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Pirates Rumors: Wilson, Sanchez, LaRoche

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More Pirates stuff courtesy of Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

  • Shortstop Jack Wilson played very little since breaking a finger on August 31st, but he wanted a plate appearance in front of the die-hard season ticket crowd yesterday at the team’s final home game.  Wilson received a standing ovation, with fans knowing his Pirates career may end with a trade this winter.  Kovacevic says Wilson is a "highly likely trade target," while GM Neal Huntington insists he is not trying to trade his shortstop.  He will definitely listen though.
  • Kovacevic adds Freddy Sanchez as a trade candidate, but feels Adam LaRoche will stay put.  If the Bucs move both middle infielders, they could have a $30MM payroll in ’09.

The Adam LaRoche Situation

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Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche will be arbitration-eligible for the final time this winter, and can expect to earn $7MM or so in 2009.

LaRoche has not been bad with the Pirates – .272/.345/.458 in ’07, .269/.340/.480 this year.  The problem: he was useless in April both years, continuing a career trend.  His lines look much better without April included – .296/.361/.492 in ’07 and .291/.358/.535 this year.  That is the kind of production the Pirates expected when they traded Mike Gonzalez for him in January of ’07.

Clearly LaRoche has value, so non-tendering him is out of the question.  In April of this year, the Pirates reached a possibly insurmountable impasse in multiyear extension talks with LaRoche.  With the Pirates in a clear rebuilding phase, trading him this winter makes sense.  Teams that could be in the market for a first baseman: the Yankees, Indians, Angels, A’s, Mariners, and Giants.  LaRoche could be Plan B for GMs not willing to pony up the young players needed to acquire Prince Fielder or Ryan Howard.  Still, the Pirates do not have payroll problems and will not trade LaRoche just to unload salary.

Odds and Ends: Lane, K-Rod, Adam LaRoche

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Random linkage…

Odds and Ends: Alfonzo, Hill, Kline, Reitsma

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Time for a link roundup.

Pirates Rumors: LaRoche, Duffy

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Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the latest Pirates hot stove buzz.

  • The Pirates and Adam LaRoche have reached an impasse in extension talks.  LaRoche is set to reach free agency after the ’09 season; his free agency years have to be worth $10MM each.  Kovacevic notes that the Pirates might be permanently done trying to sign LaRoche.
  • Kovacevic reports "no recent movement" on a Matt Capps extension.  Last time we checked, talks with Capps inexplicably fizzled after Manny Corpas signed a team-friendly deal with Colorado.
  • Capps probably isn’t going anywhere, but LaRoche certainly could be traded. The presence of Major League-ready Steve Pearce may not be a factor since Pearce became a full-time outfielder this spring.  Pearce is more likely to push Xavier Nady. 
  • In case you missed it, Kovacevic named his five Pirates most likely to be traded back on March 30th.
  • Center fielder Chris Duffy didn’t make that list, but the Braves are still interested in him.  He had surgery on his rotator cuff in August of last year and may be game-ready by month’s end.

Blocked Prospects: Brent Lillibridge

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One of the key components of the Adam LaRoche to Pittsburgh deal in early 2007 was shortstop Brent Lillibridge, who came over to the Braves along with Mike Gonzalez. Lillibridge, who had a decent shot of making the Braves as a utility player this spring, was one of the team’s final cuts and will start the year in Richmond.

Lillibridge’s instincts have always drawn raves and he’s matured quickly. Many would argue he’s Major League ready now. But for the foreseeable future he’s blocked by Yunel Escobar, himself a newly appointed starter. Lillibridge managed a .400 OBP during two Class-A stops in 2006. In 2007 he hit 10 homers in 87 games at Triple-A Richmond and projects as a 15-20 HR guy in the bigs. He’s got good, but not blazing speed. Yet in 309 minor league games he’s swiped 105 bases, including 28 with an 85% success rate in Richmond. It’s the instincts, man.

However, with Escobar’s fantastic close to the 2007 season there was little doubt who the Braves starting shortstop would be going into 2008. Lillibridge had a shot to make the team as a utility player, and in early March was even given a surprise start at third by manager Bobby Cox despite not having played the position since the 2004 Cape Cod summer league. "He can play, man," said Cox after the game when questioned about the move. Lillibridge also saw time at second and in center (where he spent two seasons in college) during the spring.

The reason he didn’t head north with the team this year was partly because he hit just .224 this spring (and led the team with 18 whiffs), but also because the team would like to get him regular at bats, something that wouldn’t happen if he’d made the team as a bench player. At the very least a late season callup seems in order, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he’d get some starts in center should Mark Kotsay’s back flare up.

You get the feeling Cox would like to find a place for Lillibridge. His name often surfaces in trade talks, but that probably has more to do with other GMs coveting him than any willingness to deal on the part of the Braves. Still, it’s fun to think about what an "intangibles" kind of player like Lillibridge might fetch. He could end up being a key piece to the Braves getting a top player for the stretch run.

Aaron Shinsano writes for East Windup Chronicle.

Blocked Prospects: Steve Pearce

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During 2007 Pirates prospect Steve Pearce hit a combined .333 with 31 home runs, 40 doubles, 113 RBI, and a .622 slugging percentage. The soon-to-be 25 year-old was named both Offensive Player of the Year by MiLB.com and the Topps Minor League Player of the Year. He ranks #43 on Kevin Goldstein’s Top 100 Prospects list for 2008 and received a callup last September. Yet, as of Monday he was reportedly sweating it when the team announced several cuts.

Pearce had played first base since he was drafted, but with the Pirates looking to locking up Adam LaRoche long term the team rerouted him to the outfield. The Pirates flirted with the transition late last year, giving Pearce 10 games in right prior to his call-up. Once in Pittsburgh he started 17 games in right field and only two at first. He hit .294/.342/.397 over 68 plate appearances; his bat appears nearly Major League ready.

Jason Bay and Xavier Nady await, each simmering on the hot stove. It’s a poorly guarded secret the Pirates would love to ditch Nady, but a recent chat with the Mets didn’t go anywhere. Bay was also the subject of several trade talks during the offseason and would likely come closer to fetching the young pitching prospects GM Neal Huntington craves (his short list is unlikely to include Scott Schoeneweis).

This all puts Huntington in a fairly comfortable position. He can afford to send Pearce back to Indy to get a few more reps at the new position while he waits for the right deal. But with Pearce’s bat looking to be big league ready, how long are Pirates fans willing to wait?

Aaron Shinsano writes for East Windup Chronicle and can be contacted at eastwindupchronicle@gmail.com

Pirates Talking Long-Term With Snell, LaRoche

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According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates have reached out to Ian Snell’s agent about a long-term deal.  Snell’s salary will increase drastically in 2009 as he reaches arbitration.  For that reason, I’ve wondered whether he might be next offseason’s available young ace.  Jamie Shields’ deal could serve as a guide if the Bucs just want to buy out Snell’s three arb years from 2009-11.  Shields gave up his arb years for $13.75MM, though the last of those involves a club option.  $13-14MM (not necessarily guaranteed) seems to be the going rate for a young pitcher’s arb years, looking at Shields, Chris Young, and Matt Cain.

Additionally, the Bucs are talking to first baseman Adam LaRoche about an extension.  LaRoche is set to reach free agency after the ’09 season.  I was surprised to see that LaRoche’s career numbers aren’t much different from Justin Morneau’s (granted Morneau has played in the tougher league and has an MVP trophy).  Morneau recently gave up four free agent years at $14MM a pop; LaRoche should ask for at least $10MM per year for 2010 and beyond.  Looking at Morneau’s contract reminds me that he is far from a bargain. 

Finally, Kovacevic says talks with Matt Capps have "fizzled" because Manny Corpas’ deal raised the bar.  That’s odd, because Corpas has a team-friendly contract. He gets $12.25MM over his arb years, with the last of those a club option.  Then the Rockies have a club option on Corpas’ first potential year of free agency at $8MM.

Odds and Ends: Stewart, Shelton, LaRoche

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Today’s smattering of random rumors and links.  Question for you readers: how do you feel about the Odds and Ends posts in general?  Interesting?  Lame?  Do you skip them, or are they worthwhile?

Pirates Talking Extension With LaRoche

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The Pirates have first baseman Adam LaRoche under team control through the 2009 season, currently.  However, they have recently approached LaRoche about a three or four-year contract.  They could be buying out two years of free agency.

Dejan Kovacevic notes that LaRoche and the Pirates only have a week to reach an agreement or put in their figures for his ’08 salary.  They could reach an agreement for ’08 and then work out an extension that would start with ’09.

LaRoche hit .272/.345/.458 in 2007, while the average NL 1B hit .284/.365/.481.  He was above average for his position in ’06, though.  And if we cut him a break for his first month in Pittsburgh, we see that he hit .296/.361/.492 thereafter.  LaRoche turned 28 in November, so he may still be in his prime.

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