Pirates Rumors

Braves Acquire Nate McLouth

By Tim Dierkes | June 3, 2009 at 6:10pm CDT

7:19pm: Kovacevic has comments from Pirates' GM Neal Huntington on the deal:

"This may be the toughest decision we have made in my time with the organization. Nate is a quality player and person but, as we have said several times, tough decisions will need to be made as we build and sustain a championship-caliber organization. Nate has worked as hard as any player to become a starting major league Player, proving wrong anyone who may have doubted him. When we signed Nate to a long-term contract, we did so with the intent on having him remain part of our core of homegrown talent. But the quality and quantity of talent we are receiving in this trade moves us closer to our goal of building that sustainable championship-caliber club and compelled us to move a very good player and an outstanding young man."

Huntington also comments on the three prospects the Pirates acquired, and says none of them will be in Pittsburgh immediately.

6:10pm: According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Braves acquired Nate McLouth from the Pirates today. Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the Braves are sending three prospects to the Pirates for him. MLB.com's Mark Bowman names them: starters Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton and center fielder Gorkys Hernandez.

McLouth is signed through 2011 with a 2012 club option on an extension agreed to in February. This is probably not what he had in mind upon signing the deal, but the Pirates couldn't resist. Morton is big league ready, while Locke and Hernandez, also highly regarded, are further off. Andrew McCutchen will join the Bucs to replace McLouth in center field.

Pirates President On McCutchen, Draft, Sano

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 3, 2009 at 3:46pm CDT

Pirates President Frank Coonelly told fans that the Pirates plan on pursuing Miguel Angel Sano, but said they'll also be able to spend on the drraft. Here are the specifics from Coonelly's MLB.com chat:

Andrew McCutchen, who's playing well in Triple A, will likely play in the majors at some point this season.
A quote worth passing along: "Contrary to some suggestions in the media, however, we have no intention of attempting to save money in the Draft so we can apply it to one or more high profile international players."
Instead, he says the Pirates plan to acquire top talent through the draft and through international free agent signings.
Like any 16-year-old, Sano is no sure thing, if you ask Coonelly.
But since Sano's unlike most 16-year-olds, the Pirates will make him an offer.
"If Miguel decides that he has an offer that is superior to the one that we present to him, we will continue to have a strong presence in the Dominican," Coonelly said.

Record Bonus Unlikely For Miguel Angel Sano

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 2, 2009 at 9:16am CDT

Miguel Angel Sano, the 16-year-old Dominican prospect who's drawing interest from several Major League teams, isn't likely to receive a record bonus from the Pirates, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Kovacevic sees "strong indications from the team's front office" that the Pirates won't surpass the $4.25MM bonus the A's paid Michael Ynoa last year.

Instead, the Pirates believe that Sano's talent and the market for his services place his value closer to the $2-3MM given to elite prospects other than Inoa. The Pirates remains "intensely interested" in Sano, who can sign with whoever he chooses on July 2nd.

Draft Updates: M’s, Padres, Pirates, O’s

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 1, 2009 at 2:09pm CDT

Here are some updates to prepare you for the top five picks in the 2009 draft, which takes place a week from tomorrow.

The Mariners pick second and they have four of the first 51 picks. That's why the Mariners' scouting director told MLB.com's Jim Street that this is the most important draft in franchise history. That's a bold statement considering the Mariners drafted both Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez. Dustin Ackley, who the Mariners may well choose, told David Laurila of Baseball Prospectus that he doesn't care who drafts him.
The Padres are tight-lipped about what they plan to do with their third overall pick, as MLB.com's Corey Brock reports.
Pirates GM Neal Huntington identified Stephen Strasburg as the best available pitcher and Ackley as the best available hitter in Jenifer Langosch's MLB.com article. The Pirates, who pick fourth, say there's a group of quality arms available after those two players.
Baltimore's director of scouting says the O's will take the best available player in next week's draft. MLB.com's Spencer Fordin says they'll have the chance to take an elite arm with their fifth overall pick.
Lane Meyer of NoMaas.org heard that the Yankees are impressed by the depth of the left-handed pitching class in this year's draft.

Odds & Ends: Igarashi, Cubs, Cardinals

By Tim Dierkes | May 29, 2009 at 2:53pm CDT

Links for Friday…

Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker talks about hard-throwing Japanese reliever Ryota Igarashi, perhaps the top free agent from the country for the 2009-10 offseason.
I did a Q&A over at Coast to Coast Baseball.
Some doubt with the sale of the Cubs to the Ricketts family: Tribune owner Sam Zell said, "We've made it very public that the Cubs don't fit into the long-term picture of the Tribune. So if the Ricketts deal doesn't get done, I'm sure there will be other ones."
In separate articles, Dan Uggla and Octavio Dotel comment on the possibility of being traded.
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says Edgar Renteria was a good signing for the Giants, if you ignore the actual contract. Eh?
Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch discusses various third base trades the Cardinals could make.
SI's Tom Verducci likes Freddy Sanchez for the Rays. What's wrong with Willy Aybar and Ben Zobrist?
Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked to Braves GM Frank Wren about the team's need for a bat.
FanGraphs' Matthew Carruth asks: Where's Odalis Perez?

Draft Roundup: Pirates, Padres, Angels

By Tim Dierkes | May 29, 2009 at 8:59am CDT

A few draft links for Friday…

Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette talked to Pirates GM Neal Huntington and president Frank Coonelly. Huntington said signability is not "a sole driving factor," while Coonelly talked about wanting to get players signed quickly. The Pirates seem to be leaning toward pitching with the #4 pick based on comments from scouting director Greg Smith. ESPN's Keith Law predicted the Pirates will take high school infielder Bobby Borchering, Baseball America went with college righty Kyle Gibson, and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo picked Aaron Crow. Huntington said that the team's international dealings and the draft are "independent entities." In other words, they won't go cheap in the draft in order to sign Miguel Angel Sano.
Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune says the Padres are eyeing Dustin Ackley, Donovan Tate (Boras clients), high school righty Zach Wheeler, college lefty Mike Minor, and Crow at #3. BA predicted Grant Green (another Boras client), Law chose Crow, and Mayo went with Minor.
The Angels have five picks in the first 48, according to Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times. The Halos seem to be looking at prep players: Mike Trout, Everett Williams, Jiovanni Mier, and Tyler Skaggs.
Rich Lederer of Baseball Analysts has a Q&A with Baseball America's Jim Callis.
Callis talked to scouts about righties Crow and Tanner Scheppers.

Odds & Ends: DeRosa, Bruney, Cooper

By Tim Dierkes | May 28, 2009 at 8:44am CDT

Let's kick it off today with some odds and ends.

RotoAuthority discusses responding to lame trade offers in your fantasy league.
Reliever Mike MacDougal will join the Nationals tomorrow, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Who knows, he could be closing for them by next week.
Talking to Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune, Cubs GM Jim Hendry defended the Mark DeRosa trade. Here is my problem with it: it was a financially-motivated deal made by a big-market team, and did not bring back players who could help in 2009.
According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the White Sox acquired journeyman minor league infielder Anderson Machado from the Pirates for a player to be named later.
Padres exec Paul DePodesta explains the Jody Gerut for Tony Gwynn Jr. swap. DePodesta's third bullet point, money, had to be the overriding factor given Gwynn's negligible value around the league.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle sees Bobby Crosby as perhaps a more pressing trade situation for the A's than Matt Holliday.
Dr. James Andrews found no structural damage in Brian Bruney's elbow, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Given the uncertainty, though, a bullpen acquisition would still make sense.
It looks like the writing is on the wall for Astros manager Cecil Cooper. Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle lists his offenses.
Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is skeptical the Cardinals will make a big move.
Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus agrees that the Pirates are the favorite for Dominican talent Miguel Angel Sano, and says the Rays, Cubs, A's, Blue Jays, Yankees, Rangers, and Twins are also after him. It's speculated by McDaniel and elsewhere that the Pirates could budget less toward their fourth overall pick in June to compensate for Sano. John Perrotto of Inside Pittsburgh Sports says they like Kyle Gibson, Aaron Crow, Bobby Borchering, and Wil Myers. Tanner Scheppers did not give the Bucs permission to redraft him.

Edes On Francoeur, Nick Johnson, Valverde

By Tim Dierkes | May 27, 2009 at 8:10pm CDT

8:10pm: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the Red Sox-Francoeur rumor:

Talked to someone in Braves organization who sort of dismissed the Red Sox rumor. Said he hadn’t heard one thing about them having any serious interest in Francoeur or scouting him recently.

9:01am: Yahoo's Gordon Edes wrote about many different trade scenarios in his column last night.

Edes seconds Ken Rosenthal's rumor that the Red Sox have been scouting Jeff Francoeur.
The Nationals have been scouting the Mets' Triple and Double A teams, trying to figure out a possible return for Nick Johnson. Names of interest for Washington: Jon Niese, Mike Antonini, Eddie Kunz, and big leaguer Bobby Parnell. The Red Sox also had interest in Johnson, but not for the price of Michael Bowden. Back to the Mets – Joel Sherman of the New York Post has a list of available players they could consider aside from Johnson, including Jermaine Dye, Ben Francisco, Adam LaRoche, and Eric Hinske.
Edes likes the fit of Jose Valverde with the Rays, but speculates that the Astros could ask for Wade Davis in return. Six years of Davis would be a huge price to pay for a few months of Valverde plus possible draft picks. Edes also likes Mark DeRosa for Tampa Bay, but they seem well-equipped to handle Akinori Iwamura's injury with internal options.
Edes names the Phillies, Brewers, Royals, and Twins as possible suitors for Brad Penny. Edes adds that the Phillies "are already making plans for life without Brett Myers" after this season.
The shortstop market includes Jack Wilson and perhaps John McDonald, but could become more interesting for a team like Boston if the Indians make Jhonny Peralta available.

2010 Options: Pittsburgh Pirates

By Tim Dierkes | May 27, 2009 at 4:26pm CDT

Let's take a look at the 2010 options facing the Pirates.

Jack Wilson – $8.4MM club option with a $600K buyout. According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Wilson "offered to renegotiate [the option] at a lower rate in exchange for a long-term deal, but there has been no formal response." Wilson is a 31 year-old no-bat all-glove guy. It would probably make more sense for the Bucs to just unload the remaning $5.75MM he has coming.
Freddy Sanchez – $8MM club option with a $600K buyout. Vests with 635 PAs in 2009 or 600 PAs and an All-Star selection in 2009. Sanchez already has 197 PAs, and it's not inconceivable that he could represent the Pirates in the All-Star game. Barring a major injury, he's a Pirate in 2010. The whole situation has sworn the Pirates off vesting options, according to Kovacevic.

Olney On Penny, Reds, Braves

By Tim Dierkes | May 27, 2009 at 3:01pm CDT

A few rumors from ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider link):

Olney says about six teams have talked to the Red Sox about Brad Penny. Gordon Edes suggested last night that the "Phillies, Brewers, Royals and possibly the Twins look like teams that could be in play for Penny."
The Reds are looking for outfield help. Personally I'd like to see what the Laynce Nix/Jonny Gomes platoon can do over a full season.
Olney heard that "Atlanta hasn't gotten fully engaged yet" in their attempt to augment their outfield.
Olney talked to execs who like the fit of Jack Wilson in Boston.

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