Pirates Rumors

Draft Updates: Pirates, Royals, Nats

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 7, 2009 at 9:34am CDT

Updates on one pick who signed and a couple who may sign soon…

ESPN.com's Keith Law reports that the Royals agreed to sign 14th rounder Crawford Simmons for a $450k bonus.
Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates should sign eighth rounder Colton Cain this morning. He could receive a bonus worth over $350k; like Simmons' deal, that would be above-slot.
Nats selection Drew Storen was the first pick to sign. He told Chico Harlan of the Washington Post that he's looking forward to playing in the big leagues, possibly as soon as this season.

Sano Age Investigation Continues

By Eddie Schmid | August 5, 2009 at 5:47pm CDT

Miguel Angel Sano, said to be the prize of the international free agent market this year, was reported to have passed Major League Baseball's age investigation recently. However, Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com is reporting that investigations into Sano's age are still ongoing, and that the Pirates are the only team who have given him a formal offer.

Mayo says that offer is now off the table, and it was reported to be much less than the Cardinals' contract given to Wagner Mateo, which was the highest bonus awarded this season. Sano's agent Rob Plummer claims he never wanted offers in the first place as the investigation was in process, while the Pirates say their offer had a deadline that expired. Still, Pirates GM Neal Huntington says he maintains interest in Sano as investigations continue, and Mayo says Sano should still receive huge offers should his age be proven.

If Sano's age is determined to be falsified, he will be denied a work visa in the United States.

Odds And Ends: Volquez, Hamilton, Pirates

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 5, 2009 at 3:56pm CDT

Time for some afternoon links…

Over at SI.com Jonah Keri looks back at a win-win trade that lost its luster. Josh Hamilton and Edinson Volquez seemed like perfect fits for their new teams just last year, but injuries have shelved both.
In his MLB.com chat, Pirates president Frank Coonelly defended the organization's choice to flip Jason Bay for prospects last summer. FanGraphs values Andy LaRoche's 2009 performance more than Bay's, believe it or not.
Coonelly says the Pirates are the only club to have offered Miguel Angel Sano "significant dollars." Don't expect Sano to sign until the investigation into his age is complete, however.
Brandon Phillips would consider playing short if the Reds want him to, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Pirates And Mariners Exchange Minor Leaguers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 4, 2009 at 4:14pm CDT

The Pirates aren't finished dealing after all. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that they traded Mike Koplove to the Mariners for shortstop Deybis Benitez. Benitez, 22, is hitting .304/.407/.304 in A ball. Koplove, a 33-year-old righty, has allowed 42 hits and 21 walks in 54.1 innings for two Triple A teams this year, striking out 50. He spent six years with the D'Backs and last appeared in the majors a couple years ago on the Indians.

Verducci On Halladay, Pirates, Extensions

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 4, 2009 at 3:36pm CDT

Tom Verducci of SI.com says the media has unfairly called the Blue Jays losers in the aftermath of the trade deadline. Verducci says the Jays should not have been expected to lower their asking price for Roy Halladay. Here are a few other notes to take a look at:

Among all players 36 and older only Raul Ibanez, Chipper Jones, Mike Cameron and Craig Counsell play the field and have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title.
Verducci says the Pirates chose "the proper philosophy" when they dealt so many players this summer. One executive says the Pirates obtained quantity, but not necessarily quality.
Clubs would rather rely on youngsters than guarantee lots of money to veteran players in multi-year deals.
The lack of extensions this year could lead to a collusion charge from the players' union.

Which Teams Shed Salary At The Deadline?

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 4, 2009 at 11:42am CDT

Yesterday we found that the Cardinals led the group of 12 teams that took on at least $1MM leading up to the trade deadline. They took on $6.6MM and were the only team to add as much as $5MM in payroll. So what about the sellers? Here's a look at the teams that traded away at least $1MM in 2009 salary this summer. Again, all totals are approximate:

The Indians trimmed $8.1MM from their payroll, trading Mark DeRosa ($2.9MM), Victor Martinez ($2MM), Cliff Lee ($2MM) and Rafael Betancourt ($1.2MM).
The Pirates shed $7.3MM in trades, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The A's saved $5MM by dealing Matt Holliday ($3.7MM) and Orlando Cabrera ($1.25MM).
The Mariners' decision to trade Jarrod Washburn saved them $3.6MM.
The Padres saved $2.8MM in the Jake Peavy deal.
The D'Backs shed $1.4MM by trading away Felipe Lopez.
The Orioles saved $1MM by trading George Sherrill.

Seven teams saved $1MM or more this deadline. The Indians, Pirates and A's saved considerably more than that this year and the Padres saved considerably more than that in the future. Surprisingly, the Nationals don't appear on this list. Their decision to trade Joe Beimel saved them $700k and they're paying Nick Johnson to play for the Marlins, so ironically, the team everyone thought would sell wasn't much of a seller.

Odds And Ends: Jays, O’s, Dodgers, Sano

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 4, 2009 at 9:47am CDT

Some links to read this morning…

Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that the Jays will need improved offense to contend next year.
The Orioles have nearly completed their rebuilding process, MLB.com's Spencer Fordin says.
Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun suggests the O's could make room for Brian Matusz by parting ways with Melvin Mora.
Diamond Leung reports that the Dodgers acquired Harvey Garcia from the Pirates for a PTBNL or cash.
The Dodgers never acquired a big-name starter, so Yahoo's Tim Brown says the team will have to win without a Manny Ramirez-esque infusion of talent this summer- unless they add a pitcher who clears waivers, of course.
What's new with Miguel Angel Sano? His agent wants to let interest develop, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Several teams are interested, including the Pirates.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Pirates, Rays

By Eddie Schmid | August 3, 2009 at 8:19pm CDT

Some links on this not-necessarily-manic Monday:

Jen Langosch at MLB.com has a nice scorecard put together of the Pirates' recent acquisitions and how they've performed so far, as well as a rundown of the players they were dealt for.
Fred Mitchell at the Chicago Tribune has an amusing piece about the lengths what MLB general managers go to keep their stress levels low this time of year.
MLB.com beat reporter Lyle Spencer answers fan questions, including why they let Roy Halladay get away.
Jim Callis at Baseball America re-ranks the Pirates' and Indians' systems after their major prospect acquisitions.
Brian Hoch at MLB.com answers Yankees fans' questions, specifically about the trade deadline and why the team was mostly inactive.
R.J. Anderson at Fangraphs re-visits the circumstances that led to the Rays obtaining Wade Townsend, who was released today.

Odds And Ends: Pirates, Bard, Padres, Rolen

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 3, 2009 at 3:03pm CDT

Odds And Ends: Rockies, Volquez, Pirates

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 3, 2009 at 11:14am CDT

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