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***Official Pittsburgh Pirates 2014 Thread*** (1 Viewer)

Kershaw will now get 31 million a year. Tanaka likely will earn big coin.

But we have Edison Volquez.

 
Kershaw will now get 31 million a year. Tanaka likely will earn big coin.

But we have Edison Volquez.
Edinson Volquez. Sorry. Poor spelling on my part. Though he only started 5 games for LA last year, he did have a 1.18 WHIP in 28 innings with them. Searage may be able to work a little more magic.

I was fortunate recently to be able to speak with 2 GMs, both of small market teams. They conceded there is no level playing field for obtaining a guy like Tanaka. And agents don't even shop good MLB players to small market teams except as a bargaining tactic.

 
There was a fun Q & A with Cutch on ESPN this morning. Bettis was there as well. It was a nice little segment on the Pirates and Pittsburgh. :)

 
Gregory Polanco legged out a single... on a ground ball to the 2nd baseman.

http://fromforbestofederal.com/watch-gregory-polanco-beats-grounder-second-baseman/

:cool:
2015. Yup that's the year when it all comes together :popcorn:
He'll be up around July of this year.
I realize that. I was referring to something bigger and better. 2015 should be when we have a nice nucleus of young talent on offense and at pitching. If NH can work a little bit of magic, I see this team potentially competing for a World Series.

 
Carlos Pena is still out there? Pardon my ignorance on him, but is there any reason why we shouldn't at least be kicking the tires on him? Is he looking for multiyear $$$? I mean, I assume he would be, but I am not sure if that is a reasonable request at this point in the FA game.

 
Carlos Pena is still out there? Pardon my ignorance on him, but is there any reason why we shouldn't at least be kicking the tires on him? Is he looking for multiyear $$$? I mean, I assume he would be, but I am not sure if that is a reasonable request at this point in the FA game.
He's been pretty abysmal at the plate (AVG wise) the past few years, but I know he has been a solid defender in the past.

However, I agree that we should give him a look - I wouldnt mind the Pirates sending him a Minor-League deal to see if there is any tread left on those tires during ST; nothing to lose

 
Carlos Pena is still out there? Pardon my ignorance on him, but is there any reason why we shouldn't at least be kicking the tires on him? Is he looking for multiyear $$$? I mean, I assume he would be, but I am not sure if that is a reasonable request at this point in the FA game.
He's been pretty abysmal at the plate (AVG wise) the past few years, but I know he has been a solid defender in the past.

However, I agree that we should give him a look - I wouldnt mind the Pirates sending him a Minor-League deal to see if there is any tread left on those tires during ST; nothing to lose
I live in the Cincinnati area, and the general public perception is that they are basically conceding the division to STL this year and saving money to unload on their starting pitchers that are due big bucks soon (Latos and Bailey...and maybe even Cueto not long after. Bruce is coming up soon too).

Not saying the Pirates have the same mentality, but it seems their payroll will be at or slightly lower than last year (I have nothing to back this up, just guessing from offseason activity, and too lazy to do further research), with Burnett looking more and more likely to be off the books. The huge difference is that the Pirates have help waiting in the minors, and the Reds are mostly barren there outside a stud SP, that seems like a can't miss (Stephenson). The other is Billy Hamilton, and he is going into spring training as the starting CF. Reds need to pray for no injuries, as one to Cozart (who isn't great anyways) or Phillips would be devastating.

Again, I know this is just sports talk radio banter, but actions speak louder than words sometimes.

 
Liriano 8mil

Cole 500k

Morton 4mil

Wandy 13mil

Volquez 5mil

Welcome to baseball in 2014. The Pirates are actually paying a pretty significant chunk of change to run that rotation out there.

 
Liriano 8mil

Cole 500k

Morton 4mil

Wandy 13mil

Volquez 5mil

Welcome to baseball in 2014. The Pirates are actually paying a pretty significant chunk of change to run that rotation out there.
The Astros are paying $5.5M of Wandy's contract.

 
Meanwhile, AJ Burnett probably will receive about $13 million a year, but not with/from Pittsburgh. At least one beat writer says Burnett is offering his services to other teams. So much for the Pirates or retirement as the options for 2014. Wonder if Cincinnati or St. Louis are interested.

 
That's too much for him.
Matt Garza just got 4/$50M and Jimenez and Santana will probably be in the same neighborhood. Burnett has been better in terms of WAR the past two seasons than any of those three and won't require a long-term deal or a compensation pick.

Bronson Arroyo fits in there somewhere as well. He's a year younger than AJ but will want a multi-year deal.

I don't like Burnett at $12M either but that's the market we're living in. Don't hate the player, hate the game (even if you hate the player).

 
That's too much for him.
Matt Garza just got 4/$50M and Jimenez and Santana will probably be in the same neighborhood. Burnett has been better in terms of WAR the past two seasons than any of those three and won't require a long-term deal or a compensation pick.

Bronson Arroyo fits in there somewhere as well. He's a year younger than AJ but will want a multi-year deal.

I don't like Burnett at $12M either but that's the market we're living in. Don't hate the player, hate the game (even if you hate the player).
I hear you. I mean its too much for the pirates to pay him. Baseball economics has been broken for a long time.

 
Burnett at 1 year/13 mil is th type of deal I would love to see the Pirates make to show that they are serious about competing this year. It doesn't handcuff the team long term and it keeps them in the mix to fight for the playoffs. Do we really have any faith in a combination of Locke/Wandy/Volquez to complete the rotation? With that said, I already know the Buccos won't do it.

 
Carlos Pena is still out there? Pardon my ignorance on him, but is there any reason why we shouldn't at least be kicking the tires on him? Is he looking for multiyear $$$? I mean, I assume he would be, but I am not sure if that is a reasonable request at this point in the FA game.
He's been pretty abysmal at the plate (AVG wise) the past few years, but I know he has been a solid defender in the past.

However, I agree that we should give him a look - I wouldnt mind the Pirates sending him a Minor-League deal to see if there is any tread left on those tires during ST; nothing to lose
He cant be worse than Gay Sanchez and whatever other crap we currently or could potentially have at 1B.

 
Carlos Pena is still out there? Pardon my ignorance on him, but is there any reason why we shouldn't at least be kicking the tires on him? Is he looking for multiyear $$$? I mean, I assume he would be, but I am not sure if that is a reasonable request at this point in the FA game.
He's been pretty abysmal at the plate (AVG wise) the past few years, but I know he has been a solid defender in the past.

However, I agree that we should give him a look - I wouldnt mind the Pirates sending him a Minor-League deal to see if there is any tread left on those tires during ST; nothing to lose
He cant be worse than Gay Sanchez and whatever other crap we currently or could potentially have at 1B.
Carlos Pena signed with the Angels last night

 
I think they would be will to offer in that ball park. However, I am less sure it is a good idea. He is 37. He showed signs of slowing down late last year. He could be a huge bust this year if he comes back.

 
I think they would be will to offer in that ball park. However, I am less sure it is a good idea. He is 37. He showed signs of slowing down late last year. He could be a huge bust this year if he comes back.
Yeah but he would be their # 3 guy in the rotation (not their ace like a few years ago). I agree he has the potential to bust but I'm not as concerned with a 1 year contract. Without him, I feel their rotation takes a fairly big step backwards this year.

 
Burnett's agent said the Bucs offer was 1 year and 8.5 million. Again, Baltimore will top that, as would Philly. If the agent is being truthful (and they are always completely honest 100% of the time), are we back in the low-balling business? Are we (Nuttings) saving our shekels for 2015? Or just saving them, period?

 
Cubs signed Jason Hammel to a 1 year $6 million contract and also inked James McDonald.

The second name sounds kind of familiar.

 
Burnett's agent said the Bucs offer was 1 year and 8.5 million. Again, Baltimore will top that, as would Philly. If the agent is being truthful (and they are always completely honest 100% of the time), are we back in the low-balling business? Are we (Nuttings) saving our shekels for 2015? Or just saving them, period?
Do you think the Pirates should offer Burnett a multi year deal?

I would be on the phone with the Blue Jays about Emilio Bonafacio.

 
Do I think the Pirates should offer Burnett a multi-year deal? No. But I believe there had to be pitchers better than Volquez out there, and worthy of a multi-year deal. Wandy's status after an injury; Locke's dubious second half; and Morton's rep as a glorified 5-6 inning pitcher make the rotation shakier than it was last year. Liriano will have to duplicate what he did and that may be a tall order, and Cole must continue to improve. Nothing is a given. And the Buc bats couldn't muster an average of 4 runs per game last year. It is reasonable to contend the bullpen, too, was overworked. Whatever success Burnett, and McDonald (before he went sour) brought to the staff has to be approximated for this team to keep from regressing.

Your point about contacting the Jays is right on.

 
Do I think the Pirates should offer Burnett a multi-year deal? No. But I believe there had to be pitchers better than Volquez out there, and worthy of a multi-year deal. Wandy's status after an injury; Locke's dubious second half; and Morton's rep as a glorified 5-6 inning pitcher make the rotation shakier than it was last year. Liriano will have to duplicate what he did and that may be a tall order, and Cole must continue to improve. Nothing is a given. And the Buc bats couldn't muster an average of 4 runs per game last year. It is reasonable to contend the bullpen, too, was overworked. Whatever success Burnett, and McDonald (before he went sour) brought to the staff has to be approximated for this team to keep from regressing.

Your point about contacting the Jays is right on.
I think they are taking the same approach to 2014 as 2013. There is a decent core, but this team isn't ready to truly contend just yet. So why overpay a guy who was on the fence about playing and pouted in the playoffs, and block some talented arms from moving up? If things are looking good, they will make moves again to give the team a shot in the playoffs. I think the focus is on 2015 and beyond to make a real go at it. Last season was an awesome bonus to show what the fans and team can be like though.

 
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Do I think the Pirates should offer Burnett a multi-year deal? No. But I believe there had to be pitchers better than Volquez out there, and worthy of a multi-year deal. Wandy's status after an injury; Locke's dubious second half; and Morton's rep as a glorified 5-6 inning pitcher make the rotation shakier than it was last year. Liriano will have to duplicate what he did and that may be a tall order, and Cole must continue to improve. Nothing is a given. And the Buc bats couldn't muster an average of 4 runs per game last year. It is reasonable to contend the bullpen, too, was overworked. Whatever success Burnett, and McDonald (before he went sour) brought to the staff has to be approximated for this team to keep from regressing.

Your point about contacting the Jays is right on.
I think they are taking the same approach to 2014 as 2013. There is a decent core, but this team isn't ready to truly contend just yet. So why overpay a guy who was on the fence about playing and pouted in the playoffs, and block some talented arms from moving up? If things are looking good, they will make moves again to give the team a shot in the playoffs. I think the focus is on 2015 and beyond to make a real go at it. Last season was an awesome bonus to show what the fans and team can be like though.
Who would Burnett be blocking in 2014? Nobody is advocating a long-term deal but why not go after him for one year? I've seen enough of Locke to know that he's not a huge part of the future. We have no idea if WAndy can even pitch anymore. I'm not sure how comfortable I am with Morton or WAndy as the # 3. I get that this team isn't going to seriously contend this year but I think it's dangerous for management to also let this team slip back to mediocrity or worse. They could lose the fans quickly. Signing Burnett to a 1 year deal will not financially cripple the team and will not block any young arms (unless I'm missing someone)

 
Do I think the Pirates should offer Burnett a multi-year deal? No. But I believe there had to be pitchers better than Volquez out there, and worthy of a multi-year deal. Wandy's status after an injury; Locke's dubious second half; and Morton's rep as a glorified 5-6 inning pitcher make the rotation shakier than it was last year. Liriano will have to duplicate what he did and that may be a tall order, and Cole must continue to improve. Nothing is a given. And the Buc bats couldn't muster an average of 4 runs per game last year. It is reasonable to contend the bullpen, too, was overworked. Whatever success Burnett, and McDonald (before he went sour) brought to the staff has to be approximated for this team to keep from regressing.

Your point about contacting the Jays is right on.
I think they are taking the same approach to 2014 as 2013. There is a decent core, but this team isn't ready to truly contend just yet. So why overpay a guy who was on the fence about playing and pouted in the playoffs, and block some talented arms from moving up? If things are looking good, they will make moves again to give the team a shot in the playoffs. I think the focus is on 2015 and beyond to make a real go at it. Last season was an awesome bonus to show what the fans and team can be like though.
Who would Burnett be blocking in 2014? Nobody is advocating a long-term deal but why not go after him for one year? I've seen enough of Locke to know that he's not a huge part of the future. We have no idea if WAndy can even pitch anymore. I'm not sure how comfortable I am with Morton or WAndy as the # 3. I get that this team isn't going to seriously contend this year but I think it's dangerous for management to also let this team slip back to mediocrity or worse. They could lose the fans quickly. Signing Burnett to a 1 year deal will not financially cripple the team and will not block any young arms (unless I'm missing someone)
I'm just saying Burnett with one foot out the door wasn't worth that type of offer. Without a decision really or much dialogue from him, they had to move forward. Now that they have, a $13M deal would make even less sense. It's not that he'd block in the traditional sense, but I just think that last year was a bonus. 2014 will disappoint with or without AJ, and if they play well, the team will make moves again mid-summer. I'd rather some arms come up and get some experience, so that in 2015 when there is a real lineup, rotation and bullpen, that the Pirates can compete for real and be legitimate contenders instead of just winning the 1 game play-in fake playoff series.

 
Some talks with Morales apparently.

I will say this; in my MLB The Show season, I signed Morales and won the world series with the Pirates.

 
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Is Cole going to be a pitching limit this season? Also worth a shot as my #2 SP behind Kershaw if I pick him in say the 2nd rd after keepers in a keep 3 draft, so like 5th round value? H2H points.

 
The Flying Elvis said:
Is Cole going to be a pitching limit this season? Also worth a shot as my #2 SP behind Kershaw if I pick him in say the 2nd rd after keepers in a keep 3 draft, so like 5th round value? H2H points.
Elvis -- I doubt they are going to have him on an inning count this year. He was supposedly going to be reigned in at the end of last year and ended up pitching alot at end of season/postseason.

 
Burnett to the Phillies---1 year, $16 million----just a little higher than the Bucs' offer of 1 year at 8.5 million :lol: :lol:

Burnett and Marlon Byrd will be missed. Both may have still have enough in the tank to help Philadelphia get to the playoffs.

With the money saved, the team may be able to pursue a Kendrys Morales. With 64 runs scored and 80 RBI over a full season last year and not breaking his leg jumping on home plate in 2014, Morales could be had. The Mariners now have Hart, Morrison, Morales, and Smoak. And one of the latter two will be expendable. So the Pirates can look to acquire the player Seattle doesn't want or need, unless the Orioles jump in there first.

 
Burnett to the Phillies---1 year, $16 million----just a little higher than the Bucs' offer of 1 year at 8.5 million :lol: :lol:

Burnett and Marlon Byrd will be missed. Both may have still have enough in the tank to help Philadelphia get to the playoffs.

With the money saved, the team may be able to pursue a Kendrys Morales. With 64 runs scored and 80 RBI over a full season last year and not breaking his leg jumping on home plate in 2014, Morales could be had. The Mariners now have Hart, Morrison, Morales, and Smoak. And one of the latter two will be expendable. So the Pirates can look to acquire the player Seattle doesn't want or need, unless the Orioles jump in there first.
I will be shocked if he produces to justify anywhere near that. If the savings by not signing him eventually are out into the team even if it is years down the road, this is a good move for the team. However, if the savings are just more profit for the owners, then we have the same old Buccos.

 
Burnett to the Phillies---1 year, $16 million----just a little higher than the Bucs' offer of 1 year at 8.5 million :lol: :lol:

Burnett and Marlon Byrd will be missed. Both may have still have enough in the tank to help Philadelphia get to the playoffs.

With the money saved, the team may be able to pursue a Kendrys Morales. With 64 runs scored and 80 RBI over a full season last year and not breaking his leg jumping on home plate in 2014, Morales could be had. The Mariners now have Hart, Morrison, Morales, and Smoak. And one of the latter two will be expendable. So the Pirates can look to acquire the player Seattle doesn't want or need, unless the Orioles jump in there first.
I am not entirely sure Morales is even worth the first round pick if he plays for free. A Lambo/Sanchez platoon should give close to his production at the plate, but with better overall D.

 
Burnett to the Phillies---1 year, $16 million----just a little higher than the Bucs' offer of 1 year at 8.5 million :lol: :lol:

Burnett and Marlon Byrd will be missed. Both may have still have enough in the tank to help Philadelphia get to the playoffs.

With the money saved, the team may be able to pursue a Kendrys Morales. With 64 runs scored and 80 RBI over a full season last year and not breaking his leg jumping on home plate in 2014, Morales could be had. The Mariners now have Hart, Morrison, Morales, and Smoak. And one of the latter two will be expendable. So the Pirates can look to acquire the player Seattle doesn't want or need, unless the Orioles jump in there first.
I am not entirely sure Morales is even worth the first round pick if he plays for free. A Lambo/Sanchez platoon should give close to his production at the plate, but with better overall D.
You're forgetting that I won the World Series after signing Kendrys to my MLB The Show team (with Cutch on the cover).

 

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