2018 Pirates

[thedddd]

If Meadows keeps hitting like this, just like Kingham it will be hard to send him down. Question now what should they do? Really can't bench Marte, Dickerson or Polanco, wonder if a NH finds a deal for one of them?

 

[Diamondeye]

If Meadows keeps hitting like this, just like Kingham it will be hard to send him down. Question now what should they do? Really can't bench Marte, Dickerson or Polanco, wonder if a NH finds a deal for one of them?

Dickerson would be the most likely to be moved, as the Pirates control him through only next season.

With the contract options, they have Marte and Polanco through 2021 and 2022, respectively. They're basically stealing Marte based on what he would get on the market.

However, Marte is probably the only one of the three that could bring the type of pitching in a trade the Pirates need in return.

Meadows is definitely forcing a trade, but if the Pirates remain in contention, I do not see them rolling the dice with a rookie at the expense of an established player in the middle of the season.

A trade will most likely occur over the winter.

Regarding the pitching, they need to call up Kingham indefinitely and send Nova to the bullpen.

At least the other struggling starters like Taillon and Kuhl are still young enough to get better. We know what Nova can do at this point.

 

[redskin4209]

Our bull pen did it again choking going into the later inngs with a lead.

 

[Darkstone42]

Dickerson would be the most likely to be moved, as the Pirates control him through only next season.

With the contract options, they have Marte and Polanco through 2021 and 2022, respectively. They're basically stealing Marte based on what he would get on the market.

However, Marte is probably the only one of the three that could bring the type of pitching in a trade the Pirates need in return.

Meadows is definitely forcing a trade, but if the Pirates remain in contention, I do not see them rolling the dice with a rookie at the expense of an established player in the middle of the season.

A trade will most likely occur over the winter.

Regarding the pitching, they need to call up Kingham indefinitely and send Nova to the bullpen.

At least the other struggling starters like Taillon and Kuhl are still young enough to get better. We know what Nova can do at this point.

Honestly, if they're serious about winning, going with a four-man rotation in the outfield, giving more time to players who are hot and less to those who are struggling, is the way to go.

 

[psaboy]

Honestly, if they're serious about winning, going with a four-man rotation in the outfield, giving more time to players who are hot and less to those who are struggling, is the way to go.

Doesn't matter what they do in outfield. If they don't address pitching issue doesn't matter. Bullpen is starting to really suck.

 

[redskin4209]

We did it again choking going into the later inngs with a lead. We are chokers!!!!!! that what we are.

 

[dare2be]

Like I said, can't compete with the Moneybags teams.

 

[psaboy]

Like I said, can't compete with the Moneybags teams.

Other mid market teams can, Pirates should be able too as well.

 

[Diamondeye]

Other mid market teams can, Pirates should be able too as well.

The difference is that teams like the Indians, Royals and Brewers are owned by people who are willing to sacrifice some profit margin to make a run at a world series from time to time.

Bob Nutting is 100% about maximizing his financial return on the Pirates 100% of the time.

 

[dare2be]

Other mid market teams can, Pirates should be able too as well.

Make no mistake, St Louis is not a mid market team. They are consistently one of the top third spending teams. Baseball is everything there.

 

[thedddd]

Did not pay attention to the draft this year.
Does anyone know anything about Travis Swaggerty and then the comp pick Gunnar Hogland?

 

[steelparrot]

Did not pay attention to the draft this year.
Does anyone know anything about Travis Swaggerty and then the comp pick Gunnar Hogland?

Swaggerty has a hot sister and should stay in CF, 20/20 type player.

The other 2 were projectable HS pitchers.

MLB.com 2018 Prospect Watch

numbers 11 66 and 64 on that list.

 

[psaboy]

Make no mistake, St Louis is not a mid market team. They are consistently one of the top third spending teams. Baseball is everything there.

I disagree. I classifying mid market by city and metro size. St. Louis is slightly bigger than Pit, but not by a lot. So, why can't Pirates spend as much as the Cards? Likely comes down to ownership. How does St. Louis have more money to spend on players?

 

[dare2be]

I disagree. I classifying mid market by city and metro size. St. Louis is slightly bigger than Pit, but not by a lot. So, why can't Pirates spend as much as the Cards? Likely comes down to ownership. How does St. Louis have more money to spend on players?

Totally wrong. Miami is a huge metro size, but doesn't have the fanbase from which to spend from. I would consider the Steelers a large market team compared to the Pirates, in the same size city. Baseball is king in St. Louis, football is king in Pittsburgh.

Market is more about popularity and less about population.

 

[Darkstone42]

I disagree. I classifying mid market by city and metro size. St. Louis is slightly bigger than Pit, but not by a lot. So, why can't Pirates spend as much as the Cards? Likely comes down to ownership. How does St. Louis have more money to spend on players?

Totally wrong. Miami is a huge metro size, but doesn't have the fanbase from which to spend from. I would consider the Steelers a large market team compared to the Pirates, in the same size city. Baseball is king in St. Louis, football is king in Pittsburgh.

Market is more about popularity and less about population.

When the Pirates are good, they still struggle to sell tickets. The number of people doesn't decide the market size; the number of customers does. St. Louis has far more customers than Pittsburgh.

 

[Darkstone42]

Did not pay attention to the draft this year.
Does anyone know anything about Travis Swaggerty and then the comp pick Gunnar Hogland?

Swaggerty has a hot sister and should stay in CF, 20/20 type player.

The other 2 were projectable HS pitchers.

MLB.com 2018 Prospect Watch

numbers 11 66 and 64 on that list.

I did follow the draft very closely, so over lunch today, I'll make a thread about it. But Swaggerty hits for big average, a little pop, and has great wheels. He's a very good all-around defender in CF: reads, routes, wheels, arm, and instinct. Four/fringe 5-tool prospect, with the carrying tool probably the speed. Could add some power, but probably won't be much more than a 15-20-HR guy. I think his ceiling is Andy Van Slyke, but he's a safe bet to be a positive contributor at the Major League level.

Gunnar Hoglund has a great name for a pitcher. Braxton Ashcraft has a great name in general. Both have big arms, but limited secondary stuff. Ashcraft is also a tremendous all-around athlete.

 

[psaboy]

Totally wrong. Miami is a huge metro size, but doesn't have the fanbase from which to spend from. I would consider the Steelers a large market team compared to the Pirates, in the same size city. Baseball is king in St. Louis, football is king in Pittsburgh.

Market is more about popularity and less about population.

But your initial point was money spent. Some why does STL have or spend more $$ than PIT? Guess if most revenue come from gate sales and stuff at stadiim, that I can see, not sure what TC

When the Pirates are good, they still struggle to sell tickets. The number of people doesn't decide the market size; the number of customers does. St. Louis has far more customers than Pittsburgh.

Yep, the fan base drives revenue more than TV fees do. Forgot that originally, MLB doesn't have revenue sharing, think they should.

 

[SteelersPride]

goooooooo buccarooos

 

[Darkstone42]

But your initial point was money spent. Some why does STL have or spend more $$ than PIT? Guess if most revenue come from gate sales and stuff at stadiim, that I can see, not sure what TC


Yep, the fan base drives revenue more than TV fees do. Forgot that originally, MLB doesn't have revenue sharing, think they should.

The TV deal is also important, and the Pirates have a terrible one. So they can't generate revenue at the gate or on the tube, hence their position.

 

[Diamondeye]

They're finally looking like the team they were projected to be coming into the season. Just terrible.

The most frustrating part is that some of the few players who were expected to be good, such as Bell, Taillon and Vazquez, have probably been their most disappointing.

The poor performance from Bell and Taillon is particularly troublesome, as they were supposed to be the cornerstones they were going to build around.

There may not even be a foundation to move forward with.