"Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field?" ~ Jim Bouton
Yes, I would do that in a heartbeat. Would not have to think long about it.
My stab. Pretending that I am the Pirates in this fantasy trade. (Would still do this as the Reds, anyone that wouldn't?)
Frasier, Hamilton, Stephenson, Cingrani.
The Pirates get Frasier to immediately fill a hole on their roster, with Hamilton + Cingrani close to ready. Stephenson is a potential ace pitcher down the road.
I think if McCutchen were hypothetically available, this would be closer to the asking price. It would hurt to lose Frasier, but worth it to get an MVP quality bat in CF for a long time.
[Phil ] Castellini celebrated the team's farm system and noted the team had promising prospects who would one day be great Reds -- and then joke then they'd be ex-Reds, saying "of course we're going to lose them". #SellTheTeamBob
Nov. 13, 2007: One of the greatest days in Reds history: John Allen gets the boot!
I know nobody put a gun to McCutchen's head to sign that contract. But I'd bet promises were made that they'd try and contend, and the Pirates have made some small attempts to upgrade the past few years and atleast look competitive.
But I still feel sorry for him. He's stuck on a team that I'm sure will never contend or make the playoffs while he's fulfilling that contract. Another best player on a bad team scenario. I hate that. Same with Giancarlo Stanton. It's like being stuck in Siberia with no ticket out. Their team has no reason to trade their only and biggest drawing card, along with no reason to contend. It's one situation where I feel for the player.
It's one thing if you're an A-Rod type superstar hitting free agency and you sign with a bad team just for the money. But players under control either have to wait 5 or 6 years making the minimum and getting through arbitration to become a free agent. Or go along with getting more money now offer to protect themselves against a career ending injury and help themself out now. Basically, in terms of playing for a contender, it's out of their hands other than their performance. They can't pick to play for a contender until free agency or unless they're lucky enough to be traded to one.
Makes me wish for more parameters in mlb that created more parity. Or doing away with or relocating the poor franchises.
My next new thread will be........."What will it take to get Justin Verlander?"
Just kidding.
...the 2-2 to Woodsen and here it comes...and it is swung on and missed! And Tom Browning has pitched a perfect game! Twenty-seven outs in a row, and he is being mobbed by his teammates, just to the thirdbase side of the mound.
If this had been a topic a couple of weeks ago we could have had the Diamondbacks trade their farm system to the Pirates for "Cutch" and then we could have traded Didi for him straight up. It isn't that often a team gets a chance to have the next Jeter.
Tim McCarver: Baseball Quotes
I remember one time going out to the mound to talk with Bob Gibson. He told me to get back behind the batter, that the only thing I knew about pitching was that it was hard to hit.
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