Pirates Rumors From Bucco Blog
Jake at Bucco Blog has some hot stove material, in addition to his roundup of Pirates prospects.
The Rays are looking for a shortstop, and Jake hears that they might be interested in Jack Wilson. Jake said he debunked this rumor earlier this month, but there "might be renewed interest." I don’t see it. Wilson has had a few decent years, but with over $14 million left on his contract, I see the Rays taking a cheaper route.
Jake is hearing that the Pirates "we’re not actively shopping any players" line is just a front. According to his source, the Pirates are playing this game in order to generate better trades later on, once the smoke has settled. Teams that missed out on their top targets might be more desperate to trade for, say, Jason Bay or Ian Snell later on.
If the Pirates are willing to gut the roster, would that include fielding offers for Tom Gorzelanny, Matt Capps, and Freddy Sanchez? Jake thinks, and I agree, that Gorz should be as close to untouchable as you can get. He doesn’t think the numbers indicate that Capps can continue his dominance, though his low walk rate certainly helps his case.
Honestly, if Sanchez can fetch anything decent, he needs to be dished. Yeah, he won the batting title in 2006, but he had an average year at the plate in 2007, albeit above average for a second baseman. He’ll be 30 next year, and will start getting expensive. I’d hang on to Gorz, Capps, and Snell, as they’ll all be 25 and under in 2008.
Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues.
Odds and Ends: Rolen, Silva, Capps
Here are some hot stove links to digest this evening.
- The New York Post’s Joel Sherman runs down some third base options for the Yankees. He feels that Scott Rolen, Bill Hall, Freddy Sanchez, and a few others might be reasonable options. Bernie Miklasz says there’s no indication any team is truly interested in Rolen, though Randy Youngman suggests the Angels may look at him.
- Youngman also believes the Halos have slight interest in Carlos Silva, if he can be had at less than $10MM annually. Not bloody likely.
- Jon Paul Morosi thinks the Tigers could go after the Pirates’ Damaso Marte, Salomon Torres, or even Matt Capps.
- Hat tip to Bucco Blog on the Sherman and Morosi links above. Check out Jake’s latest post, where he uncovers some interesting minor league free agents.
- Rob Biertempfel names David Riske, Doug Brocail, Shawn Camp, and Scott Linebrink as some relievers the Pirates might consider. I imagine Riske and Linebrink will be too pricey.
- Troy E. Renck believes the Rockies might inquire about Cliff Lee.
- RotoAuthority assesses the health risks within the Nationals’ rotation.
Pirates Aim To Extend Capps, Sanchez
According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the next Pirates GM will approach closer Matt Capps and second baseman Freddy Sanchez about multiyear contracts.
It certainly makes sense to lock up Capps. The 24 year-old is having a spectacular season, his first as the Bucs’ closer. He’s got a 2.04 ERA and 3.9 K/BB. Kovacevic says the plan appears to be to throw him some extra bucks in ’08 in return for a discount covering his three arbitration years. I wonder whether the Red Sox will consider a similar contract offer for Jonathan Papelbon, who has the same amount of service time.
Sanchez turns 30 in December. He’s hitting .312/.352/.454 this year in 570 ABs. Kovacevic believes the goal for him is to cover his final two years before free agency (2008-09). However it’s not out of the question that the Bucs try to tack on 2010 as well. His current $2.75MM salary will definitely increase next year through arbitration if a multiyear pact isn’t reached. I could see an offer something like two years, $10MM or three years, $18MM.