GM Project 2007 - Pittsburgh Pirates

[M2]

Be the first kid in your neighborhood to pull a storied franchise out of a 15-year nosedive.

2007 record 68-94, -122 run differential

Offense

724 runs (12th NL)
.325 OB (12th NL)
.411 SLG (11th NL)
68-98 SB (12th NL)

Strengths:

2B - Freddy Sanchez (.785 OPS)

Holes:

OF
3B
Star talent in general

Pitching

4.94 ERA (14th NL)
.352 OB (15th NL)
.447 SLG (13th NL)
.676 DER (28th MLB)

Strengths:

Ian Snell (3.76 ERA, .739 OPS against)
Tom Gorzelanny (3.88 ERA, .748 OPS against)
Matt Capps (2.28 ERA, .582 OPS against, 18 saves)

Holes:

Ace Starter
Set up relief
Long relief
Non-toxic #5 starter

Advanced Prospects

Steve Pearce - 1B
Andrew McCutchen - CF
Brian Bixler - SS
Neil Walker - 3B

[TRF]

Well, the whole OF isn't a hole, just everyone not named Jason Bay. 2007 was an aberration. All he does is hit, and I have to think that he was either hurt, or pitched around soooooo much it got into his head.

[mth123]

This is a difficult puzzle but a full rebuild is needed. Its possible that both Zach Duke and Paul Malholm are in the lump taking phase of their careers and could step forward and give the Pirates a decent rotation with Snell and Gorzellany. Matt Capps and Damaso Marte are the start of a decent pen and Josh Sharpless looks like he can help. Romulo Sanchez is a hard thower that showed signs of starting to get it in AA, threw 18 unimpressive innings in the majors and may be worth a longer look. John Grabow is a decent cheap filler LH. They need more power arms. Pearce, Bixler, Walker and McCutcheon are 4 pretty good position prospects on the horizon. I think they should go with that group along with Sanchez and Bay. If Pearce can play in the OF, I keep Laroche and Phelps at 1B and to help with run production for now.

The big problem is that the guys that they can realistically trade aren't worth much. The guys to try and unload at this point are Matt Morris, Xavier Nady, Jose Bautista, Jack Wilson, Solomon Torres and maybe Marte. They can also deal from the myriad of CF types. Nate McClouth put up an .810 OPS in 2007 and may be worth something. Chris Duffy and Nyjer Morgan are probably 5th OF types. This team needs to gamble with kids and reclamation projects at this point and should focus on acquiring pitchers who have stuff and miss bats to be used in the pen and the to start if possible. This might be a good place for a guy like Elijah Dukes to try and restart his career.

Some thoughts (illustrations of the types of deals):

McClouth to the Marlins who could use him in CF for a guy like Logan Kensing. Kensing is a RH reliever who is coming back from TJ Surgery. He hits mid 90s on his fastball.

In a deal of failed prospects John Van Benschotten to Tampa Bay for Elijah Dukes. Throw in Bryan Bullington if you have to.

Wilson needs to go anywhere that they can deal him. Maybe the Cardinals would be interested with Eckstein a FA and Renteria no longer an option. The The Cardinals have lacked starting pitching maybe they'd take Matt Morris too. Maybe the Pirates send both along with some serious cash to St. Louis for Anthony Reyes. The word is that Reyes has his own ideas, resists Duncan's teachings and that the Cards have soured on him. If the Cardinals send Rolen off for young pitching they may want Bautista as well instead of some of that cash.

Send Nady to Minnesota for a young pitcher. Not sure if he'd net Slowey so maybe the better route would be to go for a couple guys with question marks. Glen Perkins (shoulder injury in 2007) and Anthony Swarzak (Drug Suspension).

Not sure that these deals would all really go. Reyes may be able to fetch more and the Twins may aim higher for offense, keep the questionable pitchers and trade a better guy for a bigger bat, but the apporach of clearing out middling major leaguers and getting high ceiling guys is needed and I think the trade bait is so mediocre that guys with flaws (injury or character questions) may be the best approach. Get numbers and hope a few work out.

They wouldn't all be ready at once but eventually you'd have this collection and could probably deal Bay or Laroche for more talent if the theoretical Dukes would work out in say RF. Pearce would play LF or 1B depending on which is dealt.

McCutcheon CF
F. Sanchez 2B
Bay LF
Laroche/Phelps 1B
Pearce RF
Walker 3B
Paulino C
Bixler SS

Doumit C/1B
Dukes OF
Castillo IF

Starter Pool
Snell
Gorzellany
Dukes
Malholm
Reyes
Perkins
Swarzak

Relief Pool
Capps
Marte
Grabow
Kensing
R. Sanchez
Sharpless
Osoria

[M2]

mth, I totally agree about dealing away Jack Wilson. He just had his career year and it wasn't such great shakes. Deal him now.

[jmcclain19]

This came up in a search for something else - but defintely made me think. I know none of us are Pirates fans, but just how would you fix that franchise?

I'm thinking after looking at that roster - who would net anything of value in a trade? Bay is at his lowest value for sure, not a smart time to trade. Other than that it's all pyrite.

Perhaps Huntington did right by doing little. I'd promote Walker, make him play 3B everyday, give Jack Wilson away for whatever player with a pulse I could, sign Kyle Lohse to be my fifth starter to at least give me innings, and hope that McCutchen, Pearce, Nady and Bay can make up something resembling a major league OF until Bay is shined up nice enough to spin off into more usable pieces. Bay and Maholm might net something interesting anyway.

[PuffyPig]

Originally Posted by TRF

Well, the whole OF isn't a hole, just everyone not named Jason Bay. 2007 was an aberration. All he does is hit, and I have to think that he was either hurt, or pitched around soooooo much it got into his head.

Or he was off the juice????

[TRF]

Originally Posted by PuffyPig

Or he was off the juice????

So is that the excuse for every player that has a down year. Gotta say, no offense intended, but I'm pretty damn sick of it. The Mitchell report did nothing but raise the ire of fans and question an era we ALL know has at least an unofficial asterisk by it. All Selig really needed to do was increase the penalties, increase the testing and move on. Now it seems if anyone slumps, it's because they were juicing. Hasn't the testing been going on for a while now? Bay was certainly being tested in 2005 and 2006 when he was a .900+ OPS beast. Would being off the juice cause a 70 point drop in his OBP?

Maybe it's just me, but I'm tired of the whole post steroid fallout that comes with a good or bad year. Bay is an outstanding talent, the kind you build an offense around.

[pedro]

Originally Posted by TRF

So is that the excuse for every player that has a down year. Gotta say, no offense intended, but I'm pretty damn sick of it. The Mitchell report did nothing but raise the ire of fans and question an era we ALL know has at least an unofficial asterisk by it. All Selig really needed to do was increase the penalties, increase the testing and move on. Now it seems if anyone slumps, it's because they were juicing. Hasn't the testing been going on for a while now? Bay was certainly being tested in 2005 and 2006 when he was a .900+ OPS beast. Would being off the juice cause a 70 point drop in his OBP?

Maybe it's just me, but I'm tired of the whole post steroid fallout that comes with a good or bad year. Bay is an outstanding talent, the kind you build an offense around.

I agree whole heartedly TRF.

[*BaseClogger*]

Originally Posted by jmcclain19

sign Kyle Lohse to be my fifth starter to at least give me innings

I don't see how this helps at all, unless your intentions are to get him on a one year deal and trade him at the deadline for another Matt Maloney...

[pedro]

Originally Posted by *BaseClogger*

I don't see how this helps at all, unless your intentions are to get him on a one year deal and trade him at the deadline for another Matt Maloney...

draft picks when he's a free agent again.

[*BaseClogger*]

Originally Posted by pedro

draft picks when he's a free agent again.

for millions of dollars? I don't follow your logic... they are more likely to find something by leaving the #5 spot as open tryouts than hitting with that draft pick...

The first thing I would do with the Pirates: Find AB's for Ryan Doumit... I would love if the Reds could find an opening for Ryan Doumit...

[pedro]

Originally Posted by *BaseClogger*

for millions of dollars? I don't follow your logic... they are more likely to find something by leaving the #5 spot as open tryouts than hitting with that draft pick...

The first thing I would do with the Pirates: Find AB's for Ryan Doumit... I would love if the Reds could find an opening for Ryan Doumit...

I'm not necessarily saying that they should sign lohse but they would do well to spend a little money on some one year FA contracts and load up on draft picks as their system sucks so bad.

everyone is so uptight about budget stuff on RZ. There is a value to a roughly league average starter, even if you aren't going to go to the playoffs. If they don't use that money to try and leverage it for future draft picks or as trading chips what exactly are they going to use it on? Kiełbasa?

[M2]

Originally Posted by *BaseClogger*

I would love if the Reds could find an opening for Ryan Doumit...

How about starting catcher?

[*BaseClogger*]

Originally Posted by pedro

I'm not necessarily saying that they should sign lohse but they would do well to spend a little money on some one year FA contracts and load up on draft picks as their system sucks so bad.

everyone is so uptight about budget stuff on RZ. There is a value to a roughly league average starter, even if you aren't going to go to the playoffs. If they don't use that money to try and leverage it for future draft picks or as trading chips what exactly are they going to use it on? Kiełbasa?

I'm basing that off an assumption that money can be saved to go over budget in future seasons... is that off-base?

[pedro]

Originally Posted by *BaseClogger*

I'm basing that off an assumption that money can be saved to go over budget in future seasons... is that off-base?

Not necessarily but they do have to make some improvements somewhere in the short term or it'll hard to attract FA's to Pittsburgh when "the future" arrives. Good FA's usually don't like to sign with teams that have no hope.