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Nate McLouth

Odds and Ends: Yamarin, Eaton, Atkins, Ohman

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Links for Monday…

Odds And Ends: Varitek, Pedro, Sheets

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Links for Saturday morning…

  • Pedro Martinez isn’t worried that he hasn’t signed yet.
  • Jason Varitek says he’s still "exchanging offers" with the Red Sox. Scott Boras and Theo Epstein didn’t comment on the talks, which continue slowly.
  • Buster Olney takes a look at the market for Ben Sheets. He says whoever signs Sheets will get a bargain. Some GMs would be impressed if he gets $20MM over two years.
  • Nate McLouth isn’t optimistic about his chances of signing a multi-year deal with the Pirates.
  • Peter Schmuck thinks the O’s should find a way to sign Brian Roberts to a long term contract.
  • The Blue Jays fired assistant GM Bart Given.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer breaks down the Cubs’ chances of acquiring Jake Peavy now that the team’s about to change hands.
  • Richard Justice writes Randy Wolf should have accepted the Astros’ offer.

Pirates Notes: Maholm, Mientkiewicz, Alvarez

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The latest on the Pirates, from Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

  • Extension talks with Nate McLouth are dormant, but talks with Paul Maholm are not.  Maholm is arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, so he’s under team control through 2011.
  • Doug Mientkiewicz was overwhelmed by the support he’s getting from Pirates fans.
  • Scott Boras apparently told the Pirates Pedro Alvarez was working very hard to stay in shape while their negotiations dragged, but team president Frank Coonelly says Alvarez "was not in good condition" when he showed up for the Florida Instructional League in September.

Pirates Pursuing Rocco Baldelli

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Pirates rumors from the tireless Dejan Kovacevic…

  • Kovacevic says the Pirates are in pursuit of free agent outfielder Rocco Baldelli.  The Bucs are serious about him, having spoken to his agents several times.  The Reds, Phillies, Red Sox, and Yankees are considered other suitors.
  • The team’s interest in Ty Wigginton has dropped off.
  • Doug Mientkiewicz remains on the radar, but no offer has been made.
  • Nothing cooking on the Jack Wilson front; he’s likely to remain the Pirates’ shortstop.
  • The Pirates offered slightly more than the $2.6MM Daniel Cabrera signed for with the Nationals.  D-Cab wanted to remain in the area.  The Pirates may choose not to pursue any other free agent starters.
  • We knew extension talks with Nate McLouth had fizzled; turns out nothing is close with Paul Maholm either.  Pirates president Frank Coonelly described the disconnect at Ryan Doumit’s press conference.

Doumit Signs Three-Year Extension

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MONDAY, 1:12pm: Kovacevic says Doumit is guaranteed $11.5MM with a maximum value of about $27MM.  His three arb years were bought out for $10.7MM.  He has further details at his blog.

SUNDAY, 11:21pm: Dejan Kovacevic says the Doumit contract has a one-time trigger for the option on his two free agency years.  Talks with Paul Maholm are in progress, but talks with Nate McLouth broke down.

7:31pm: Crasnick has the financials: it could be worth $20MM over four years or $30MM over five years.

4:42pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick is reporting that the Pirates have reached an agreement on a three-year extension for Ryan Doumit, buying out his arbitration years.

Doumit, 27, hit .318/.357/.501 in 465 plate appearances in 2008. His .858 OPS ranks him alongside catchers such as Joe Mauer and Geovany Soto. Not bad company there.

The terms of the deal haven’t been released yet, but Crasnick says there is a club option for a fourth year as well. The Pirates will announce the deal in a press conference tomorrow.

Crasnick also says the Pirates are still working to sign Nate McLouth to an extension, but those efforts have reached a stalemate for now.

Pirates Close To Extension With Doumit, Not McLouth

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According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are close to signing catcher Ryan Doumit to an extension.  Doumit, 28, had a breakout year with a .318/.357/.501 line in 465 plate appearances. He’s arbitration-eligible for the first time.

Kovacevic learned that talks with Nate McLouth’s agent for an extension are "close to dead," according to his agent.  The two sides were never close on the dollars.  McLouth is under team control through 2011 anyway.

Pirates Rumors: McLouth, Maholm, Doumit

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WEDNESDAY, 6:22pm: Kovacevic says Doumit’s agent will meet with the Pirates later tonight to discuss their offer.  Rob Biertempfel says the Pirates did make offers to all three and want to finalize deals within six to eight weeks.

TUESDAY, 11:28pm: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette offers up the latest information on the Pirates.

  • The Pirates have initiated extension talks with Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit, and Paul Maholm.  The Braves inquired on McLouth and Maholm, but the Pirates’ demands were "way high" according to an Atlanta official.  Kovacevic mentions Jordan Schafer as someone who could be offered.
  • The Pirates had conversations with David Eckstein’s agent, but not negotiations.  The Bucs would probably have to trade a middle infielder for it to make sense.  They never made a formal offer to Mark Loretta, who signed with the Dodgers today.
  • The Jack Wilson market is tepid – the Twins have mild interest, the Dodgers have moved on to Rafael Furcal.
  • While the Pirates have gotten inquiries on John Grabow, teams apparently want to look at free agent options first.
  • John Perrotto says Jason Davis will refuse the Pirates’ Triple A assignment and head to Japan.

Braves Interested In Maholm, McLouth, Snell

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4:54pm: Dejan Kovacevic learned that the Braves asked the Pirates about Maholm and Nate McLouth.  Neither player would come cheap.

3:35pm: According to John Perrotto of the Beaver County Times, the Braves are interested in Paul Maholm and Ian Snell but wouldn’t be willing to trade Tommy Hanson.  It’s hard to see the pitching-deprived Pirates trading either starter without getting MLB-ready pitching in return.  Perrotto adds that the Nationals also have interest in Snell.

Pirates Rumors: Wilson, Millar, Bautista

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Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette checks in from Vegas with the latest Pirates rumors.

  • At some point during the Meetings, the Pirates and Tigers will meet to discuss Jack Wilson.  It has been suggested that the Tigers are backing off on Wilson; they worked out Adam Everett last week.  The Dodgers are also in the mix, with recent discussions involving the possible restructuring of Wilson’s contract.
  • Other trade candidates: John Grabow, Ronny Paulino, Freddy Sanchez, and Adam LaRoche.
  • The Pirates’ "power bat" addition could be Kevin Millar, muses Kovacevic.
  • Reliever Denny Bautista is a non-tender candidate.  We’ll add him to the list.
  • The Pirates have not yet made extension offers to Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth, or Paul Maholm.

Pirates Rumors: Wilson, Paulino, Byrd

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Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is back on the scene to get us up to speed with the latest Pirates rumors.  Let’s start with the team’s five veteran trade candidates:

  • Jack Wilson: The Tigers and Dodgers are said to be the main suitors.  The problem is that neither team wants to send the Pirates top prospects while paying all of the $7.85MM Wilson has coming.  Additionally, the Pirates do not view Dodgers shortstop prospect Chin-Lung Hu as a possible trade centerpiece.  The Bucs have spoken to at least two other clubs about Wilson, but Kovacevic rejects the previously reported three-team scenario.  It seems that some of the top free agent shortstops will need to sign to create a better market for Wilson.
  • Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche:  The Pirates have received "mere inquiries" on these two.
  • John Grabow, Ronny Paulino: Grabow is a free agent after ’09, so his trade value may never be higher.  The Pirates are apparently pushing Paulino, but don’t want to sell low on him.
  • Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth, Paul Maholm, Matt Capps: These four are described as "as close to untouchable as it gets" for the Pirates.
  • On the free agent front, the Pirates have made contact with Paul Byrd.  However, GM Neal Huntington implied he’s not finding the starting pitching bargains he expected.  The Pirates haven’t made offers to Doug Mientkiewicz or Jason Michaels; those players are considering proposals from other teams.
  • Kovacevic adds: "The Pirates also had discussed acquiring a right-handed power bat for the outfield through free agency, but there has been no known movement on that front."  Just looking at who’s out there, I imagine this could be referring to Pat Burrell.  Still, that’s entirely speculative and he’s probably out of their price range.
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