Pirates Talk Extensions With Sanchez & Wilson

It was starting to look like the management was finally committed to a full blown rebuild in Pittsburgh. Not sure if this means they think they're closer than I do, or if they just can't imagine what it would be like to watch their AAA guys try to step in.

Sanchez looked like he might bring a pretty nice return as the deadline got nearer and teams realized there wasn't much out there in terms of bats. Wilson probably wasn't going to net much though.

Would love to see this get done. Keeping this solid D up the middle as our young studs come up and our young pitchers continue to wet their beaks is a very good thing. Not to mention we have no one close in the system to replace either one if these guys.

I'm on board with the new FO a 100%. With the Nady trade, McClouth trade, robbery of Lastings Milledge, and then a move like this which makes a ton of sense, but nobody saw coming. And it sounds like Sano's gonna be a Bucco very soon. Good time to be a Bucco fan, winning baseball will be back in the Burgh soon.

agree with BuccoNation.

As a Cubs fan, I can say I worry about your club in the near future. And really, this entire division (outside of Houston) is looking really interesting for the future. The financial logjam Elmer Fudd created for us is going to hurt, and I am not looking forward to fighting you, the RedStockings, the Crew or the never-count-them-out RedBirds.

Just keep telling yourself that.........

Posted by: thegiantswinthepennant | July 17, 2009 at 02:06 AM

As much as I have a hard time believing we'll be on the winning side of baseball soon, you don't have to be an a-hole about BuccoNation being optimistic. We buc fans have been through a lot of crap these past seventeen years; we certainly don't need you to shovel on more crap.

I'd kinda expect a comment like that from a Yanks or Sox guy maybe, but a Giants fan? Really?

What I'm saying is that we are much closer than we have been in the past 16 years to being a winning ball club, and the pieces are in place, not all of em, to make that happen.

@Suzysman, division could be pretty crazy in a few years, Cubbies will always be contending, same with the Cards, Reds have a great core, and the Bucs aren't far behind. Those Stros might be taking our place in that #6 hole though, I think I remember hearing they have one of the worst farms.

That said, I know we were trying to push for a possible move to the East, makes sense, and would be cool to see Philly and NYM more, who knows what'll happen, looking forward to seeing some good ball here in the coming years though.

BucSox, my brother, I love all fellow Bucco fans. But if you really think if we added a Beckett and a Votto to our ballclub and we're perennial World Series contenders... well, you've been drinking that Huntington juice a little to much. I love the direction our FO is going toward in order to strengthen the farm. However, we still have very little depth pitching-wise. We might be a few years removed from a winning season. But a world series contender? We need further talent infusion before we can start smoking that pipe.

wow, lighten up guys...I meant that as a joke. Its just that it seems like you guys have been saying you're finally headed in the right direction since shortly after Barry came here. Sanchez is a nice player (I'm not as high on Wilson) ....but he's 31. Extension or not I have a hard time seeing him on the next Pirate team that even thinks about contending for the division title. I just think you would've been better served to either deal Freddy for 1 or 2 middle infielders or high upside arms or let him play out his contract hoping he nets you a couple draft picks.

As a Giants fan I know that things can turn around pretty quickly, but I don't see many arms or any IF prospects that are close to contributing for you guys. The young outfield is very nice but I don't think locking up a mediocre shortstop and very solid, but unspectacular 30-somethings is really gonna help your team's future. The Cardinals pretty much always put a solid product on the field and Pujols isn't exactly old yet, the Reds are loaded with young talent already at the MLB level, and the Brewers still have several very nice prospects and perhaps the best young 3 man core to build around in the NL (not counting the Giants of course ;-) ) I'm not trying to be an a-hole, but I fail to see how things are looking up. Honestly, if you had managde to send Wilson to the BoSox and Sanchez here or to Minny while getting a couple average upside MIFs and an upside arm while shedding about 13 mil from your payroll for next year I'd like your future a whole lot better.

BucSox fan-perhaps you missed it but the Giants have a better record than anyone in your division despite having only one legitimate middle of the order hitter.

While Wilson is a little soft on offense, I have yet to see a SS that is better than him in the field on a day to day basis. I would be willing to bet that he's taken away 88 hits this season due to his defense or one hit a game. He starts unbelievable double plays and he simply gets to balls that other SS do not.
I'm not saying he's worth crazt money, but I shrudder to think what the Pirates defense would be with out this guy. The fact that he's not going to win the GG this season is going to be a travesty.

Adam Everett = Jack Wilson

Both slick fielding, crappy hitting SS'...

Only Everett is making $1M this year.

While teams value defense more than ever, they're still paying for offense.

If the Buc's had to kick in cash to send away Hinske, they'll have to eat a good portion of what's left of Wilson's contract.

I was wondering what people thought of Garrett Jones' potential power numbers if he played a whole season; could he hit 30 homers?

Smart move by the Pirates management. I'm sure it's gotta be nice if you are a Bucs fan to see that there isn't going to be a complete AAA team up there until all of the good prospects are ready. I'm not sure what prospects they have for MI that could be ready any time soon, so signing keeping the two of them around while the rest of the team develops is smart. It's not like Pittsburgh is having an absolutely horrible year, one big bang prospect and they COULD get a little competitive.

I'm just wondering if any attempt to trade Adam LaRoche will take into account the fact that:

a. Pedro Alvarez is still a few years away from being ready(assuming he eventually plays 1B).

b. Stephen Pearce could be recalled to play 1B, but how much of a dropff is he from LaRoche?

c. Adam's brother Andy is now the everday 3B--do the brothers want to stick together(and is it such a bad idea to keep them together?)

Just some thoughts. :)

"I'm just wondering if any attempt to trade Adam LaRoche will take into account the fact that:

a. Pedro Alvarez is still a few years away from being ready(assuming he eventually plays 1B).

b. Stephen Pearce could be recalled to play 1B, but how much of a dropff is he from LaRoche?

c. Adam's brother Andy is now the everday 3B--do the brothers want to stick together(and is it such a bad idea to keep them together?)

Just some thoughts. :)"

If they move LaRoche I believe they will put Jones at 1st and call up Milledge to play in the OF or just let Young play every day.

If they do sign extensions it will prob be like 2yr/6M for Jack and 2yr/8-10M for Freddy. You already have Ignorant fans that think Freddy is overpaid when Fangraphs say he is worth 11M. While Jack himself is worth 8M. As you can see despite what people want to say statisticly neither one of these two is overpaid.

I don't see how keeping Wilson and Sanchez improve the Bucs chances in the future. Haven't they been a part of the organization over the past 3-4 years? Isn't that more of the same?

This only makes sense if the Pirates can sign these guys at figures way below market. You might be able to get Wilson to take a $3-$4m/year deal. No way on Sanchez. He already has $8m coming in 2010 (unless he gets injured). Even if you give him more years, I don't see how you can drop his annual base much unless you extend him out 4 or 5 years.

To give you and idea of their worth lets look at this:

Chase Utley who is pretty much the top 2B in baseball is worth 21+M Freddy is worth 11+, and Dan Uggla who everyone loves is worth 4.5M. Only 4 2B in all of baseball are worth more than Freddy: Utley, Kinsler, Pedroia, and Zobrist. Hill is worth 11.7 and Freddy 11.6 so that is 5 i guess.

Jack is worth 8M and is 7th among all ML SS. So can anyone sit there and honestly say either is overrated or overpaid?

"Obviously, those guys dont have enough "value" for trade..."

It's not that they don't have value it is that Neal hasn't gotten an offer he likes. He isn't going to trade them for bums. If you can't get anything for them why not extend them both 2 years especially when there is nothing in the farm at those 2 positions. Sanchez would bring in a great return. Wilson if you eat most to all of his salary then he could net you a MLB ready SS prospect, not an elite one, but one that can hit.250 and play average defense. I just don't see a point trading them if we can get them cheap for the next couple of years. Then in 2 years they can be moved and will be easier to move with smaller contracts.

"Since when did people start calling the Pirates the 'Bucs'."

Posted by: optionn | July 17, 2009 at 08:32 AM

Since forever. Another name for a Pirate is a Buccaneer...Buc(s) for short. Get it?

Carini: 2/$4Mm for Wilson? If he was free agent this winter he would do better than that. No lingering health issues (unlike Everett last winter or Hudson), Very solid glove work. No, it would not be what he is currently getting paid but would be much closer to that then $2MM per. I think you are massively under estimating the large amount of suck that I out there in the available SS pool.

send grabow snell to colorado 4 eric young jr Then send Matt capps 2 TB 4wade davis wilson 2 seattle or boston for 2 prospects Then send Freddie sanchez and RYAN Doumit 2 the cubs for josh vitters and some pitching prospects mybe 2 may need 2 add duke 2 get the cubs deal done hope not