As you've probably heard, the Pirates just traded for the talented, colorful, and sometimes troubled young man shown above, one Lastings Milledge. The 24-year-old, who was the 12th overall pick by the New York Mets in the 2003 MLB Draft, has a very high ceiling, much higher than that of departed OF Nyjer Morgan, who was the epitome of a "sell high" player if the Pirates ever had one.

But talented 24-year-olds don't just go from team to team to team in a span of three years unless there's a catch, and you can be sure that there's a big one with Milledge. You see, his behavior is, shall we say, erratic at best. For example one, let's go to old friend Wikipedia:

Prior to the 2003 amateur draft, he was expected to be among the top three selections, but as draft day approached, press reports from 2002 resurfaced regarding Milledge's expulsion from Northside Christian High School after his junior year for allegedly having sex with a minor. He subsequently transferred to Lakewood Ranch High School where he finished his education and amateur baseball career.

As a result of the incident, Milledge was passed over in the 2003 amateur draft until the Mets selected him as the twelfth overall pick in the first round. The Mets began contract negotiations with Milledge, but the talks were interrupted in early August 2003, when the Mets learned of allegations of additional sexual misconduct against Milledge during his time at Northside. That's certainly newsworthy. But wait...there's more. Fast-forward to 2007:
In May, it was reported that Milledge appeared in a rap song, "Bend Ya Knees," by Manny D, a childhood friend. The song contained the words "b***h", "ho", and "n***a". The Mets organization responded by saying, "We disapprove of the content, language and message of this recording, which does not represent the views of the New York Mets."OK, so he's proven that his judgment is not the best. But I'll be he's got some great intro music each time he comes to bat.


Make no bones about it: dealing Morgan and P Sean Burnett for Milledge and reliever Joel Hanrahan this afternoon was somewhat of a calculated risk (although USA Today is calling it a potential heist for the Pirates). But really, aren't all trades?

As previously stated, Morgan's value was peaking right now. Yes, he was a nice guy who fans enjoyed, and yes, he played solid defense; but you can't overlook the fact that A) he couldn't get on base nearly enough, and B) he's been thrown out 10 times in 28 stolen base attempts this season. Plus, he's four years older than Milledge. Burnett has had a good season by his standards, but he's very replaceable. The most interesting question I can think of regarding his departure is whether or not someone will return the favor and build a shrine to him as he did for Nate McLouth.

In Hanrahan, the Pirates pickup a flamethrower who reaches the high 90s. True, his ERA is an unsightly 7.71 this season in 32 innings, and he's a ghastly 5-for-1o in save opportunities; but his strikeout to walk ratio is an impressive 35:14. That's at least something to work with.



Pirate clubhouse reaction has been the typical, boo-hoo variety. Jack Wilson, obviously long overdue for a plane ticket out of the Burgh, had this to say:

"The bottom line is, even if this trade does work out, it's not going to matter to 80 percent of the people in here," Wilson said. "And over the years, these trades haven't worked. Show me the ones that have worked."

Wilson described himself as "beyond, beyond tired" of such moves.

"We know that they're looking to the future, which doesn't say much about 2009," he continued. "That's probably what's so shocking. We're five games out, and we lost two or three of our everyday players. That's what hits us the most. You can understand if it's the end of July. You see that stuff coming. ... They're businessmen. They're trying to achieve winning baseball in Pittsburgh. The biggest question is: When is that going to be. When do things start turning around? It's just hard for guys who have been here and seen these exact same trades happen and seen it absolutely do nothing. I've been here nine years. I've seen these trades 2 or 3 times a year every year and still haven't had a winning season. You hope, eventually, some of these trades will work out. It's just they haven't yet. They think they're getting deals they can't pass up. I guess. I guess. I guess. Whatever."

In throwing his employer down the stairs, Wilson failed to realize that many of his very teammates (Adam and Andy LaRoche, Freddy Sanchez, Delwyn Young, Brandon Moss, Jason Jaramillo, etc.) were acquired via these trades that "haven't worked". Hopefully, the next Huntington deal can include either Wilson, Ian Snell, or Adam LaRoche, three veterans who have clearly soured on the Pirate experience.

And in Washington, acting GM Mike Rizzo is telling Nats fans they just acquired "two cornerstones of the organization". Comments like that will probably ensure that Rizzo's title will never go beyond "acting".

As for the on-field product, the Pirates shut out the Cubs, 3-0, behind three hits from Freddy Sanchez and seven innings (and eight Ks) from Ross "Mr. Wonderful" Ohlendorf. Don't look now, but the last-place Buccos are only six games out of first.
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