Drunken Cowboy
Footballguy
I figured it is time to get this started up for next season.
The Barajas signing makes no sense to me at all.
The Barajas signing makes no sense to me at all.
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They'll lead the league in passed balls if they don't put a catcher in the lineupI figured it is time to get this started up for next season.
The Barajas signing makes no sense to me at all.
I would rather see them play Jaramillo.They'll lead the league in passed balls if they don't put a catcher in the lineupI figured it is time to get this started up for next season.
The Barajas signing makes no sense to me at all.
I don't mind the signing because there are really no other great options. However, for all the "pop" that Barajas will provide, get used to a .230 BA and sub-300 OBP. What a black hole this position has been for us since Kendall's prime.'Copeman said:I don't mind the Barajas signing at all. He gives them a catcher with the most amount of pop the Pirates have had in a long time at that position. Decent enough price tag too.
Who else were they gonna put in there?
Maybe Spanky will come out of retirement.
The question is--Will Sanchez ever be ready for the big leagues? Time will tell but it isn't looking promising so far.He makes a nice placeholder at C until Tony Sanchez is ready for the big leagues.Also, having McKenry/Jaramillo as backups not too shabby
4 million is a lot of money to spend on a place holder if you are the Pirates.He makes a nice placeholder at C until Tony Sanchez is ready for the big leagues.Also, having McKenry/Jaramillo as backups not too shabby
IMO, Cedeno for 1 year at $3 million made a lot more sense than Barmes for 2 years at $10.5 million.Hard to understand how this organization continues to make moves that make absolutely no sense.
Sorry. It's Derrek. I never seem to spell his first name right.What are the odds the team offers Derrick Lee salary arbitration? While they can sure use him next season, he seems indifferent to being a Pirate and the club isn't going to agree to the kind of cash Lee would expect.
"If you're a fan of a team that's putting huge investments into scouting/draft/international, that's over. Sorry." - Kevin Goldstein
Yeah, pretty much. They are taking away the 1 advantage that poor teams have, which is the ability to overspend in the draft and lock up cheap talent. AND they're also capping Latin American spending, so you can't put the money there. Teams who spend too much $$$ in the draft will forfeit picks or face fines. Read Jonah Keri's article here for more details: http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/10571/mlbs-new-cba-is-no-help-to-small-market-clubsThis is definitely bad for the Pirates. Luckily they have already got a decent core in the minors, but they can't really improve it now. Maybe if NH is smart enough to be the first one to find the loopholes, but what are the odds of that?Can somebody explain the BS going on with the MLB labor deal and the draft?I may be done with baseball. They are keeping the same rules at the MLB level and making it harder to draft talent? Congrats Yanks fans.
The amateur draft rules hasn't been the reason the Pirates have sucked for two decades
I don't think the draft rules are bad for small market teams. It ups the value of an early pick. Capping Latin American spending could be rough though. This could easily result in a situation where a couple of teams get all of the good talent.Yeah, pretty much. They are taking away the 1 advantage that poor teams have, which is the ability to overspend in the draft and lock up cheap talent. AND they're also capping Latin American spending, so you can't put the money there. Teams who spend too much $$$ in the draft will forfeit picks or face fines. Read Jonah Keri's article here for more details: http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/10571/mlbs-new-cba-is-no-help-to-small-market-clubsThis is definitely bad for the Pirates. Luckily they have already got a decent core in the minors, but they can't really improve it now. Maybe if NH is smart enough to be the first one to find the loopholes, but what are the odds of that?Can somebody explain the BS going on with the MLB labor deal and the draft?I may be done with baseball. They are keeping the same rules at the MLB level and making it harder to draft talent? Congrats Yanks fans.
HOW? When they all have the same budget for this?Capping Latin American spending could be rough though. This could easily result in a situation where a couple of teams get all of the good talent.
Well it evens out how teams acquire rookies/international players to an extent and takes away teams ability to lock up young players long term on the (relative) cheap, because the MLB playing field is still anything BUT level. So if the Pirates need to build in the draft for several years to have a team in the future, they really can't because you start losing draft picks when you spend on good talent. And then when arbitration years come around, you now have to offer a guaranteed contract based on the top 125 player salaries in order to get draft compensation? The Yanks of the world still get to pick-off talent from around the league in free agency without any checks on it, but you can't pay young players?HOW? When they all have the same budget for this?Capping Latin American spending could be rough though. This could easily result in a situation where a couple of teams get all of the good talent.
It's not like paying over slot was a market inefficiency the Pirates exploited for years. It wasn't that long ago they were making first round selections of guys like Daniel Moskos who were signable without paying over slot. It was only in the last couple of years that Huntington rolled the dice on paying over slot for Allie and Josh Bell. This tactic will be harder to play under the new agreement but not impossible. On the plus side, it'll keep everybody from overspending on risky high school players.Well it evens out how teams acquire rookies/international players to an extent and takes away teams ability to lock up young players long term on the (relative) cheap, because the MLB playing field is still anything BUT level. So if the Pirates need to build in the draft for several years to have a team in the future, they really can't because you start losing draft picks when you spend on good talent. And then when arbitration years come around, you now have to offer a guaranteed contract based on the top 125 player salaries in order to get draft compensation? The Yanks of the world still get to pick-off talent from around the league in free agency without any checks on it, but you can't pay young players?HOW? When they all have the same budget for this?Capping Latin American spending could be rough though. This could easily result in a situation where a couple of teams get all of the good talent.
So, you're comparing the possibility of getting an extra pick with the ability to go after overslot guys in every round? And the extra wildcard slot will make FAs even more expensive. This was a deal that slanted the rules even further in favor of the big markets.of course nobody bothers to mention the relief for small market teams also included in the CBA (and in fact in Keri's article linked aboove)...."The new CBA does offer some allowances for poorer teams, too. A "competitive balance lottery" kicks in that awards extra draft picks to the lowest-revenue teams in the smallest markets, with the odds of winning one of the six bonus picks after the first round weighted based on lowest winning percentage, and six more bonus picks awarded to leftover teams after the second round. Baseball will also tweak its revenue-sharing system, with the new CBA preventing clubs in the 15 largest markets from receiving revenue-sharing funds by 2016. Most visibly, baseball gets one extra wild-card team per league starting in either 2012 or 2013, thus offering a bit more hope and faith to lesser teams hoping to play into October."
Nobody has ever gone over slot in every round. It's a tactical weapon used to sign high school talent with options for college or in other sports. Teams will still be able to practice this selectively.The deal was approved by the owners who in theory protect themselves from overspending in one area, and by the MLBPA who figure teams saving money in the amateur draft will be able to spend more on union members.I don't think this change will change competitive balance as much as people fear. Rich teams will still have their advantages and smart organizations will find areas to exploit. Teams that are both poor and dumb will continue to struggle.So, you're comparing the possibility of getting an extra pick with the ability to go after overslot guys in every round? And the extra wildcard slot will make FAs even more expensive. This was a deal that slanted the rules even further in favor of the big markets.of course nobody bothers to mention the relief for small market teams also included in the CBA (and in fact in Keri's article linked aboove)...."The new CBA does offer some allowances for poorer teams, too. A "competitive balance lottery" kicks in that awards extra draft picks to the lowest-revenue teams in the smallest markets, with the odds of winning one of the six bonus picks after the first round weighted based on lowest winning percentage, and six more bonus picks awarded to leftover teams after the second round. Baseball will also tweak its revenue-sharing system, with the new CBA preventing clubs in the 15 largest markets from receiving revenue-sharing funds by 2016. Most visibly, baseball gets one extra wild-card team per league starting in either 2012 or 2013, thus offering a bit more hope and faith to lesser teams hoping to play into October."
Even the lead negotiator for the owners couldn't claim the draft savings were going to the union members with a straight face for long. As for slotting, that tactical weapon has largely been neutered. Current estimates are that next year's draft budgets will range from 11.5 million to 4.5 million. Meaning the max overslot you can go would be 575k - 225k. Thats for an entire draft. Last season the Pirates spent 17 million including waaaay overslot deals for Garrit Cole, Josh Bell and Clay Holmes. All of those signings were overslot by well more than 575k. The Pirates effectively transformed a second round pick into a top 10 pick and a ninth round pick into a sandwich pick through their aggressive spending. That is no longer possible.'Eephus said:Nobody has ever gone over slot in every round. It's a tactical weapon used to sign high school talent with options for college or in other sports. Teams will still be able to practice this selectively.The deal was approved by the owners who in theory protect themselves from overspending in one area, and by the MLBPA who figure teams saving money in the amateur draft will be able to spend more on union members.I don't think this change will change competitive balance as much as people fear. Rich teams will still have their advantages and smart organizations will find areas to exploit. Teams that are both poor and dumb will continue to struggle.'dparker713 said:So, you're comparing the possibility of getting an extra pick with the ability to go after overslot guys in every round? And the extra wildcard slot will make FAs even more expensive. This was a deal that slanted the rules even further in favor of the big markets.of course nobody bothers to mention the relief for small market teams also included in the CBA (and in fact in Keri's article linked aboove)...."The new CBA does offer some allowances for poorer teams, too. A "competitive balance lottery" kicks in that awards extra draft picks to the lowest-revenue teams in the smallest markets, with the odds of winning one of the six bonus picks after the first round weighted based on lowest winning percentage, and six more bonus picks awarded to leftover teams after the second round. Baseball will also tweak its revenue-sharing system, with the new CBA preventing clubs in the 15 largest markets from receiving revenue-sharing funds by 2016. Most visibly, baseball gets one extra wild-card team per league starting in either 2012 or 2013, thus offering a bit more hope and faith to lesser teams hoping to play into October."
The jury is still out on how effective overslotting is going to be. Some of their overslot guys from the 2009 draft struggled this year. Stetson Allie had an ERA of nearly 8 in A ball. Luis Heredia walked 15 in 18 innings. Zack von Rosenberg got shelled. Colton Cain looks legit and it's too early to tell about the 2010 and 2011 picks.Even the lead negotiator for the owners couldn't claim the draft savings were going to the union members with a straight face for long. As for slotting, that tactical weapon has largely been neutered. Current estimates are that next year's draft budgets will range from 11.5 million to 4.5 million. Meaning the max overslot you can go would be 575k - 225k. Thats for an entire draft. Last season the Pirates spent 17 million including waaaay overslot deals for Garrit Cole, Josh Bell and Clay Holmes. All of those signings were overslot by well more than 575k. The Pirates effectively transformed a second round pick into a top 10 pick and a ninth round pick into a sandwich pick through their aggressive spending. That is no longer possible.'Eephus said:Nobody has ever gone over slot in every round. It's a tactical weapon used to sign high school talent with options for college or in other sports. Teams will still be able to practice this selectively.The deal was approved by the owners who in theory protect themselves from overspending in one area, and by the MLBPA who figure teams saving money in the amateur draft will be able to spend more on union members.I don't think this change will change competitive balance as much as people fear. Rich teams will still have their advantages and smart organizations will find areas to exploit. Teams that are both poor and dumb will continue to struggle.'dparker713 said:So, you're comparing the possibility of getting an extra pick with the ability to go after overslot guys in every round? And the extra wildcard slot will make FAs even more expensive. This was a deal that slanted the rules even further in favor of the big markets.of course nobody bothers to mention the relief for small market teams also included in the CBA (and in fact in Keri's article linked aboove)...."The new CBA does offer some allowances for poorer teams, too. A "competitive balance lottery" kicks in that awards extra draft picks to the lowest-revenue teams in the smallest markets, with the odds of winning one of the six bonus picks after the first round weighted based on lowest winning percentage, and six more bonus picks awarded to leftover teams after the second round. Baseball will also tweak its revenue-sharing system, with the new CBA preventing clubs in the 15 largest markets from receiving revenue-sharing funds by 2016. Most visibly, baseball gets one extra wild-card team per league starting in either 2012 or 2013, thus offering a bit more hope and faith to lesser teams hoping to play into October."
If money is in no way a factor in signing, everybody will go to the Yankees.'Captain Hook said:HOW? When they all have the same budget for this?Capping Latin American spending could be rough though. This could easily result in a situation where a couple of teams get all of the good talent.
For the Pirates? Sure. Overall, not so much.The jury is still out on how effective overslotting is going to be. Some of their overslot guys from the 2009 draft struggled this year. Stetson Allie had an ERA of nearly 8 in A ball. Luis Heredia walked 15 in 18 innings. Zack von Rosenberg got shelled. Colton Cain looks legit and it's too early to tell about the 2010 and 2011 picks.Even the lead negotiator for the owners couldn't claim the draft savings were going to the union members with a straight face for long. As for slotting, that tactical weapon has largely been neutered. Current estimates are that next year's draft budgets will range from 11.5 million to 4.5 million. Meaning the max overslot you can go would be 575k - 225k. Thats for an entire draft. Last season the Pirates spent 17 million including waaaay overslot deals for Garrit Cole, Josh Bell and Clay Holmes. All of those signings were overslot by well more than 575k. The Pirates effectively transformed a second round pick into a top 10 pick and a ninth round pick into a sandwich pick through their aggressive spending. That is no longer possible.'Eephus said:Nobody has ever gone over slot in every round. It's a tactical weapon used to sign high school talent with options for college or in other sports. Teams will still be able to practice this selectively.The deal was approved by the owners who in theory protect themselves from overspending in one area, and by the MLBPA who figure teams saving money in the amateur draft will be able to spend more on union members.I don't think this change will change competitive balance as much as people fear. Rich teams will still have their advantages and smart organizations will find areas to exploit. Teams that are both poor and dumb will continue to struggle.'dparker713 said:So, you're comparing the possibility of getting an extra pick with the ability to go after overslot guys in every round? And the extra wildcard slot will make FAs even more expensive. This was a deal that slanted the rules even further in favor of the big markets.of course nobody bothers to mention the relief for small market teams also included in the CBA (and in fact in Keri's article linked aboove)...."The new CBA does offer some allowances for poorer teams, too. A "competitive balance lottery" kicks in that awards extra draft picks to the lowest-revenue teams in the smallest markets, with the odds of winning one of the six bonus picks after the first round weighted based on lowest winning percentage, and six more bonus picks awarded to leftover teams after the second round. Baseball will also tweak its revenue-sharing system, with the new CBA preventing clubs in the 15 largest markets from receiving revenue-sharing funds by 2016. Most visibly, baseball gets one extra wild-card team per league starting in either 2012 or 2013, thus offering a bit more hope and faith to lesser teams hoping to play into October."
Bench fodder.Your starting OF is Tabata/McCutchen/Presley.Nate McLouth? Seriously?
The new CBA certainly doesnt help the Pirates, but the reason they've been so bad is a combination of terrible drafting (Littlefield years/Early NH years) leading to a depleted farm system, the blatant lack of commitment towards "league average" resources at the Major League level (consistently in the lowest % of team salary) and the pieces they add to the major league level are retreads that are way past their prime that they throw serious $$$ at (i.e. Derrek Bell, Pat Meares, Jeromy Burnitz, Matt Morris, Benito Santiago, etc...).It was proven for the 1st few months of the year that there are still plenty of fans out there that are interested in the product if they put a product worth coming out to on the field.McLouth, Bedard, BetemitIt's too bad the new CBA prevents the Pirates being competitive
Operation Shutdown was classicThe new CBA certainly doesnt help the Pirates, but the reason they've been so bad is a combination of terrible drafting (Littlefield years/Early NH years) leading to a depleted farm system, the blatant lack of commitment towards "league average" resources at the Major League level (consistently in the lowest % of team salary) and the pieces they add to the major league level are retreads that are way past their prime that they throw serious $$$ at (i.e. Derek Bell, Pat Meares, Jeromy Burnitz, Matt Morris, Benito Santiago, etc...).
Wow, just wow. This is what 20 years of losing does to a fan base. The bar hasn't only been lowered, it's rolling down the basement steps.Also, looking like Pirates will be signing Wilson Betemit as a reserve infielder too.
Just need to improve 1B and things dont look that bad; still not ideal.
The Mets would be looking for minor leaguers to trade Davis, so yes, the Pirates would have players that fit into the Mets plans.Betemit reportedly is out of the Pirates' plans. No word on Derrek Lee, but talk was he sought a 1-year $12 million deal.Bedard is an intriguing gamble at the price ($4.5 million) when you consider he'll be getting $10 million less next year than what the Marlins agreed to with Mark Buerhle. However, he's the type of player the team will use early in the season and then trade to a contender looking for a lefty starter. In the last 4 seasons, he started 54 games, missing all of 2010, and has a 16-16 W/L record in that span. Low risk, decent reward if he stays healthy.I read the Mets are shopping Ike Davis. But I doubt the Pirates have anything NY needs, not even Hanrahan, especially since the Mets just solidified their bullpen.With these recent acquisitions, the team is inching toward mediocrity. Not there yet, but close.