Sox and is basically a career minor leaguer. He's a .259 hitter with a throw-out percentage of 26% in his ten year farm career. The Red Sox dropped him from their 40-man roster in October; he looks ticketed for Indy in 2011.
Marte was ranked among Baseball America‘s top 15 prospects in 2004, 2005, and 2006, but hit just .218/20/95 in 924 plate appearances during parts of five seasons with the Indians. Marte's also seen time at first base, which is probably where Pittsburgh will look at him, although he won't be blocking anyone in the system at either corner spot.
Reliever Nieve, 28, tossed 42 innings in 2010, posting a 2-4 slate, 6.00 ERA and 38 K in 42 IP for the Mets; he's also pitched for Houston. His record is 8-11 with a 4.61 ERA during his four-year MLB career.
Nieve is a fastball/slider guy and hits 93 on the gun, but is susceptible to the longball and has control issues. Still, he has a chance at filling last year's Park/Gallagher role in the pen, and the Bucs are planning to stretch him out as a starter in camp.
Brown, 28, appeared in thirteen games for the 2009-10 Red Sox and is basically a career minor leaguer. He's a .259 hitter with a throw-out percentage of 26% in his ten year farm career. The Red Sox dropped him from their 40-man roster in October; he looks ticketed for Indy in 2011.
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