Steve Pearce Rumors

Odds and Ends: Lane, K-Rod, Adam LaRoche

Random linkage... Jason Lane has agreed to remain a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankee. Francisco Rodriguez would like to play nine more seasons. Four or five or those might come with his next contract, which may set a record for a reliever. Pirates prospect Steve Pearce is getting some time at first base in Triple A. Despite that development, Dejan Kovacevic says there is no Adam LaRoche trade chatter yet. LaRoche followed up his standard awful April with an .804 OPS in May. RotoAuthority looks at the fantasy studs of May. SI.com's Jon Heyman speculates that it'd require at least two of a...   Continue Reading

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Pirates Rumors: LaRoche, Duffy

Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the latest Pirates hot stove buzz. The Pirates and Adam LaRoche have reached an impasse in extension talks. LaRoche is set to reach free agency after the '09 season; his free agency years have to be worth $10MM each. Kovacevic notes that the Pirates might be permanently done trying to sign LaRoche. Kovacevic reports "no recent movement" on a Matt Capps extension. Last time we checked, talks with Capps inexplicably fizzled after Manny Corpas signed a team-friendly deal with Colorado. Capps probably isn't going anywhere, but LaRoche certainly could be traded. The presence...   Continue Reading

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Pirates Rumors: Nady, Capps

I always enjoy Dejan Kovacevic's Q&As for Pirates insight. Let's take a look at today's edition. Kovacevic suggests that the Pirates' decision to option Steve Pearce already indicates nothing is cooking on the Xavier Nady trade front. Pearce is a classic blocked prospect, as described in an MLBTR piece by Aaron Shinsano. One blogger isn't buying Neal Huntington's comments on the topic of Nady. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I found it odd that the Pirates' talks with Matt Capps would fizzle because Manny Corpas' affordable deal raised the bar. Today Kovacevic adds that he doesn't expect...   Continue Reading

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Blocked Prospects: Steve Pearce

During 2007 Pirates prospect Steve Pearce hit a combined .333 with 31 home runs, 40 doubles, 113 RBI, and a .622 slugging percentage. The soon-to-be 25 year-old was named both Offensive Player of the Year by MiLB.com and the Topps Minor League Player of the Year. He ranks #43 on Kevin Goldstein's Top 100 Prospects list for 2008 and received a callup last September. Yet, as of Monday he was reportedly sweating it when the team announced several cuts. Pearce had played first base since he was drafted, but with the Pirates looking to locking up Adam LaRoche long term...   Continue Reading

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