Odds & Ends: Zambrano, McLouth, Indians

Neal is just doing what he needs to so that team has a shot at winning that division in the next 5 years. The fans, for the most part, are being completely irrational about this whole situation. Hell, McLouth isn't even that great of a ball player really when you actually get into digging at his numbers. I can understand their frustration, I've been following the Pirates my whole life to, but he can't really win with that fan base either direction he goes. If he keeps the players trying to slowly rebuild he will just keep losing and be fired for losing. If he deals the players off so he can rebuild a nucleous fast he gets blasted for trading "fan favorites". It's a no win situation but he is doing a good job whether they want to admit it or not.

I'd like to see Colletti do the same thing Neal did. But hey Neal, how long til you trade Andrew McCutchen?

Over under is set at 3 years. :P

I'd like to see Colletti do the same thing Neal did. But hey Neal, how long til you trade Andrew McCutchen?

We go to the NLCS last year and are 20 games OVER .500 and you want Ned to trade away our best player for 3 prospects? Do you even watch baseball?

It just stinks of a GM clutching at straws to me. If they were willing to trade McLouth then why only recently did they sign him long term?
They knew about McCutchen then too, I think the fans are annoyed because:
They never get to have a player to identify the team with.
Theyre not trading away old, expensive veterans for prospects, theyre trading away young approaching prime players that are signed long term relatively cheaply.
And they seem to seek quantity of prospects received rather than quality, looking for 3 may be above average players rather than 1 future all star type.

How are they supposed to be building for the future?
Nate Mclouth would have still been playing at the end of his contract so if they are trading him away...do they not expect to contend for 4 years?

Mclouth isnt an amazing player no...he is a pretty good...occasional all star LF...but they traded away by far their best player for 3 players who figure to not hold that same title.

Having McLouth locked up long term increases his value. Neal said this wasn't a move he planned to make actually but just really liked the players the Braves offered. He was shopping players like Wilson, Sanchez, Adam LaRoche, etc but those players have very little value right now.

What fans want doesn't necessarily translate into winning. The Marlins have won 2 WS never really having a player the fans can identify with...of course their fans don't even bother coming out to the ball park but still. Neal needs to make moves like this for the future, McLouth nor anyone else currently there was going to win anything during his stay in Pittsburgh if Neal doesn't make moves like this.

I heard Zambrano took out a vending machine last weekend. Cops found him lying next to a bag of porkrinds crying & sucking his thumb.