2015 Pirates

[thedddd]

To be honest I don't want Volquez back. Liriano yes and Martin for 2/3 years, if not Stewart can help the pitching staff but we will have to upgrade the offense at 1B.

Not making any deals or imagining any but a few names out there that might be available:
Samardzija at Pitcher.
Rizzo at 1B, yeah surprised the Cubs would but I guess they have a minor league 1B they like more?

 

[element1286]

Should go after a guy like Justin Masterson on a one year deal, instead of Volquez.

 

[Darkstone42]

Rizzo as a Pirate is kind of fun to think about...

 

[thecrow124]

Should go after a guy like Justin Masterson on a one year deal, instead of Volquez.

No thank you. He lost almost 4mph off of his fastball, he is either injured or about to be injured.

 

[element1286]

No thank you. He lost almost 4mph off of his fastball, he is either injured or about to be injured.

Did not know that.

 

[Darkstone42]

If Martin does depart, as someone mentioned, we'll likely need a new first baseman to make up the offense lost. Adam LaRoche is a free agent this year, and will likely command some dollars. He gets on base, hits for some power, and is just a much better hitter now than he was when he was with us before. I'm not sure we'll be able to afford him, or if the front office would even consider bringing him back after how his first stint went in the fans' eyes.

Michael Morse is also an interesting option. We could probably hide his defensive deficiency a bit at first, and he really is a pretty good hitter.

At catcher, I would consider Nick Hundley as a backup and insurance policy, as well, if Martin finds greener pastures elsewhere. Good defensive catcher, kind of what you want in a backup.

 

[thecrow124]

My personal choice for a buy low candidate is now available. Chad Billingsley pretty good K rate, decent walk rate. Probably tweak something to get a few more groundball, although his GB/FB ratio isn't horrible. I couldn't find his GB%. Will be pitching his age 29 season next year and may be looking to re-establish some value for one big payday after elbow surgery.

 

[Darkstone42]

As expected, Russell Martin has turned down the qualifying offer.

 

[element1286]

My personal choice for a buy low candidate is now available. Chad Billingsley pretty good K rate, decent walk rate. Probably tweak something to get a few more groundball, although his GB/FB ratio isn't horrible. I couldn't find his GB%. Will be pitching his age 29 season next year and may be looking to re-establish some value for one big payday after elbow surgery.

GB% is 46.3 for his career. Agreed, seems like a good candidate.

 

[element1286]

Is Tony Sanchez completely out of the equation now?

I do like the Nick Hundley suggestion. Not sure I would classify him as a backup to Stewart, who is himself a backup.

 

[Darkstone42]

Is Tony Sanchez completely out of the equation now?

I do like the Nick Hundley suggestion. Not sure I would classify him as a backup to Stewart, who is himself a backup.

They'd probably about split time, depending on who hit better, but Stewart hit a lot better than Hundley last year, at least in terms of getting on base.

If we have to replace Martin, though, replacing his glove is more important, I think, than replacing his bat.

As for Sanchez, I would love for him to step up and take the starting catcher role, but there are just so many questions surrounding his defense right now, I'm not sure that will happen.

 

[thedddd]

If Martin comes back or they sign another catcher I truly think Sanchez should start looking for a new position.

Interesting that the Rays are in talks with an NL club about dealing Hellickson. My concern if the Pirates would his pitching style work at PNC?

 

[steelparrot]

They both rejected QOs.

Martin wants a McCann type contract, I bet he gets it but not from us.

 

[Darkstone42]

They both rejected QOs.

Martin wants a McCann type contract, I bet he gets it but not from us.

Yeah, Martin's going to cash in both in dollars and term, I suspect. The teams who need catchers have some deep pockets (LA, Chicago), and will be willing to take a risk on a long, big-dollar contract to get him, I think.

 

[thedddd]

Pirates Acquire Francisco Cervelli For Justin Wilson ? MLB Trade Rumors

I think of this as more of insurance but in all honesty i see this as Martin is all but gone.

 

[steelparrot]

.350 obp .380 slugging isnt bad for a catcher

Martin is gone, we just cant compete with the big markets for free agents.

 

[element1286]

Very interesting deal, obviously Martin isn't going to be back. Cervelli is ok, but has never been a primary starter, but the defense and OBP are there, and he is in his prime.

And I'm weary of trading a lefty who has the pure stuff that Wilson has.

 

[thedddd]

Yeah for what it is worth they needed to do something like this because 4 or 5 years for Martin is way too much.

Now the focus will be on SP.

 

[thedddd]

And seeing Wilson go stinks they needed that lefty in the bullpen but with the total lack of any good catching available it will be an overpaid position.

 

[ramburgh]

I think it is time to move on from Martin and focus on other pieces. Cervelli and Stewart will be fine for a year and if they don't work out offensively, at least they provide solid defense. They are both in arby years so no need to worry about any long-term plans with them.

Time to focus on SP. My suggestion is Cole Hamels. The Phillies have a terrible mlb team (due largely to bad contracts and aging vets) and a bad minor league system. However, I don't think Hamels is one of their bad contracts, even at $24M/yr for the next 4 years.

Pirates offense is good (ranked 3-10 in most categories) and should only get better as players are in their prime (McCutchen, Walker) or hitting their prime (Marte, Harrison, Mercer). The Pirates offense was just as good (if not better) as the other playoff teams, however their SP was no where near as dominant.

Send the Phillies a Josh Bell and Hanson/Kingham type package and pay Hamels all the money he is owed.
Not only would it be great as a boost to the staff, he could also be a great teacher to Cole, Taillon, Glasnow, Kingham?. etc.

That is one piece and the other piece should be a reclamation type project starting pitcher (Hellickson/McCarthy?)

Staff becomes Hamels (24M), Cole (500K), Hellickson/McCarthy? (7M), Morton (8M), Worley (2.5M)
Lineup: Harrison (2.5M), Mercer (500K), McCutchen (10M), Walker (8.5M), Marte (1M) Alvarez (5.5M), Snider (2M), Cervelli (1.5M)
BP: Melancon (4M), Watson (2M), Hughes (1M), Holdzkom (500K), Locke (500K), Cumpton (500K), Pimentel (500K)
Bench: Stewart (1.5M), Lambo (500K), Tabata (4M), UTIL (2M), UTIL (1M)

That's about a 91.5M Payroll which is where the Pirates should be. Any of the 500K RP could be switched out for other 500K pitchers. I went with the known names for now.

The Giants SP had a WAR of 9.1 in 2014 and the Cardinals had a SP WAR of 11.3. Pirates SP had a WAR of 5.8. Hamels alone had a 6.6 WAR last year while Volquez (2.5 WAR) and Liriano (1.5 WAR) would cost about the same as Hamels ($8M? Volquez and $16M? Liriano) and still not provide an equal WAR. Dominant starting pitching is key in baseball today.

The offense is good enough and should only get better. I think Snider has figured something out and Polanco is right there also. Pedro will be fine at first. Time to play with the big boys and make a run at a legitimate, dominant number one starter and Cole Hamels fits the bill plus is locked up for 4 more years with a reasonable, almost a bargain (The FO likes bargains!) contract that fits perfectly with the current team and where they are going as McCutchen is locked up for 4 more years as well. That 4 year window is what the FO needs to focus on as there are no guarantees in the minors.