Pirates Rumors

Odds and Ends: Indians, Livan, Braves, Friedman

By Tim Dierkes | August 25, 2008 at 12:20pm CDT

Let’s round up today’s random links.

The Pirates received catcher Robinzon Diaz from the Blue Jays in the Jose Bautista deal. Not too shabby, he should develop into a credible cheap backup.
Yahoo’s Gordon Edes sees Manny Ramirez playing for the Mets in ’09.
The point continues to be hammered home – the Indians intend to acquire a proven closer this winter. Brian Fuentes seems a reasonable target.
RotoAuthority takes a closer look at Cliff Lee.
Rockies manager Clint Hurdle wants to see if Livan Hernandez fits into their plans for 2009. Hernandez has allowed a remarkable 224 hits in 152 innings – a rate that will rank second in baseball history if he can reach the 162 innings needed to qualify. Even Jose Lima can’t make that claim.
J.C. Bradbury notes that the Braves’ attempts to extend star players acquired via trade have been largely unsuccessful.
Outs Per Swing chats with Rays exec Andrew Friedman.
Danny Knobler surveyed scouts about Francisco Rodriguez’s stuff.

Week in Review: 8/17 – 8/23

By Steve Adams | August 24, 2008 at 5:32pm CDT

Another week in the books, and we keep seeing big names moved after the July 31 non-waiver deadline. Let’s look back on the past week:

The Dodgers acquired Greg Maddux from the Padres for two minor league players to be named later. Nice acquisition to bolster their rotation, and does anyone want to place bets on how excited 20-year-old Clayton Kershaw is to get tips from Maddux every day for the rest of the season?
The Pirates are exploring the idea of trading Jack Wilson this offseason more and more. Given the slim free agent market for shortstops, he would likely gather a lot of interest.
Nate Robertson’s struggles this season have lost him his spot in the rotation, but have they also lost him a spot with the Tigers after 2008?
Orlando Hernandez needs surgery on his foot, and that could likely mean that El Duque’s career would be over.
Lots of speculation lately about where Ben Sheets is going to land after 2008. And while there’s no way to tell right now, Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman have stepped up and said they would like the Astros front office to go out and sign him in the offseason.
A lot of minor-league deals signed this week: Kip Wells signed with Kansas City, the Mets added Al Reyes, the Astros signed Jose Castillo, the Red Sox signed Dave Ross, and the Braves took a flyer on Rodrigo Lopez following his Tommy John surgery last year. The Jays made a trade to acquire Jose Bautista for a PTBNL as well.
The Rangers would like Milton Bradley back in 2009, and the feeling is mutual, though negotiations will wait until after the season. Similarly, Frank Thomas would prefer to stay with the A’s in 2009.
Eric Gagne, David Riske, and David Weathers all cleared waivers this week. The first two make sense to me, but given Weathers’ success this year, his affordable contract for the rest of the season, and all of the teams desperately seeking bullpen help, it seems strange that no one would place a claim on him. Here’s an updated list of all the players who have been confirmed to have cleared waivers this year.

Odds and Ends: Manny, Pavano, Gonzalez

By Sarah Green | August 23, 2008 at 2:29pm CDT

Some Saturday mid-day linkage:

Hitoki Iwase was lit up in the Olympics, possibly dropping his stock as a prospect. Iwase was one of several Japanese players being scouted by Major League clubs in Beijing.
Luis Gonzalez reminisces about his trade to the Diamondbacks ten years ago.
Manny Ramirez is not interested in talking about those old Philadelphia rumors. I’m shocked, shocked.
J.D. Drew’s back spasms are actually a herniated disk. According to Nick Cafardo, the Red Sox would love to add another outfielder, but can’t seem to lay their hands on one. No offense to Jason Lane.
He’s baaaa-aaaack: Free-agent-to-be Carl Pavano is starting tonight for the New York Yankees. Strike up the band and break out the rum punch.
Recently traded infielder Jose Bautista was at odds with Pirates manager John Russell.
Thomas Boswell talks about the possibility of Stephen Strasburg becoming a National next year.

Sarah Green writes for UmpBump and the Boston Metro and can be reached here.

Pirates May Shop Jack Wilson This Winter

By Tim Dierkes | August 22, 2008 at 10:24am CDT

Pirates GM Neal Huntington was diplomatic when asked about Jack Wilson’s future with the Pirates. But it seems pretty clear the 30 year-old shortstop will be shopped this winter.

Wilson makes a fine trade chip for the Bucs, especially given the free agent market for shortstops. Orlando Cabrera may require three or four years, and he’ll be 34 in November. Rafael Furcal wants to stay with the Dodgers. All the other free agents are question marks. Teams such as the Blue Jays, Tigers, Twins, Reds, Cardinals, and Giants may be looking for a shortstop. The Jays would probably only enter the mix for Wilson if J.P. Ricciardi is fired.

Wilson will earn $7.25MM in ’09 and may see his $8.4MM option for ’10 exercised. He can block trades to six teams. He’s hitting .279/.322/.355 this year in 288 plate appearances, down from last year but near his career marks. His defense is highly regarded.

Odds and Ends: Kazmir, Thomas, Sweeney

By Tim Dierkes | August 22, 2008 at 10:00am CDT

We’ll kick it off with a few links today and add more bullets periodically.

Cole Hamels feels that he handled his contract renewal last year immaturely.
Over at The Hardball Times, Geoff Young looks at the best compensation picks of the 20th century.
Geoff Blum’s ’09 option vests with one more plate appearance.
Bronson Arroyo has a plan to make the Reds competitive.
Matthew Cerrone explains Carlos Delgado’s ’09 option.
Jeff Passan on the Cardinals’ brilliant signing of Ryan Ludwick.
Baseball Prospectus profiles #26-50 on their list of players to build a team around.
Twins reliever Brian Bass accepted a Triple A assignment, so he won’t become a free agent.
MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo takes a preliminary look at the ’09 draft order.
Jamey Newberg wonders if the Rangers could pry Scott Kazmir loose this winter. It’s hard to see the Rays trading him.
Susan Slusser expects the A’s to add an impact bat this winter, but free agent DHs Frank Thomas and Mike Sweeney will probably be let go. In a related note, ESPN’s Buster Olney says the A’s had a chance earlier this year to acquire Jason Bay for a package including pitching prospect Vin Mazzaro.

Jays Acquire Jose Bautista

By Cork Gaines | August 21, 2008 at 2:06pm CDT

The Blue Jays have announced the acquisition of Jose Bautista from the Pirates for a player to be named later.

Bautista is making $1.8MM this season, his first of arbitration eligibility. He signed a one year deal last winter, avoiding arbitration. Bautista was hitting .242/.325/.404 in 107 games for the Pirates, very close to his career marks of .240/.328/.397. Nothing amazing, but a decent pickup for a team with some question marks in the infield next year.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Heyman’s Latest: Pie, Cole, Snell

By Tim Dierkes | August 18, 2008 at 1:57pm CDT

Here’s the latest column from SI.com’s Jon Heyman.

Cubs prospect Felix Pie has seen his value slip this year. He didn’t hit in 70 plate appearances with the big club. His Triple A OPS slipped from .973 in ’07 to .780 this year. You have to wonder if the Cubs will remove the untouchable tag this winter.
Heyman says there was never any negotiations between the Yankees and Scott Boras regarding Gerrit Cole. The Yanks would’ve offered $4MM+, but Cole preferred college (at his father’s urging).
Heyman confirms Ian Snell was available before the trade deadline. The Pirates wanted pitching prospect Franklin Morales and then some from the Rockies. Snell is on an affordable long-term contract, so maybe talks will be revisited in December.

Post-Draft Roundup: Hosmer, Smoak, Strasburg

By Tim Dierkes | August 18, 2008 at 10:30am CDT

Below I’ve collected more interesting remaining links regarding the amateur draft.

The Royals bumped their offer from $5MM to $6MM and signed top pick Eric Hosmer. Rany Jazayerli was surprised to see Hosmer effectively get more than #1 pick Tim Beckham. The Royals joined the Red Sox and Pirates as teams spending around $10MM on draft picks this year.
The Rangers resisted a Major League deal for Justin Smoak, and ultimately signed him to a $3.5MM minor league deal. Owner Tom Hicks pined for a hard slot system.
The story of pitcher Chris Gruler, picked third overall by the Reds in ’02, reminds us to temper our enthusiasm for these kids. Many will bust.
Tim Lincecum says Buster Posey can expect other minor leaguers to treat him differently because of the bonus he received.
The race is on for Stephen Strasburg, who is separating himself from the pack as the top talent in the ’09 draft. The Mariners, Padres, and Nationals all have a shot at him, with the Nats in the "lead." Would the Nats avoid Strasburg due to signability concerns?

Rosenthal’s Latest: Holliday, Fuentes, Kotsay

By Tim Dierkes | August 18, 2008 at 10:14am CDT

Ken Rosenthal posted a new Full Count video this weekend.

Rosenthal believes the Rockies are "almost certain to trade Matt Holliday this offseason." Should be a hot topic at the Winter Meetings in December. Rosenthal says to watch out for smaller-revenue sleepers on Holliday like the Nationals, Royals, and Blue Jays. Holliday, a Boras client, is set to earn $13.5MM in ’09 before he hits free agency.
Rockies closer Brian Fuentes has yet to hit the waiver wire, but he will soon. Rosenthal wonders if the Dodgers would win the claim if their record is worse than Arizona’s when Fuentes hits the wire. The Marlins, Astros, and the NL non-contenders would have to pass first. I could see the salary-shy Dodgers passing on Fuentes, but the Phillies probably wouldn’t let him get to the Mets. At any rate, a team would have to beat two draft picks to pry Fuentes loose in a trade.
Somewhat surprising new addition to our cleared waivers list – Braves center fielder Mark Kotsay. Apparently a number of teams are interested in the resurgent Kotsay, though not enough to take on his remaining salary.
The Braves nearly acquired Jason Bay in July, and will be in the market for a slugging outfielder this winter. They’ll also be looking for a quality starter, likely in the Ryan Dempster/A.J. Burnett/Jon Garland range. Click here to browse the free agent market.

Draft Reactions: Pirates Sign Pedro Alvarez

By Tim Dierkes | August 18, 2008 at 9:49am CDT

Friday night was a major victory for the Pirates’ new regime, as they signed #2 overall pick Pedro Alvarez to a reasonable $6MM minor league deal. The Pirates spent almost $9.8MM on their 32 draft picks, easily a franchise record.

Dejan Kovacevic has the negotiation details. Scott Boras called GM Neal Huntington five minutes before the deadline, and Huntington stood firm at $6MM. Alvarez verbally accepted and the Pirates quickly fired off an email to MLB headquarters.
Huntington and Boras had spoken regularly, and the calls were cordial. Kovacevic says Boras was just posturing with the $9.5MM Major League deal talk, as the Pirates ultimately got their man at their price. Boras complained about the midnight deadline creating administrative problems and eliminating negotiation.
Nationals GM Jim Bowden wouldn’t go past $3.5MM for top pick Aaron Crow, but called Alvarez a "really good signing."
Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson wasn’t impressed with the signing, as many members of the current team will be gone when Alvarez arrives.
Interesting media subplot: the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Bob Smizik took umbrage to the suggestion that local radio host Rocco DeMaro got the scoop on the Alvarez signing.

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