Kevin Correia was a star pitcher and shortstop at Grossmont High in San Diego and played college ball first at Grossmont JC, then Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the same school that produced Ozzie Smith and Mike Krukow
When the St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the 23rd round of his junior year, Correia decided to return for his senior season. The gamble paid off a year later, when he received a $105K bonus as a fourth round pick of the Giants.
And he was no late bloomer. When Correia made his debut for San Francisco in July 2003, he became the first player from MLB's 2002 draft class to reach the majors. He made the show before the Pirates' number one overall pick Bryan Bullington and other top picks like Nick Swisher, B.J. Upton, Joe Blanton, Matthew Cain, Zack Greinke, Prince Fielder, Cole Hamels and Mark Teahen.
It wasn't permanent. He got a few outings for the G-Men from the pen, but mostly was working in a minor league rotation. In 2004, Baseball America named him the organization's #6 prospect.
Correia split the 2004 and 2005 seasons between the Giants and the minor leagues before joining the bigs to stay in 2006. San Fran used him mostly as a reliever; in his first four seasons with them, he made 86 appearances with 19 starts.
Going into the 2006 season, Correia was in the mix for the Giants' fifth spot, losing out to Jamey Wright. Correia was sent down, but was called back in April due to injuries and poor performance by the team's bullpen, and worked middle relief. In 48 games, he put together a 3.49 ERA.
He started out of the pen again in 2007, but joined the rotation in August. Correia had a 4-7 record with a 3.45 ERA in 59 outings, including eight starts. In 2008, Correia primarily started, but had a 3-8 record with a 6.05 ERA and became a free agent after the season. San Diego signed him for a year at $750K. He was a steal.
2009 was a breakout year for Correia in his first season as a full-time starter. He began slowly until Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley began tweaking his delivery. By June, they had figured it out and Correia was hitting on all cylinders.
With Jake Peavy and Chris Young on the DL, Correia picked up the slack. He put up a 12-11 slate with a 3.91 ERA in 198 innings. On December 12, 2009, Correia was rewarded with a one year, $3M contract.
He struggled in 2010, with a 10-10 record and 5.40 ERA in 145 innings. Correia lost his rotation spot to Tim Stauffer after getting bombed in late August and was stashed in the bullpen for the remainder of the season. He didn't show any particularly red flag peripheral differences between seasons except that his HR total went up drastically and he walked an extra batter/game compared to 2009.
Correia's xFIPs, a stat that measures a pitcher's performance by what he controls, such as walks, K's, etc., was 4.19 in 2010, and 4.20 in 2009. He increased his strikeouts and got more ground balls.
And he also dealt with one huge tragedy. In early May, his younger brother Trevor died after falling from a cliff while hiking. The brothers had developed a sort of father-son relationship, and Correia admitted that his focus would come and go during the season as he tried to come to grips with the loss.
Correia is not the answer to a rotation in trouble, but he is a solid number four pitcher, with the potential to go up or down a spot in the rotation. And that's a fairly valuable role. The Padres offered the free agent arbitration, and they're glad they did.
The Pirates signed him to a $2M bonus, $3M salary in 2011-12, and a possible $1M in bonuses over the two seasons. It was the first multi-year deal that the Pirates have given a free agent pitcher since Cam Bonifay signed Pete Schourek to a two-year deal in 1998; hopefully Correia will do a little better. And the Padres get a sandwich pick in the upcoming draft.
He throws an effective slider as his bread-and-butter pitch, and uses it as part of a five pitch mix: 90 MPH fastball, high-eighties cutter, mid-eighties change and slider and mid-seventies curve.
Correia comes with these questions: was 2009 an anomaly or did his brother's death and bad luck with the longball conspire against him last year? He's 30, and the comparisons between him and Zach Duke, whom he was brought in to replace, are striking.
Their career averages over 162 games are: Correia 7-9, 4.57 ERA, 150 IP, 1.441 WHIP; Duke 10-15, 4.54 ERA, 206 IP, 1.484 WHIP. And Duke is three years younger.
Duke had better control with 2.5 walks/game to 3.6, but Correia is much better at missing bats, 6.6 K/game to 4.7. In 2010, Duke got 48% grounders, Correia 49%. All in all, really not much difference.
Bill James projects a 4.37 FIP for Duke and a 4.36 FIP for Correia in 2011. Heck, even the contracts are pretty similar; Duke got a year at $4.25M, Correia two years at $8M with $1M in possible bonuses.
So what the Pirates are hoping for in Kevin Correia isn't someone to stick at the top of the rotation, but a guy that takes the ball and keeps you in the game from the back or middle of the pack. And we think he'll be a solid addition to the staff; his numbers should approach 2009's results more closely than last year's did.
And we don't think the Pirates are done adding arms yet. After last year's implosion, the suits will do what they can to provide depth and competition for the starting jobs without creating any blocks for the upcoming gang of Rudy Owens, Jeffrey Locke, Justin Wilson, Bryan Morris, etc.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
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.
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.
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