This week in baseball blogs…
- The Crawfish Boxes analyzes a potential Marcus Stroman acquisition for the Astros.
- Sports Info Solutions delves into Bryce Harper’s decline against fastballs.
- The Point of Pittsburgh proposes a full rebuild with an eye toward the Pirates competing in 2022.
- Complete Game Loss weighs in on the bias that a player’s early season performance can create.
- Video Baseball Scout proposes nine fixes for the draft.
- Rising Apple ranks the greatest Mets trade deadline deals ever.
- Rox Pile revisits the Troy Tulowitzki trade between the Rockies and Blue Jays.
- Mayflies & Big Flies talks with Nationals catching prospect Tres Barrera.
- Chipalatta looks at what the Astros might do about Carlos Correa
- Call to the Pen predicts potential deadline targets for the Phillies.
- Rotisserie Duck takes a look at this season’s best players so far.
- Chin Music Baseball highlights the season’s most and least valuable pitches to date.
- Joker Mag interviews former major league pitcher Jim Morris, aka “The Rookie.”
- MLB & Fantasy Baseball Analyzed weighs in on the Tampa Bay/Montreal situation.
- Mets Daddy wants answers from the Wilpons.
- East Village Times asks what the Padres can do to improve their center field situation.
- Baseball Rabbi (podcast) discusses Montreal, Mike Trout and more.
- The Runner Sports profiles Astros righty Cy Sneed.
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Dear Mets,
Trade everyone but McNeil Alonso and smith. Trade for players two years away since there’s no good prospects in the upper minors
TPOP.: this is the rebuild… just needs pitching.. just saying.
The Pirates have young players at C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B and in the OF. Only two of the starters could be called old. All of the relievers are young.
These calls for the Pirates to tear down and rebuild make no sense. It’s very likely that they’d end up with a team that looks a lot like the one they have today…only 3-5 years from now…while being the Marlins in the meantime.
Then again, I don’t expect sense from this particular blogger. He used to write long manifestos like this post detailing the moves the team should be making and send them to the Pirates. Like a 12 year old would do.
I can’t figure out if that is more funny than it is sad or more sad than it is funny.
As an outsider looking in (fan of a divisional rival) I don’t have quite a take on the Pirates that you do, but tend to agree with your post, and generally have respected your thoughts on the Pirates over the years.
I’m curious, what do you think should be the 3-year plan for the team? I sort of arbitrarily chose 3 as I assume it lines up with a couple key players’ final arb years (Bell, Taillon, etc.)
The point of Pittsburgh article was interesting. My only question being, if there is no trust in NH. Why would you want him presiding over you’re rebuild especially at the beginning stages? What I’m saying is switching lanes at this point is not a great strategy. Sure trade your soon to be FAs, and a piece here and there, but this larger plan can’t be concocted until the offseason really.
I don’t agree with it honestly, because it’s somewhat spinning the wheel, but to each ones own. It’s clearly not a great team, but interesting pieces with some reinforcements needed and some are coming. I get maybe churning a couple guys, there seems to be an interesting foundation at least.
In Pittsburgh, NH is not judged on reality but on the hot take that is never revised.
The Melancon deal was “proof that they don’t care about winning”. The Cutch deal was a salary dump for two nothing prospects.
Back in reality, both deals were utter heists for the Pirates, but the initial (baseless) grade is what stays on Huntingdon’s Yinzer report card.
And for years and years before the Archer deal, the constant criticism of Huntingdon was that he could never make the big deal and was too in love with his prospects and too scared to part with them. Today, the same critics who called for such a deal AND thought Meadows was meh and Glasnow was a bust bash him for that trade, as well, obviously.
I have no idea why he didn’t take the Giants job, but I’m glad he didn’t as I’m clearly the only one who remembers Dave Littlefield.
well.. theres skeptical trust of Neal. They built what is a very solid young core… twice. Had a couple moves not gone backwards, if players stayed on the field and if some players played near their previous production we’d still be screaming praises.
Neal Walker, Jon Niese and what looks to be the archer trade. Injuries and suspensions or.. heck not even being able to enter the country in the case of Kang. Cutch, J-Hay, Liriano bombing out in production also really hurt the team
They’re not excuses.. well they are.. but they are also true.
Does need to get some new Pitching coaching talent… Ray (and team) just isn’t good with a lot of these younger guys, as evidenced by Cole, Morton, Glasnow….. but the rest of the team is clicking despite having the most injuries of any team in baseball Including every starter except for Bell.
I do not agree that the Pirates need a radical tear down like this one.The difference of drafting point between the best and worst teams is the first draft choice in the draft and while that is substantial it is only one player per year.
They should keep the players listed under one if they are contending in the close competitive division unless someone wants to give up a quality minor league pitcher.
NH is no longer at the cutting edge of GMs.His refusal to add depth this winter was a horrible mistake.They need to drastically change their tune in this regard.
I think that their scouting and teaching methods are so so.They should look at upgrades there.If NH is set in his ways he should be replaced.However,I do not see top GM talent coming to Pittsburgh.
The Pirates do have many good players and to sell them off like this would be a huge mistake.There is absolutely no guarantee that young minor league players will turn into anything.This is a trendy idea that in some regards worked for the Astros.But even then they were absolutely horrible for four years,and have one of the best player development teams in the ML.
Spend some money on depth,add a medium priced free agent or two,and stay the course.