The Pirates are interested in outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and free agent left-handers Wei-Yin Chen and Tsuyoshi Wada, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter links). However, they'll quickly back away if the bidding on Cespedes gets "crazy." Cespedes is expected to become a free agent relatively soon and Wada and Chen have been able to negotiate with MLB teams since free agency began Thursday.
Wada posted a 1.51 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 184 2/3 innings for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in 2011. The 30-year-old is a Dallas Braden type with "a 86-87 mph fastball, a good circle change, and a solid slider," according to Patrick Newman of FanGraphs.
MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested last month that a four-year, $20MM deal might be enough to sign Chen. The 26-year-old posted a 2.68 ERA with 5.1 K/9 in 164 2/3 innings this past season.
Hey, I’m interested in Kate Upton too, but what are the odds of that happening?
0%
One in a million… “Sooo you’re saying theres a chance!”
– Lloyd Christmas.
by a horse, do some sit-ups hey she is going to date someone, might as well be you
If they ended up getting one of the 2 big first basemen on the market and Yoenis Cespedes, they have the makings of a 79 Pirates.
I think my chances with Kate Upton are better than that happening.
We can all dream. Have you ever thought of lowering your standards like the Pirates and shoot for Rhea Perlman or Whoopi Goldberg? They are the Aaron Cook of the supermodel world.
Dallas Braden-type? So, total douchebag?
Sounds to me like the Pirates plan on blowing a wada cash
haha dont think
Well, they have about 7-8 mil a year that they can’t use to build via the draft anymore, so why not.
this is true
I see what you did there
I would like to know what they consider “crazy”. Like 20MM? 30?
$5.00 is crazy in their eyes
i could just very well see them sign chen. he sits at 90-93mph with the fastball with good location. occasionally hitting 94mph. filthy curveball that i saw in a video sitting at 69 mph. and then a pitch that looks like a changeup midway through the video sitting at 88mph. if hes got good location, looks to me as if he could be a maholm with slightly more consistent velocity
Hope they don’t blow their Wada on this guy.
Pirates should be targeting the younger Soler who will actually fit the Pirates rebuilding plans. Pirates would pay Cespedes all that money for someone who is seven years older than Soler and has not proven anything in the States. It seems to me that the Pirates should be targeting more cost-effective players at this time in their rebuilding process.
I think Cespedes would be a waste of money for the Pirates, and I would probably be upset if they signed him. If they are going to spend money, spend it on an established free agent, or stick to getting the young guys cheaper who will be in the system for many years. He is almost every bit the wild card a draft pick or international prospect is yet comes with a huge pricetag.