2015 Pirates

[sychmd]

Counting Liriano(8 mill) Martin (8.5 mill) Wandy (7.5) Barmes (2) Grilli/Freiri(4 mill) Davis (3.5)

That is 33.5 million dollars coming off the payroll, assuming we trade/nontender Davis.


Considering we were about 10-15 mill under payroll because of our fail in the offseason, we should have about 30 to spend after raises.

I try to give that cash to Martin and Liriano.


On a non payroll issue, I move Harrison to 2nd and Walker to 3rd. I think Harrison has better range and this would be our optimal defensive infield imo.

agree on all,
esp the harrison/walker switch as well.
i wuoldnt even mind giving volquez 5M with incentives as we still are shallow and taillon and kingham won't be ready till at least mid season.
locke just scares me to be our regular rotation guy.
maybe locke could be a gomez replacement and show if he is consistent or not to actually be in the rotation all year.

 

[thedddd]

I know we talked in the past about the move of Harrison to 2B and Walker to 3B (where numbers show both are better than the other player at their current positions). With that said Harrison at 2B I would be fine with, Walker at 3B I am not too sure about so if one can't fill the other position well enough the change would not be worth it.

 

[thedddd]

Pirates Designate Jose Tabata For Assignment ? MLB Trade Rumors

NH is wishing big time that someone takes his contract.

 

[thecrow124]

Pirates Designate Jose Tabata For Assignment ? MLB Trade Rumors

NH is wishing big time that someone takes his contract.

It is really not obscenely bad, we just have too many better players, he will likely be a 4th OFer in Indy if he stays in our system. I do not believe any on is lining up to sign him though, so that may be exactly where he ends up.

 

[thedddd]

Oh yeah I was thinking more along the lines of NH hopes someone takes his contract off his hands so he can help use that money for Martin or a Walker extension. Then for the fact the report club house issues with him.

 

[element1286]

The injuries kill Tabata's value, someone would take a chance on him in it weren't for the injuries. He's not completely useless when healthy. He's owed 9 million too, which isn't nothing.

 

[element1286]

I know we talked in the past about the move of Harrison to 2B and Walker to 3B (where numbers show both are better than the other player at their current positions). With that said Harrison at 2B I would be fine with, Walker at 3B I am not too sure about so if one can't fill the other position well enough the change would not be worth it.

After watching Walker play 2nd this year, I'm more apt to want a change.

 

[steelparrot]

They can keep doing this to Tabata until he has X amount of service time or something?

I forgot about Volquez's 5 mill sychmd, we should have close to 40 mill to spend. No idea what their plan is though.

 

[thedddd]

After watching Walker play 2nd this year, I'm more apt to want a change.

Yeah I am just worried Walker will be pretty suspect at 3B.
If they decide on that move that Harrison goes to 2nd and plays well then Walker is brutal at 3B. Do they switch them back or more likely I just hope his bat stays so they can at least still sell high on him, unlike Alvarez.

 

[thedddd]

Monday Mop-Up Duty: Is Stewart an adequate plan B? | Bucco Blog

So unless a miracle happens that they resign Martin to a 2/3 year deal I have feeling this will come true. They will not give Martin a 4/5 year deal (and honestly not sure it would be worth it)and some team will pay him.

 

[thecrow124]

Monday Mop-Up Duty: Is Stewart an adequate plan B? | Bucco Blog

So unless a miracle happens that they resign Martin to a 2/3 year deal I have feeling this will come true. They will not give Martin a 4/5 year deal (and honestly not sure it would be worth it)and some team will pay him.

I came to grips with the fact that Martin would not be returning to the Pirates a long time ago. The only real hope we have is that we offer him the QO, and it destroys his free agent value (not likely) to the point that a 4/50-60 is all that he can get, then we would have a realistic shot.

I think the more likely scenario is that we go into spring with Sanchez and Stewart fighting it out for the catchers job. I believe that the team feels that Elias Diaz is the catcher of the future and will not give up huge dollars to a catcher that they would only want for a year or so.

I also feel that the money could be better spent, but I am positive they will not spend it the way I would because if they were, Cole Hamels would already be pitching for us.

 

[Burghfan]

I came to grips with the fact that Martin would not be returning to the Pirates a long time ago. The only real hope we have is that we offer him the QO, and it destroys his free agent value (not likely) to the point that a 4/50-60 is all that he can get, then we would have a realistic shot.

I think the more likely scenario is that we go into spring with Sanchez and Stewart fighting it out for the catchers job. I believe that the team feels that Elias Diaz is the catcher of the future and will not give up huge dollars to a catcher that they would only want for a year or so.

I also feel that the money could be better spent, but I am positive they will not spend it the way I would because if they were, Cole Hamels would already be pitching for us.

I tend to agree with you. I would love to see Martin come back, but I don't think that he will. Like you said the price would be very high and we have Diaz coming up and isn't there another kid that's looking good at catcher? I try to move Pedro to an AL team. Let him DH for someone.

 

[thecrow124]

I tend to agree with you. I would love to see Martin come back, but I don't think that he will. Like you said the price would be very high and we have Diaz coming up and isn't there another kid that's looking good at catcher? I try to move Pedro to an AL team. Let him DH for someone.

We have Diaz at AAA. After that we have Reese McGuire who is probably going to repeat West Virginia, or could go to Bradenton depending on how he looks in spring. His bat definitely needs work. McGuire's defense is probably already for the majors from everything I have seen and read.

I don't care what we do with Pedro, but I want no part of him going forward. I say if you can get anything at all for him you do it, but I said the same thing last offseason and we got stuck with him this year, so I would actually expect the same thing.

 

[thedddd]

I hear ya, Alvarez really has no place on the Pirates and they lost that chance to get any value for him.

But if they don't sign Martin and don't upgrade 1B, SP and Polanco doesn't hit I don't see this team back at 88 wins.

 

[sychmd]

keep pedro at 1B. let him platoon with tony snachez until bell is ready.
get rid of ike and gaby. they have some benefit, but no real ceiling. pedro still has a high ceiling of potential.
his fielding is great. 1 error at 3B with many great plays. 24 errors throwing. most 1B throw like crap, ave no range or both.
with a clearer head at 1B who knows what he can accomplish as a FT 1B or at least a platoon with a cheap RH mate like tony sanchez. also gets us a thrd catcher for more roster flexibility.

losing taillon for a year and cole not establishing himself as an ace has our SP a little muddied.
i think we can re-sign volquez and liriano to reasonable base contracts with incentive bonuses so both team and player share the risk and reward. they both seem to like each other, like pitt and are appreciative of the revival they were afforded, and we are a young winning team.
cole, worley, volquez, liriano, #5 (pimentel, locke, cumpton, sadler) then taillon, kingham, sampson, morton at midseason.
our BP shouldn't cost us so many games in the beginning of the year as we should have a solid group of melancon, watson, holdzom, hughes, wilson, lafombee, gomez, and whatever 5th starters don't make it.

martin, since our team is young and minimal cost over the next few years, if our high end prospects pan out, we can afford to go 3 years and 45-55 M. ideally if games played goals are reached. but he is in good physical shape and doesn't loaf. just gets nicked up being a catcher. he wasn't a catcher growing up, so has less cumulative wear and tear.

Polanco or snider continuing growth would solidify an awesome OF (marte continues health and production as the #5 hitter, not leadoff)
harrison and mercer are the key to me.
if they can continue moving forward offensively and provide sound competent defense, they are the wildcards.

the rest of the offense shouldn't fall off to much.

 

[Darkstone42]

keep pedro at 1B. let him platoon with tony snachez until bell is ready.
get rid of ike and gaby. they have some benefit, but no real ceiling. pedro still has a high ceiling of potential.
his fielding is great. 1 error at 3B with many great plays. 24 errors throwing. most 1B throw like crap, ave no range or both.
with a clearer head at 1B who knows what he can accomplish as a FT 1B or at least a platoon with a cheap RH mate like tony sanchez. also gets us a thrd catcher for more roster flexibility.

losing taillon for a year and cole not establishing himself as an ace has our SP a little muddied.
i think we can re-sign volquez and liriano to reasonable base contracts with incentive bonuses so both team and player share the risk and reward. they both seem to like each other, like pitt and are appreciative of the revival they were afforded, and we are a young winning team.
cole, worley, volquez, liriano, #5 (pimentel, locke, cumpton, sadler) then taillon, kingham, sampson, morton at midseason.
our BP shouldn't cost us so many games in the beginning of the year as we should have a solid group of melancon, watson, holdzom, hughes, wilson, lafombee, gomez, and whatever 5th starters don't make it.

martin, since our team is young and minimal cost over the next few years, if our high end prospects pan out, we can afford to go 3 years and 45-55 M. ideally if games played goals are reached. but he is in good physical shape and doesn't loaf. just gets nicked up being a catcher. he wasn't a catcher growing up, so has less cumulative wear and tear.

Polanco or snider continuing growth would solidify an awesome OF (marte continues health and production as the #5 hitter, not leadoff)
harrison and mercer are the key to me.
if they can continue moving forward offensively and provide sound competent defense, they are the wildcards.

the rest of the offense shouldn't fall off to much.

I expect Pedro to cost a lot more than he's worth, and once we sign Martin and Liriano back, I think I would rather use the leftover money on a legitimate first baseman or a middle-rotation starter than to bring back Pedro.

If he could sort out the arm, his bat plays at third (but not at first), but there's no guarantee he sorts that out, and he's going to be expensive anyway.

 

[element1286]

Pirates plan to give C Russell Martin $15.3M qualifying offer - CBSSports.com

Positive sign, IMO. At least if they do lose him, they get a draft pick, and guys with QO attached do hae their dollar value depressed which could make the Pirates offer more competitive.

 

[Darkstone42]

Pirates plan to give C Russell Martin $15.3M qualifying offer - CBSSports.com

Positive sign, IMO. At least if they do lose him, they get a draft pick, and guys with QO attached do hae their dollar value depressed which could make the Pirates offer more competitive.

Excellent news! At least the front office is putting their money where their mouth is so far with respect to Martin.

 

[sychmd]

Excellent news! At least the front office is putting their money where their mouth is so far with respect to Martin.

i agree,
would also be willing to give a QO to liriano as well.

i like the idea that it brings the bidding down as the other teams have to factor in the loss of a #1.

what draft did tendon go in. did we have the #1 that year, or was that the year we took cole or the year we took appel.

 

[thecrow124]

i agree,
would also be willing to give a QO to liriano as well.

i like the idea that it brings the bidding down as the other teams have to factor in the loss of a #1.

what draft did tendon go in. did we have the #1 that year, or was that the year we took cole or the year we took appel.

Cole....and I wanted Rendon. I still want Rendon.