Pirates Rumors

Quick Hits: McCourt, Maholm, Mariners, Axford

By Mark Polishuk | October 13, 2011 at 10:50pm CDT

Another night, another pair of exciting LCS games. The Tigers succeeded in stretching the ALCS to a sixth game while the Brewers evened the NLCS at 2-2 with the Cardinals.

Here's the latest from around the majors….

Frank McCourt's decision to take the Dodgers into bankruptcy means he could become the rare pro sports owner to sell his team and have no profits to show for it, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
The Pirates haven't yet declined Paul Maholm's $9.75MM option for 2012 yet, and MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch explains that the Bucs are trying to find a trade partner who "A) thinks $9.75 million is a fair cost for Maholm and B) doesn’t want to take the risk of letting Maholm go into the free agent market."
Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times examines the Mariners' franchise value and how it may impact the club's payroll in the coming seasons.
The Mariners erred not once, not twice, but thrice in not keeping Ramon Santiago, writes Larry Larue of the Tacoma News Tribune.
John Axford was released without fanfare by the Yankees after the 2007 season, long before Axford rose to prominence as the Brewers' closer. Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal looks back at the circumstances behind Axford's release.
The Giants won't be able to afford the likes of Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, Jose Reyes or C.C. Sabathia this winter, but MLB.com's Chris Haft believes the club "will make a genuine offer to re-sign Carlos Beltran." Beltran, for his part, said last month that he was open to returning to San Francisco if the team added more offense to the lineup.
The week's minor league transactions are compiled by Baseball America's Matt Eddy.
Diamondbacks CEO and president Derrick Hall predicts a "relatively quiet offseason" for his team since most of the major pieces are already in place. Hall also discusses Aaron Hill, Willie Bloomquist and several other topics in his monthly chat with fans on MLB.com.
Baseball America's Jim Callis profiles Sean Buckley, the Reds' sixth-round pick in the June amateur draft and the son of Chris Buckley, Cincinnati's senior director of amateur scouting.
A multiyear extension for Jacoby Ellsbury, moving Daniel Bard to the starting rotation and a possible run at Jose Reyes are a few of the suggestions made by Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston that would help the Red Sox put their catastrophic month behind them and focus on returning to the playoffs next year.
Writing for Baseball Prospectus, Rany Jazayerli breaks down how just a year of age difference between teenage prospects reveals huge differences in projected production. "At least when it comes to high school hitters, young draft picks are a MASSIVE market inefficiency," Jazayerli writes.

Pirates Haven’t Ruled Out Exercising Maholm’s Option

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 12, 2011 at 5:33pm CDT

5:33PM: Pirates GM Neal Huntington still has not entirely ruled out exercising Maholm's option, writes MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The Bucs do not plan on paying Paul Maholm $9.75MM in 2012, but keeping the option in play leaves the door open to using the pitcher in a trade.

There is a limited window on the matter as teams typically have until five days after the conclusion of the World Series to officially decline or exercise club options.

3:05PM: The Pirates have decided to decline their 2012 option for Paul Maholm, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 29-year-old left-hander would have cost $9.75MM in 2012, but Pittsburgh will opt for a $750K buyout instead.

Maholm told Biertempfel that he isn't discussing a deal with the Pirates now, but hasn't ruled anything out. The seven-year veteran says he wants to "see what's out there" in free agency and adds that he'll do what's best for his family.

Maholm posted a 3.66 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 162 2/3 innings in 2011. His numbers improved, but he missed the final six weeks of the season with a strained left shoulder. Draft pick compensation won't be an issue, since Maholm is an unranked free agent, according to our rankings.

Central Notes: Ventura, Ordonez, Sizemore, Epstein

By Tim Dierkes | October 10, 2011 at 3:09pm CDT

If the Tigers win the ALCS, we could see the first all-Central World Series since St. Louis topped Detroit five years ago. Today's AL and NL Central links…

The White Sox announced they'll introduce new manager Robin Ventura tomorrow at an 11am central time press conference. ESPNChicago's Doug Padilla reported today that Mark Parent will come aboard as Ventura's bench coach and Joe McEwing will serve as the third base coach. Jeff Manto is ahead of Tim Laker in terms of hitting coach candidates, Padilla reports.
The Tigers' Magglio Ordonez re-fractured his ankle Saturday, reported MLB.com's Jason Beck. The right fielder will see specialists after returning to Detroit, tweets Tom Gage of the Detroit News. Ordonez, 38 in January, is eligible for free agency this winter.
"It seems highly unlikely" that the Indians will exercise their $8.5MM club option on center fielder Grady Sizemore, opines MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The Indians revealed Tuesday that Sizemore had a right knee arthroscopy but is expected to be ready for Spring Training. Should the 29-year-old reach free agency, I'd rank him around 30th on my top 50 list.
A rival executive talked to ESPN's Buster Olney on Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and the Cubs: "If he met with the Cubs, what it means is that if he gets the offer he wants, he's gone [to Chicago]." Earlier today, however, SI's Jon Heyman wrote that most baseball insiders "believe it's more likely than not [Epstein will] remain in Boston, at least for now."
Brewers reliever Francisco Rodriguez reflected on this summer's trade, telling Mike Puma of the New York Post, "I'm winning, and [the Mets] needed pretty much to get rid of me." K-Rod told Puma he holds no grudge toward the Mets.
Of the 11 Pirates players eligible for arbitration this winter, only Joel Hanrahan, Jeff Karstens, Charlie Morton, and Evan Meek are absolutely certain to be tendered contracts, writes MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. She notes that "if the Pirates do not intend to tender a contract to someone on the list, there is a good chance that player will be removed in November so that the Pirates can open up roster spots to protect players from being taken in the Rule 5 Draft." Click here for MLBTR's projected salaries for the Pirates' arbitration group.
The chances of lefty Paul Maholm returning to the Pirates next year are less than 50-50, in the opinion of Langosch. I'd say Maholm ranks toward the back end of the top ten free agent starters this winter.
Check out my offseason outlooks for the Cubs and Astros.

Rockies Rumors: Stewart, Wright, Headley, Alvarez

By Tim Dierkes | October 5, 2011 at 10:58am CDT

The Rockies pick tenth in next year's draft, a pick that will be protected if they sign a Type A free agent who turned down arbitration this offseason. The latest on the team, from Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post:

Kevin Kouzmanoff is unlikely to return to the Rockies next year. MLBTR reported yesterday that the team is in the process of outrighting the third baseman. Ian Stewart will get another shot at the third base job if he "makes baseball his first priority from the start of the winter until the end of it," GM Dan O'Dowd told Renck. The Rockies will need to make a decision on Stewart by the December 12th non-tender deadline though. Tendering him a contract probably means paying him around $2.2MM again.
Opposing executives expect O'Dowd to aggressively pursue Mets third baseman David Wright. Otherwise Renck expects the Rockies to cast a wide net, including the Padres' Chase Headley and the Pirates' Pedro Alvarez but not free agent Aramis Ramirez. I have a hard time imagining the Padres sending Headley to their division rival; the two teams haven't matched up for an offseason trade since the Rockies' inaugural season.
The Rockies are looking to trade Ty Wigginton even it means eating some of the $4.5MM owed to him.
Renck reiterates that the Rockies seek an innings eater this offseason.

NL Central Notes: Astros, Lee, Reds

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 4, 2011 at 3:55pm CDT

The NL Central's two playoff representatives both play tonight. The Cardinals host the Phillies in St. Louis and the Brewers could eliminate the D'Backs in Phoenix. Here's the latest on the division's non-playoff teams as we await today's games…

Prospective Astros owner Jim Crane hasn’t received a formal proposal from MLB regarding compensation for a possible move to the American League, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle. However, Crane has had increased dialogue about a possible league change.
The Pirates will make a run at re-signing Derrek Lee, according to MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch. Lee didn’t reveal much about his 2012 plans during the season and has maintained that he’s keeping his options open, even retirement.
The Pirates announced that their entire coaching staff will return in 2012.
The Reds haven't discussed possible extensions with Francisco Cordero or Brandon Phillips since the season ended last week, GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The GM hopes to resume talks next week with Cordero, who will likely agree to a two-year deal, and Phillips, who won't be giving the Reds a hometown discount.
MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes previewed the Cubs’ class of arbitration eligible players this morning.

Pirates Notes: Huntington, Cole, Coaches

By Zachary Links | October 2, 2011 at 8:57am CDT

The Pirates were unable to use their momentum to propel them into the playoffs this year but things are looking bright in Pittsburgh. Here are a few items on the Bucs..

Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington says that he didn't do a great job with the free agents he signed last winter, writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Bucs lost Kevin Correia to injury in mid-August while Lyle Overbay and Matt Diaz were unable to get on track this year.
Even though Huntington was tough on himself for his offseason signings, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gave the GM a B+ for his work this season. Brink credits Huntington for landing Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick but says that the signings of top draft picks Gerrit Cole and Josh Bell were even more significant.
All of manager Clint Hurdle's assistants will return for the 2012 season, a team source told Biertempfel. A formal announcement likely will come Monday.

22 Triple-A Players Elect Free Agency

By Mike Axisa | October 1, 2011 at 12:31pm CDT

A total of 22 players that finished the year in Triple-A elected free agency after the end of the regular season according to the transaction pages of the Pacific Coast and International Leagues. All but one of those 22 players (Matt Carson, formerly of the Rays) played in the big leagues this season. Here's the full list:

Dusty Brown (Pirates), Travis Buck (Indians), Armando Galarraga (D'Backs), Jay Gibbons (Dodgers), Edgar Gonzalez (Rockies), Steve Holm (Twins), Wil Ledezma (Blue Jays), Andy LaRoche (Athletics), Felipe Lopez (Brewers), Lastings Milledge (White Sox), Pat Misch (Mets), Pat Neshek (Padres), Mike O'Connor (Mets), Matt Palmer (Angels), Felix Pie (Orioles), Brad Snyder (Cubs), Brett Tomko (Rangers), Wyatt Toregas (Pirates), P.J. Walters (Blue Jays), Randy Williams (Red Sox), and Reggie Willits (Angels).

Pirates Notes: Doumit, Snyder, Ohlendorf

By Mark Polishuk | September 29, 2011 at 6:25pm CDT

The latest from the Bucs, who are looking to keep their streak of losing seasons from reaching 20 next year…

The Pirates are expected to decline contract options on Ryan Doumit, Chris Snyder and Paul Maholm, plus non-tender Ross Ohlendorf, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Doumit will earn a $500K buyout and says he hasn't considered renegotiating his contract in order to possibly remain in Pittsburgh.
Ohlendorf tells Biertempfel that he'd like to return next season. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes listed Ohlendorf as "on the non-tender bubble" in his recent analysis of the Buccos' arbitration-eligible players. Ohlendorf would receive just a modest raise from his $2.025MM salary in 2011, though Biertempfel believes that the Pirates can't afford paying that much to a pitcher who projects best as an extra bullpen arm.
With Doumit and Snyder possibly both gone, it could leave the catcher's job wide open for Michael McKenry. Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette talked to McKenry about how the young backstop has developed this season.

NL Central Notes: Cubs, Cordero, Pirates, Barmes

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 28, 2011 at 8:15pm CDT

The Astros are playing spoiler against a former bitter rival of theirs tonight, as they try to halt the Cardinals’ improbable playoff bid. Here are some notes from the NL Central, while the two clubs play in Houston…

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts told Cubs reporters, including Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, that he's looking to name a GM as soon as possible, but cautions that there's "no point in rushing" the process. Ricketts pointed to the Diamondbacks to remind reporters that turnarounds can happen quickly in baseball under the right circumstances.
Ricketts added that he expects GM candidates to see the four-year extension that director of player personnel Oneri Fleita obtained this summer as a positive.
It's looking like the Reds will complete a deal with Francisco Cordero instead of picking up his $12MM option for 2012 ($1MM buyout), according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter). We heard yesterday that Reds GM Walt Jocketty is optimistic about working out a deal with his closer. For the latest on Cordero and other MLB closers, check out CloserNews.com.
Ryan Doumit told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he thinks his chances of returning to Pittsburgh in 2012 are "slim" (Twitter link). The Pirates hold a $7.25MM option ($500K buyout) for the backstop next year.
Clint Barmes told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that he would like to return to the Astros next year. However, the shortstop is open to exploring other options and he realizes that Houston’s ownership changes could affect offseason plans. Earlier in the month, I revisited the trade that sent Barmes to the Astros.

Arbitration Eligibles: Pittsburgh Pirates

By Tim Dierkes | September 28, 2011 at 9:35am CDT

The Pirates are next in our arbitration eligibles series.

First time: Evan Meek, Garrett Jones, Charlie Morton, Chris Resop, Steven Pearce, Brandon Wood
Second time: Ross Ohlendorf, Joel Hanrahan, Jeff Karstens, Jose Veras
Third time: Jason Grilli

While the Pirates have a large quantity of arbitration eligible players (11), no one projects to make even $4MM in 2012. Pearce, Wood, and Ohlendorf may be on the non-tender bubble. Pearce and Wood would barely make more than the league minimum, though Ohlendorf would likely stay around $2MM. Jones remains useful against right-handed pitching and I think that justifies a potential $2.4MM salary.

Relievers Meek, Resop, Veras, Grilli, and Hanrahan figure to be tendered contracts. Each should fall between $800K and $1.5MM, with the exception of Hanrahan, whose saves should propel him to $3.9MM. Starters Morton ($2.2MM) and Karstens ($2.8MM) will remain affordable as well.

If Meek, Jones, Morton, Resop, Hanrahan, Karstens, Veras, and Grilli are retained, the total could be around $16MM. Assuming Ronny Cedeno's option is declined, the Pirates will have around $26MM committed next year before accounting for minimum salary players. With payroll expected to rise from this year's $42MM Opening Day figure, the Bucs could have a good $20MM in 2012 flexibility.

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