Spring Thoughts: How would you fix the Pirates?

by jmcclain19 on Mar 5, 2008 3:08 AM EST

Mostly because I tire of the same repeated Reds stories coming out of all the Reds sites, media outlets and the national media of the last several weeks - and because a Bucs Dugout diary cross post from yesterday inspired this idea.

Lets step outside the box as Reds fans and put on your GM caps - Pretend your Neal Huntington for a day. How would you fix the Pirates?

It's tough as Reds fans to remember some times that there are fans who have had it worse off for longer than the Reds have. And the Pirates would definitely be one of those teams.

I'm looking for some honest answers - and I know there are some astute baseball fans around here.

Pirates 40 Man Roster
Top Prospects List
(Baseball America) (Baseball Prospectus)

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My Pirates Ponderings

As much as I'm pulling some shenanigans in replying to my own diary post - here is my ideas on how I would fix the Pirates.

OF - Leave Jason Bay alone. Last year was an outlier, let him work himself out of whatever funk he had last year and continue on the path of being one of baseball's best kept secrets. Nate McLouth is kind of like a Pirates version of Adam Dunn, but with a fraction of the power and much more proficient with the leather. Low Avg distorts his high OBP. Plop him in CF every day and leave him alone. Steve Pierce was a big surprise at the end of last year, he'll make a fine RF power bat for the middle of the order. Nady & Duffy round out the OF bunch.

IF - Welcome to the bigs Mr. Walker, and here is your 3B slot, right next to Mr. Bixler. Neil Walker and Brian Bixler will make a good left side of the IF with some upside. Flip Jack Wilson to whomever the Pirates can get with a pulse - preferably one with some sort of pop skills to put on the bench. Your stuck with Freddy Sanchez, who's a usable piece, and Adam LaRoche really came around last year.

Catching - Paulino & Doumit actually make the strongest part of the squad - they stay just as they are.

Pitching. Kyle Lohse comes to town for a cool $4mil - and likes it so much he re-ups for three more seasons of league average pitching, something the Pirates have been sorely lacking of the last decade or so.

Lohse as your No. 4 after Gorzelanny, Duke & Snell moves Matt Morris to No. 5. I don't like Morris, but I do like him a heckuva lot better as a No. 5. Maholm might just make an interesting throw in for the Jack Wilson trade to net a usable part. With a new pitching coach, hopefully they can remind Duke of what he was in 2006 as a rookie, and perform a jedi mind erase on his 2007 season.

That moves like likes of Dumatrait, Bullington et al into Pen contention, and maybe your competing for 75 wins this year with upside (both in future growth and bounce back years) that could have you up in the 80 wins range in 2009. Morris will be off the books in 09 so they can sign another horse to eat innings and to reduce the pressure on guys like Duke.

That's my thoughts anyway.

by jmcclain19 on Mar 5, 2008 3:24 AM EST reply actions

I'd trade Bay mid-season,

hoping he has a hot start to quell doubts about his '07. He's signed for this and next year at reasonable prices (final arb years), but the Pirates aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Afterwards he'll be a free agent LF on the wrong side of 30 who carries some doubts about how well he'll age, given that he's a late bloomer. But for now he's one of the few Pirates with any trading value, and they need to acquire young talent.

by ken on Mar 5, 2008 8:22 AM EST up reply actions

the pirates are exactly the kind of team

that needs to sign a big pitcher for big money next offseason. give C.C. 140 mil and watch the pirate faithful swoon in ecstacy. will it solve their problems? no, but it will make people believe again, and sometimes that is more important than winning. other than that, huntington seems like the kind of guy who knows how to build a farm, so start playing for 2011.

Im Charlie Scrabbles and I approve this blogpost.

by Charlie Scrabbles on Mar 5, 2008 8:02 AM EST reply actions

Maybe he should change his name...

I'm not sure other GM's will take him seriously with a name like Neal Huntington... He sounds like a really bad British lawyer.

You can't have manslaughter without laughter

by crolfer on Mar 5, 2008 8:05 AM EST reply actions

thats "barrister"

to you, Yank.

Im Charlie Scrabbles and I approve this blogpost.

by Charlie Scrabbles on Mar 5, 2008 8:07 AM EST up reply actions

I thought most bad British barristers

were named Cherie Booth.

Two Dunns enter, but only one Dunn leaves...unless neither do because they decide to hunt, play cards, drink and fish. -Slyde

by Man Mountain on Mar 5, 2008 1:12 PM EST up reply actions

I think we need better port security

and more vigilliance on our ships at sea.

The Dusty path to the World Series! (This is not an endorsement.)

by justin0070000 on Mar 5, 2008 10:31 AM EST reply actions

Take a look...

..at what the Pirates are doing thus far in the 2008 Grapefruit League.

Hmm. I wonder where they ranked in 2007.

by Fat Vegas Alan on Mar 5, 2008 3:49 PM EST reply actions

Nevermind, Slyde.

Found it.

by Fat Vegas Alan on Mar 5, 2008 3:51 PM EST up reply actions

You don't get out that easily

They were second-to-last in the NL last spring in BB.

Don't talk back to Darth Vader or he'll getcha!

by Slyde on Mar 5, 2008 3:58 PM EST up reply actions

Didja notice that..

..in this year's Spring stats the Pirates (and the Padres) are among the leaders even though they've played fewer games than most other teams.

It's a small sample size and of course Spring stats are prolly wildly unpredictable because the players invloved are not all MLB-caliber, but I bet there's something going on there in Pittsboigh.

by Fat Vegas Alan on Mar 5, 2008 4:10 PM EST up reply actions