Looking Back At The Pirates’ Last Playoff Run
It’s been a while since the Pirates were relevant. Top Pittsburgh prospect Jameson Taillon was less than one year old when the Pirates last posted a winning record in 1992. A generation of Pittsburgh sports fans has had to rely on the city’s football and hockey teams for excitement.
Some things haven’t changed in the last 19 years – members of the '92 Pirates like Miguel Batista, Tim Wakefield and manager Jim Leyland are still around – but it’s been long enough that we aren’t used to the possibility that Pittsburgh could be a buyer at the trade deadline. The 45-41 Pirates are now legitimately in contention, so it’s time to entertain the notion that GM Neal Huntington will be looking to add Major Leaguers rather than prospects this month.
The last time the Pirates made the playoffs, GM Ted Simmons completed a pair of midseason trades that helped deliver Pittsburgh to its third consecutive NLCS. First, Simmons sent minor leaguer Tony Mitchell to the Indians for speedy outfielder Alex Cole on July 4th. A week later, the Pirates sent third baseman Steve Buechele to the Cubs for left-hander Danny Jackson.
Looking back, it’s easy to see that the deals helped Leyland’s Pirates to a 96-win season. But at the time, they weren’t considered blockbusters.
“I would consider them trades that no one was even paying attention to,” said Simmons, who is now a senior advisor to Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik.
Simmons knew Cole as a strong defender who could get on base, and wanted to add him to a Pirates outfield that already featured Andy Van Slyke in center field and Barry Bonds in left. Cole became an everyday player for the Pirates, posting a .278/.335/.361 line down the stretch, and Mitchell, the prospect he was traded for, never made it to the Major Leagues.
Jackson appealed to the Pirates, who wanted to add a southpaw to their rotation, yet Simmons wasn't completely confident in the left-hander's health. After scouting Jackson in depth, the Pirates were convinced that the former first rounder and 20 game winner had recovered from earlier injuries and regained his form. Fifteen starts later, Jackson had a 3.36 ERA with 4.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 for Pittsburgh.
Though the deals worked out well for Simmons and the Pirates in 1992, circumstances could not be more different this summer. Few expected the Pirates to be in contention before this season and now that they have a chance to end their streak of losing seasons at 18, ownership may push for an attempt at a playoff run.
Huntington could follow Simmons’ example and make modest acquisitions for the pennant race, or he could even look to supplement his roster with splashier trades. As long as the Pirates continue contending, Pittsburgh’s current GM will have the support of one of his predecessors.
“Everybody’s rooting for the Pirates,” Simmons told MLBTR. “Everybody – including me."
Elias Rankings Update
After the season the Elias Sports Bureau will take all players over the 2010-11 period, divide them into five groups for each league, and rank them based on various statistics. Then each player will be labeled a Type A, B, or none. Those designations and the possible accompanying arbitration offers determine draft pick compensation (click here for a refresher).
Eddie Bajek has reverse-engineered the Elias rankings, and he's providing that information exclusively at MLB Trade Rumors. Here's a look at how the players rank for the period beginning with the 2010 season running through July 2nd, 2011. Please note: We have fixed an error since this post was published in the afternoon.
Quick Hits: Orioles, Canseco, Dodgers, Gutierrez
The Yankees obtained Jeff Weaver from the Tigers in a three team deal that sent Ted Lilly to Oakland and Carlos Pena to Detroit on this date in 2002. We've only seen minor moves so far today, so here are some links to check out…
- Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun runs through some possible trade candidates on the Orioles, including J.J. Hardy, the hot hitting Mark Reynolds and Jeremy Guthrie.
- Jim Caple of ESPN.com catches up with Jose Canseco, who is now managing and playing for the independent Yuma Scorpions with his brother Ozzie. Not surprisingly, the Scorpions are having a memorable season under Canseco, who has lots to say as usual.
- Bud Selig has argued that the Dodgers would have been in financial trouble again by 2013 had MLB accepted the club's proposed deal with Fox, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times (on Twitter).
- The attorneys for Frank McCourt wrote that others teams with financial questions enjoy "the velvet-glove treatment" from MLB, according to Shaikin. McCourt's lawyers are asking for documents relating to the Mets' financial issues to prove their point: that the Commissioner's office is biased against McCourt and the Dodgers.
- Nicaraguan right-hander Osman Gutierrez obtained a $210K bonus from Toronto, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). The Blue Jays announced yesterday that they had signed the prospect.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Chaz Roe
Today's list of players headed for the minor leagues…
- The Mariners announced that they outrighted Chaz Roe to Triple-A. They had designated the 24-year-old right-hander for assignment last Wednesday. Roe, who was acquired for Jose Lopez last offseason, has a 6.41 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 for the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate.
Cardinals Sign Blaine Boyer, Ron Mahay
The Cardinals announced that they signed right-hander Blaine Boyer and left-hander Ron Mahay to minor league deals (Twitter link). Boyer pitched for the Cardinals in 2009 and though Mahay has pitched for eight teams, St. Louis is not one of them.
Both veterans have bounced around in 2011. Boyer started the season with the Mets, who released him in April. The Pirates signed Boyer soon after New York released him, then let him go in June. The Dodgers signed Mahay in February and released him the next month. By the middle of May he had already signed with Arizona and been released a second time.
Boyer, 29, has a 4.81 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in parts of seven MLB seasons. He allowed 14 hits and nine walks in eight innings for the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate earlier this season. Mahay has a 3.83 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in parts of 14 Major League seasons. The 40-year-old struggled through ten appearances with Triple-A Reno earlier this year.
Nationals Designate Collin Balester For Assignment
The Nationals announced that they designated right-hander Collin Balester for assignment to create roster space for left-hander Ross Detwiler. The move is a formality because Balester has more than three years of service time, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter links). Though the move technically vacates a spot on Washington's 40-man roster, Balester will be back on the roster later this week.
Balester, 25, has a 4.61 ERA with an 11K/8BB ratio in 13 2/3 innings this season. In parts of four years with the Nationals, he has a 5.28 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 41% ground ball rate.
Minor Moves: Cesar Valdez
Here's where we'll keep track of today's minor moves…
- The Pirates announced that they traded right-hander Cesar Valdez to the Marlins for cash or a player to be named later. It wasn't long ago that Valdez was a PTBNL himself. The D'Backs sent him to Pittsburgh in December to complete the deal that sent Zach Duke to Arizona. Valdez, who pitched 20 innings for the D'Backs last year, has spent this year at Triple-A. The 26-year-old has a 3.86 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 42 innings at Indianapolis.
Mets Notes: Capuano, Rodriguez, Reyes
The Mets are a game over .500 now, but they were 46-37 on this date last year. Here's the latest on the Mets before they take on the Dodgers in Los Angeles…
- Chris Capuano has started earning incentives, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The lefty has earned $175K in incentives on top of his $1.5MM base salary and stands to continue making bonus money as the season progresses and he logs more innings.
- Francisco Rodriguez appears to be available and some general managers believe his trade value is at a tipping point, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (on Twitter). The closer has finished 32 games and needs just 23 more games finished for his $17.5MM option to vest for 2012. Since teams don’t like that price tag for Rodriguez, they’re wary of acquiring him in a trade.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson told MLB.com's Anthony DiComo that yesterday's New York Post report about Jose Reyes was "one man's opinion." Joel Sherman reported that the Mets are unlikely to trade Reyes this summer and are leaning strongly toward authorizing a substantial offer for him after the season.
- Yesterday I compared Reyes to fellow speedster Carl Crawford, who signed for $142MM last offseason.
Trade Candidate: Jeff Keppinger
The Astros have had magical late-season surges before, but their chances of making the playoffs in 2011 are essentially non-existent. At 29-57, they have the worst record in baseball and are now open to trading players who don’t figure into their long-term plans.
Jeff Keppinger figures to draw interest this summer and GM Ed Wade will presumably consider offers for the second baseman. Keppinger is under team control through 2012, but he doesn’t appear to be a cornerstone player like Hunter Pence, Bud Norris or Jordan Lyles.
That doesn’t mean he can’t help a contender, though. Since recovering from left foot surgery and returning to Houston’s lineup at the end of May, the 31-year-old has hit .328/.346/.424 with two home runs. He has played second base this year and has big league experience around the infield and outfield.
However, Keppinger’s batting average on balls in play is a robust .331 this year, significantly higher than his career mark of .291. This suggests that his current level of production is not sustainable, though his career line of .285/.339/.393 is still respectable.
Keppinger’s $2.3MM salary makes him a more expensive option than Jeff Baker or Jamey Carroll, two other trade candidates at the position. He's still relatively cheap, though. By the time the trade deadline arrives, Keppinger will have less than $1MM remaining on his contract. Plus, he’s under team control in 2012, so an acquiring team would have flexibility for next year.
The Tigers, Giants and Cardinals are among the contenders that could consider upgrading at second base. Given the Astros’ record and Keppinger’s better-than-expected performance so far in 2011, it won’t be surprising if Wade trades his second baseman within the month.
Checking In On Baseball’s New Managers
There was an incredible amount of managerial turnover last year. Bobby Cox, Lou Piniella, Joe Torre and Cito Gaston walked away from the role on their own terms and other skippers were simply fired. Here’s a midseason look at all 12 MLB managers in their first full seasons with their current clubs:
American League
Buck Showalter’s Orioles are 36-46 and John Farrell’s Blue Jays are 42-44. The AL East is arguably baseball’s toughest division, but the O’s entered the season with high hopes after finishing strong in 2010 and signing a number of free agents.
Ned Yost has led the Royals to a 34-50 record and overseen the big league debuts for top prospects like Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas. Former Indians manager Eric Wedge has the Mariners on the fringes of contention, 2.5 games out of the AL West with a 42-43 record.
National League
The Braves have the second-best record in the NL (50-36) under new manager Fredi Gonzalez and Terry Collins has the 43-42 Mets above .500 in his first season in New York. Another NL East skipper, Edwin Rodriguez, was fired after the Marlins' record slipped to 32-39.
Ron Roenicke has the Brewers in contention with a 45-41 record, but Mike Quade of the Cubs checks in at 35-51 in his first full season in Chicago. Clint Hurdle of the Pirates (pictured) is probably the favorite to win NL Manager of the Year, since Pittsburgh is finally above .500 at 44-41.
Kirk Gibson of the Diamondbacks has Arizona in contention with a 46-40 record and has emerged as an NL Manager of the Year candidate himself. Another former big league star, Don Mattingly, has led the Dodgers to a 37-49 record.
Listing these managers’ records is an admittedly simplistic way of checking in on them. Their records are a reflection of the players on their rosters, the injuries they've dealt with and the opponents they've faced, not just their work as skippers. Photo Courtesy Icon SMI.