Yardbarker: Matt Morris

Vazquez out?

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:48:11 -0500

Surprising news from Dejan Kovacevic today: Ramon Vazquez thinks he might be gone from the Pirates once the regular season begins. I think it's safe to say that most of us assumed Vazquez would make the team due to his $2 M salary this year, and that the only way to avoid Vazquez taking up a bench spot would be if another team traded for him, or in the seemingly unlikely event that the Pirates released him and ate his contract. Now it seems that releasing Vazquez isn't so unlikely. It wouldn't be the first time this has happened. Kovacevic points out that the Pirates ate Matt Morris' $10 M salary in 2008, although that was after Morris put up a 9.67 ERA in his first five starts. The Pirates also signed Byung-Hyun Kim to a major league deal prior to the 2008 season, paying him a guaranteed $850,000, only to cut him at the end of Spring Training. An interesting note in the article was Huntington's response to whether he would consider a trade (sending a guy like Vazquez out): "We have to. We've got six guys, realistically, for four jobs. So, we've got to make the right decision for the organization. I wouldn't comment on any one player specifically, but we've got more people than we have jobs."The part I find interesting is the "six guys for four jobs" comment. We can assume that Huntington is talking about bench jobs, which raises the question as to who the six guys are, and what the four jobs are. I'm assuming that Jason Jaramillo is secure as the backup catcher. If the Pirates went with a five man bench, that would leave four more spots, but Huntington's comment would mean that Ryan Church and Bobby Crosby weren't guaranteed jobs (although I don't think anyone has those two as anything less than locks to make the team). The reality is that there are two spots open on a five man bench. Of course, the Pirates don't have to go with a five man bench right away. They could get creative with their rotation and go with a six man bench. The Pirates have an off-day on April 6th, which means that rather than having the 5th starter pitch on April 10th, Paul Maholm could return on five days rest. In order to avoid every other pitcher going on four days rest, they would need a spot starter on April 11th (D.J. Carrasco?). After that, the Pirates could go with a four man rotation, with every starter getting at least five days rest, until April 24th, at which point they would need a regular five man rotation. With a five man bench, the Pirates have Vazquez, Brandon Moss, Delwyn Young, John Raynor, Steve Pearce, Brandon Jones, and Neil Walker competing for two spots. That list is seven players, and Huntington said six players were competing for spots, which makes me think a guy like Walker isn't really in this competition, despite being on the 40-man roster. Pearce and Jones currently have options remaining, but Vazquez, Moss, Young, and Raynor have to make the team, or risk being lost to waivers. Even if the Pirates got creative with their 5th starter position, which essentially puts off any decision until late-April, I'm not sure I'd want Vazquez to make the team. If they had three spots open, right now I'd want Moss, Young, and Raynor, with Moss being the one on the chopping block once April 24th rolls around. If they went with a normal five man bench, I'd go with Young and Raynor, and hopefully get something in return for Moss and Vazquez.

Three years of Bob Nutting quotes

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:32:00 -0500

Reading yesterday's excellent interview with Bob Nutting in the PG and watching some of the reaction to it in various places around the internet really got me thinking about Nutting's tenure as owner of the Pirates so far. It's more or less been three years since Nutting officially took control from Kevin McClatchy as the team's primary ownership. With Nutting's propensity to make declarative statements around this time of year, I thought it would be a good time to go back and look at some of the things he's said and evaluate just how things have played out in relation to those statements so far. Let's start with Nutting's letter to the fans, which was published all over the place after he took over in January of 2007. I'll break them down FJM style, with Nutting's statements in bold and my responses underneath. I believe there is absolutely nothing more important than for our team to be able to win, not just for one year, but on a consistent basis. I am committed to providing Kevin and General Manager Dave Littlefield the greatest amount of support possible to accomplish that. Our fans deserve it, our community deserves it and I expect it. This is the first time in the letter that he outlies part of his vision for the franchise and then gives his support to McClatchy and Littlefield in pursuit of that vision. In January of 2007, the Pirates were nowhere near being able to contend on a consistent basis. In September of the same year, McClatchy and Littlefield were both gone. In order to consistently succeed on the field, it's critical that we spend our resources effectively, while continuing to build our team from within. This is the plan I firmly believe in. It is one that Dave was brought here to develop and execute, one that he and Kevin are accountable for and one that I have confidence is working. And this is the second time it happens. The Pirates as they existed in 2007 were terrible at both spending resources effectively (hello, Matt Morris!) and building from within. Nutting said that Dave and Kevin would be accountable for that, and they indeed were held accountible. I am energized about our core group of exciting, young, talented players. We have one of the youngest teams in all of baseball and now will be able to keep them together for several years. This is a statement that I suppose a lot of people would view as a broken promise on Nutting's part since his core of "exciting, young, talented players" that he said they'd be able to keep together has been almost uniformly traded. But remember that Nutting has never pretended to be involved in the day-to-day baseball operations and would have, at the time, deferred to McClatchy on this assessment. What was McClatchy supposed to tell him? "Uh, truth is boss, we're kinda boned here. I mean, we got some decent players under control 'til about 2009, but we're really going to be lucky to win 81 games even once with this group. Dunno what else to tell you." When he changed his baseball operations crew, the way the players were evaluted changed. If you're a longtime reader here, you may recall I wrote a response to Nutting. In that response, I asked for Dave Littlefield and his front office to be fired and for Nutting to spend more money on the team, if not in the on-field product than through things like player development and international scouting. Since I really have no problem with the club not raising payroll yet, I'm happy with the progress made on my requests from that day. Let's fast-forward now to August 2008. In the aftermath of the Pirates' signing of Pedro Alvarez, Bob Nutting says this: It's the single best management team in all of baseball, maybe in all of sports. And everyone, including Greg and his staff, showed that with what they just accomplished. The reason I'm mentioning this quote is because of how different it is from his comments about McClatchy and Littlefield when he took over the job the year before. Given that he stood by those comments in the interview of the weekend, I think it paints a good picture of how much trust he has in Coonelly and Huntington's vision for the team. And also that he speaks in hyperbole from time to time. Now let's jump ahead to around this time last year. With Coonelly and Huntington firmly in place, Nutting sat down with Dejan Kovacevic at Seven Springs and discussed his goals for 2009. There's no question that my expectation in 2009 is that we have a better team than we did last year. Even as we continue to build for the long-term success of the franchise, a real, championship-caliber organization that can compete on a sustainable basis, we have to have a better team in 2009 and better than what Pittsburgh has seen lately. After this, he's asked if he'd consider players making strides but the team winning fewer games as an improvement. "No. That would be a very disappointing year. As an organization, we have to continue to hold people accountable for improvement on the field at the major league level, as well as organization-wide. You saw it last year with Matt Morris. We're not going to accept an inferior performance." I think this statement inspired (or at least reaffirmed) a lot of the distrust in Nutting and it's easy to see why; the Pirates had a terrible year in 2009 and mostly everyone is right back in the same place they where when Nutting made this statement. But I also think that everyone should remember that Nutting made these statements at the freaking kickoff event to the Pirates' Caravan. What exactly is he supposed to say when asked about the team's prospects for the coming season? "Uh, to be honest there's no one on this team that we won't consider trading and we're probably not gonna win a lot of games in 2009. But you should all buy tickets because we're going to spend more money on the draft! And you'll never believe this, but we're going to trade Nyjer Morgan for Lastings Milledge and some of you guys are gonna be piiiiissed." He's the owner. He can't say that. Should he have choosen his words more carefully? Sure. But he's got to do something to get people to show up. Look, I'm not here to apologize for Bob Nutting. I want the Pirates to be a good team at least as much as the next guy and I'll admit that I'm not going to be sold on his promise to raise payroll as necessary until it happens. But he did outline his goals for this team from Day 1 (build from within to be competitive for not one year, but every year) and as far as I can see, we're making progress towards those goals. I know that some people won't see progress until the wins start coming on the field and I understand that. I also understand that until the wins do show up, nothing should be taken for granted. But I also don't see anything that Nutting's done that's contrary to what he said he'd do when he took over as the principle owner three years ago. It's possible that because the earliest stages of this sort of rebuild involves slashing payroll, Nutting's more than happy to stand behind his management team and that he'll never fund the second, more expensive part of the process that involves keeping young talent and bringing in free agents to fill gaps. But if all he were interested in was the bottom line, he'd be much better served to have a management team like the one he fired eight months into his official ownership. The money the Pirates have spent on the draft, international signings, and additional expenditures like the new Dominican Academy would be much better served signing veteran stopgaps to appease casual fans. The path the Pirates are on gambles that losing fans in the short-term will create a product that will bring them back over time. I don't think it's a risk they would be taking unless everyone from Nutting down to the assistant to Neal Huntington's assistants were committed to it.

Worst Trades of the Decade

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:25:17 -0500

Today we continue the "Decade" series with the worst trades of the decade. First, a review of what I've covered so far: Top 10 Draft Picks of the Decade Worst 10 Draft Picks of the Decade Top 10 Free Agent Moves of the Decade Worst 10 Free Agent Moves of the Decade Best Trades of the Decade Before I begin on the worst trades of the decade, I wanted to address a few things about the evaluation of trades. I touched on this yesterday, but in the end, I think the Xavier Nady trade will come out as the best deal of the decade. However, all ratings are based on right now. Potential does play in to my ratings, but I do factor in the chance that some things just won't work out as we hope. For example, if Jose Tabata flops, Ross Ohlendorf regresses, and Daniel McCutchen doesn't work out in the rotation, it would be hard to call the Nady trade number one. I don't think that chain of events will happen, but that's not a guarantee. I also can't rate a trade like that over deals that brought the Pirates years of production from Jason Bay, Freddy Sanchez, and Jack Wilson, at least not at the moment. It's for this same reason that you won't see the Jason Bay trade on this "worst" list. Well, the ultimate reason is that, despite the trade getting horrible reviews, Andy LaRoche was a 2.5 WAR player in 2009, compared to Jason Bay being a 3.5 WAR player. When you trade one year of a 3.5 WAR player for six years of a 2.5 WAR player, you don't lose the deal. That's just my opinion. Also, LaRoche's value is heavily based on his defense, while Bay takes a huge hit on defense. There's still a chance that LaRoche increases his offensive production. Bay isn't going to be increasing his defensive production. I also refrained from including trades that we don't know much about. For example, in the comments yesterday, the Gorzelanny/Grabow trade was predicted to be one of my worst deals. I don't have it on the list because there hasn't been enough time to evaluate the deal. Same with the McLouth trade, which I didn't include in my "best" list, even though I think could emerge as one of the best trades, right behind the Nady deal. I didn't include it because it is mostly based on potential right now. That said, let's get on with the trades... 5. Jason Schmidt/John Vander Wal for Ryan Vogelsong/Armando Rios, July 2001 Schmidt had a lot of potential, but never lived up to it in Pittsburgh, with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP in 799.2 innings with the Pirates. He immediately had success in San Francisco, including being a Cy Young candidate in 2003 and 2004. Vander Wal had some success in his brief stay with the Pirates, hitting for a .290/.389/.522 line with 35 homers in 697 at-bats. Vogelsong was the number five prospect with the Giants heading in to the 2001 season, projected as a number three starter. It's hard to say how much his injury factored in to his failure in the majors, but the bottom line is that the Pirates traded a talented, yet struggling, pitcher, and a productive player in Vander Wal, and in return received nothing in the long run. 4. Rajai Davis for Matt Morris, July 2007 The Giants were trying to get rid of Matt Morris and his salary, and were having a hard time doing so. Morris was in the decline of his career, with a 4.98 ERA in 2006, and a 4.35 ERA in 2007 before the trade. He was also guaranteed over $11 M after the 2008 season, plus the remainder of his $10 M 2007 contract. He's not exactly the type of guy you want to dedicate 20-25 percent of your payroll towards in the first place, but I find it hard to believe that he would have cost this much. Usually in deals like this the trading team either takes organizational depth in exchange for the acquiring team taking on the full salary, or the acquiring team gives a decent player in exchange for salary relief. The Pirates not only took on the whole salary, but gave up Rajai Davis, who is a decent bench player at worst, and could be Nyjer Morgan at best. Morris ended up bombing in 2008, and finally left the books after the 2009 season. For all the complaints about the Pirates failing to add to the 2008 offense, imagine what they could have done with an extra $11 M to spend if Morris wasn't around. 3. Kris Benson/Jeff Keppinger for Ty Wigginton/Jose Bautista/Matt Peterson, July 2004 I don't grade trades based on speculation and rumors. I also don't grade them based on theories of alternative returns in the deal. However, that's hard to do in this situation. First, there are the rumors, some confirmed, that the Phillies offered Ryan Howard for Kris Benson, and Dave Littlefield turned down the deal because he felt they had Ryan Howard in Brad Eldred. Second, there's the other trade the Mets made, sending Scott Kazmir to the Tampa Bay Rays for Victor Zambrano, who was in no way considered better than Benson at the time. Now I'm not sure if Kazmir was offered for Benson, but I do know that Benson was the better pitcher the Mets received, and I can't imagine that the Pirates couldn't have received Kazmir for Benson. This trade perfectly sums up everything that was wrong with Dave Littlefield. First, you've got trading for Ty Wigginton. Littlefield went for need over talent, going for their need at third base, rather than a better talent in Howard or Kazmir, assuming Kazmir was available. Littlefield also didn't stress a need for quantity with prospects. As we know, prospects aren't a guarantee, which means it's foolish to count on one prospect like Eldred to pan out, and pass on an equally talented prospect in Howard. This also shows the mis-management Littlefield had with prospects, giving Jeff Keppinger away in the deal, in order to recover Jose Bautista. Finally, it seems that a lot of moves Littlefield made were made to appease the fans, rather than sound baseball decisions. The decision to bring Bautista back is a prime example. Littlefield didn't care for Bautista enough to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, so why did he care enough to trade for him half a year later? Perhaps because he was widely panned for the decision to leave Bautista unprotected in the Rule 5 draft? 2. Chris Young/Jon Searles for Matt Herges, December 2002 Young was coming off a great season in which he posted a 3.11 ERA in 26 starts in low-A ball, with an 8.5 K/9, a 2.1 BB/9, and a 0.7 HR/9. Herges had a 4.04 ERA in 64.2 innings of relief in the majors with Montreal in 2002, but had a 1.64 WHIP and a 1.4 HR/9. The decision to trade for Herges wasn't horrible by itself. In hindsight the deal was poor because of what Chris Young became, although Young was traded twice before becoming the pitcher he now is. The problem was that the Pirates traded Young for Herges, then cut Herges before the season began. Herges went on to put up a 2.62 ERA in 79 innings of relief, with a 1.23 WHIP in 2003. So the Pirates essentially gave Chris Young away for nothing. 1. Aramis Ramirez/Kenny Lofton/Cash for Bobby Hill/Jose Hernandez/Matt Bruback, July 2003 This may go down as one of the worst trades in baseball history. To recap the events, the Pirates were forced to get rid of salary to comply with MLB's debt ratio. Kris Benson went down with an injury, leaving Ramirez as the only trade option. The Pirates traded him to the Cubs on July 23rd for Jose Hernandez, Matt Bruback, and a player to be named later. As if that wasn't bad enough, the Pirates also threw in Kenny Lofton, who was having a decent year batting leadoff and playing center field for the Pirates. To top it all off, the Pirates included cash in the deal, as if the Cubs needed that incentive to make this deal. Jose Hernandez was a 33 year old infielder who was a utility player at best. Prior to the 2003 season he had a career .255/.314/.429 line in 3502 at-bats, with 1053 strikeouts. Hernandez was let go after the season. Matt Bruback was a 24 year old starting pitching prospect in AAA. He never reached the majors, but that doesn't excuse the foolish decision that was made with him. When the Pirates added the player to be named later, Bobby Hill, they designated Bruback for assignment. Bruback was claimed by the San Diego Padres, thus limiting the return to Hernandez and Hill. Hill was a valued prospect, but as was often the case with Littlefield, he put all of the prospect eggs in one basket, which isn't the best strategy to take. Hill hit for a .267/.352/.337 line in 329 at-bats during his time with the Pirates. Overall, that's what the Pirates received for two and a half years of Ramirez, half a year of Kenny Lofton, and cash to cover their salaries. Half a season from Jose Hernandez, a few AAA starts from Matt Bruback, and 329 major league at-bats from Bobby Hill. Honorable Mentions Leo Nunez for Benito Santiago and cash, December 2004 Damaso Marte/Edwin Yan for Matt Guerrier, March 2002 (The Pirates traded for/received Marte in four different deals this decade. In this one they let Guerrier walk a year later.) Gary Matthews Jr for cash, December 2001 (Matthews was purchased by the Mets) Check back tomorrow for the worst moves of the decade...

Giants/Pirates Series Preview

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:01:39 -0500

The Giants are 5-14 against the Pirates over the last three seasons. The Giants have been bad over that time, but they haven't been that bad. No team has. Yet the Giants have disintegrated year after year against the Pittsburgh Pirates. What gives? Sabean: We would like Jason Schmidt, and we are prepared to offer these beans. Littlefield: Don't you mean "magic" beans? Sabean: Ha ha, no. We're saving our magic beans for a big deal. You're just giving up a pitcher with an ERA in the mid 4s. It's not like he's going to put on our uniform and become one of the best pitchers in the game for the next five years. So our offer is this: just beans. Littlefield: Are there little bits of processed pork in the beans? Sabean: Maybe. Littlefield: Deal. I've done about 4,201 of these stupid fake GM conversations in the history of this site. And about 4,197 of them were created just to mock Sabean. The exceptions always -- always -- have to do with the Pirates. Sabean: We'd better figure this out. There's only two minutes left until the trade deadline passes. We'll give you Matt Morris for Rajai Davis, and we'll send over three million dollars to help you with Morris's salary next year. Littlefield: I'm not stupid. We'll take Morris, but only if you send over two million dollars to help with his salary for next season. Sabean: My final offer is Morris with one million dollars. Littlefield: Nice try, pal. I'll take Morris on the express condition that he does not come with any financial relief. Sabean: Deal. So while I don't believe in karma, I can write with confidence that the Giants have lost five of nineteen against the Pirates because of karma. There's also that small matter of their franchise player leaving for the Giants in free agency, which started a multi-decade circling of the toilet for the Pirates. From 2029 through 2033, the Giants are going to lose five NLCS against the Pirates, and we'll wonder what we've done to deserve it. Hitter(s) to watch Saaaaaay, look at all of those infielders I'd like the Giants to trade for! For some reason, I'm convinced that Adam LaRoche will be a Giant before August starts. He's an impending free agent, there aren't a lot of contenders who need help at first, and he isn't having a good enough season to command a huge bounty. The merits of a LaRoche deal are up for debate -- neither Baseball Prospectus nor FanGraphs think LaRoche is much of an upgrade over Travis Ishikawa -- but it's such an obvious fit. I kind of have the feeling that LaRoche will be hanging around until 2011 or so. As a cheap bridge between now and Villalona, the Giants could do worse. Note that this all only makes sense if you have a disturbing lack of faith in Travis Ishikawa. Which I do. Sorry. Pitcher to watch Zach Duke is having a nice season, albeit one that might be unsustainable. I can picture someone in the Giants front office trying to temper Sabean's enthusiasm for a Duke deal by first showing a spreadsheet of how pitchers with low BABIP have regressed, then showing a series of pie charts, then making flash cards, and finishing up with a hand puppet conversation about how Duke is unlikely to maintain his success. Godspeed, gentle front-office warrior. I can only hope you're successful. For this series, though, a high-control, low-strikeout pitcher like Duke is almost guaranteed to dominate the Giants. "And ____ swings at the first pitch, and he pops it up to Jack Wilson, who comes in...." If the Giants win the first two games of the series -- no easy feat considering the recent history, mind you -- I'm putting a good chunk of change on the last one. Giants for the sweep + control pitcher = kerflooey. Prediction: Juan Uribe and Freddy Sanchez have completely different performances, which heightens/tempers the "SANCHEZ 4 SANCHEZ!!!omg" chatter.

Angels, All Stars, and What Happened?

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:32:08 -0500

While watching the All Star Game last night and not seeing a Halo getting a sniff of playing time, I wondered when was the last time that a team leading their division at the All Star break had no player play in the actual game? Here are the notes, compiled courtesy of the great human being Aaron Charlton from STATS LLC. Teams in 1st at All-Star Game But 0 Players Play in All-Star Game, All-Time Season Team # of AS Situation at Break Situation at End of Season Manager of AS 1943 NY Yankees 6 Led AL by 4.5 Won AL by 13.5 (Won WS) Joe McCarthy, NYY 1978 Cal Angels 1* Led AL West by 1.0 Lost AL West by 5.0 Billy Martin, NYY 1988 Det Tigers 2 Led AL East by 3.0 Lost AL East by 1.0 Tom Kelly, Min 1994 Cin Reds 2** Led NL Central by 2.5 Strike Ended Season Jim Fregosi, Phi 2002 StL Cardinals 1*** Led NL Central by 2.0 Won NL Central by 13.0^ Bob Brenly, Ari 2003 KC Royals 2**** Led AL Central by 7.0 Lost AL Central by 7.0 Mike Scioscia, Ana 2009 LA Angels 3 Lead AL West by 1.5 ?????????????????????? Joe Maddon, TB * Frank Tanana (P) was lone All-Star for California Angels in 1978 ** Both Barry Larkin (SS) and Jose Rijo (P) were unable to play due to injury *** Matt Morris (P) was lone All-Star for St. Louis Cardinals in 2002 **** Mike MacDougal (P) and Mike Sweeney (1B) made team. Sweeney was unable to play due to injury, MacDougal was not used by manager Mike Scioscia, LAA ^ Lost in NLCS, 4-1 to San Francisco Giants From a book called "The Midsummer Classic" I got an explanation for why none of the 6 Yankees selected to the team played in the 1943 All-Star game. One of the six Yankees was hurt (Charlie Keller - OF) and replaced by a player from Detroit. The other 5 NY players that did not get into the game were Tiny Bonham (P), Spud Chandler (P), Bill Dickey (C - made HOF), Joe Gordon (2B), and John Lindell (OF). The book says that the AL won 7 of the first 10 All-Star games and it was widely believed that the reason for the AL's dominance was the Yankees' players. In order to show that the AL as a whole was better than the NL, Manager Joe McCarthy deliberately kept the five healthy Yankee All-Stars on the bench the entire game. Bobby Doerr of the Red Sox hit a 3-run homer and the AL won 5-3. It was the first scheduled night game in All-Star game history. The two Tigers in 1988 were Doyle Alexander (P) and Alan Trammell (SS). I suspect we all know who the three Angels are in 2009 that didn't get in and why. Hunter hurt, Fuentes - warmed up but didn't get in, Figgins - came late and was an emergency replacement for Longoria.

Angels, All Stars, and What Happened?

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:32:08 -0500

Get Away Day?

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:56:56 -0500

Would you be happy with a 5-2 record on a 7 game roadie? I would be be. And I'm pretty sure the Phils would be too, because they went into PNC on Sunday and played the final game of their trip like they couldn't wait take their 5 wins and head back to Philly. Some credit must go to southpaw Paul Maholm though, who pitched a gem. The Phils managed only a Pat Burrell double and Eric Bruntlett single, both coming in the 5th inning. Burrell also smashed a liner to left that was tracked down by Jason Bay. Other than that...nothing. The ugly facts: - The team was 2-26 overall. - Mendoza Watch: Five of the eight position players that started yesterday are hitting below .220 - So Taguchi, Carlos Ruiz, Ryan Howard, Pedro Feliz, Eric Bruntlett. - Brett Myers has a worse ERA than Gavin Eaton. And how Myers-esque was it that he walks the opposing pitcher, loses focus, and gives up a dinger to the next batter -------------------------- Pirates Pay Morris To Not Pitch Subtititled: If you don't have anything good to throw, don't throw at all. Like Jason Kendall before him, Matt Morris will get paid huge dollars to NOT play for the Pirates after the Buccos determined his best contribution to the team would be to not contribute at all. At first I felt bad for Morris. He seems like a nice enough guy and getting booed off the mound to end your career is a little sad. But then I remembered the $10 mil, and I don't feel so bad anymore... The move to send $10 million home cements last seasons trade with the Giants not only as Dave Littlefield's worst, but possibly the worst in Pirates history. The release of Morris opens a spot on the roster and in the staring rotation. Maybe they can tap that great resource in San Francisco and get Barry Zito. He's a great pitcher who doesn't make too much money...

Sports Sound Off: Pirate Fever

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:16:20 -0500

The city of Pittsburgh has a lot to be proud of - the Pitt Panthers, Sidney Crosby & Co., the Steelers... however, the one thing that has plagued this city for the past 15 years is the Pirates organization. Playing in the best stadium in baseball, the Pirates are mired in one of the longest, most depressing streaks of mediocrity that baseball has ever seen. FIO humor writer (and Pittsburgh native) Brian Lutz discusses his Top 10 "Favorite" Things about this season's Pirates club.

What's in your Easter basket?

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 06:48:42 -0500

Phillies: *Francisco Rosario (out of options) has been placed on the DL to begin the season and is officially out of the running for one of the remaining bullpen spots. Fat Mike Zagurski and Scott Mathieson who are still mending from '07 injuries have also been shelved. *Kris Benson hasn't been DL'd yet, but that's not really necessary because of his minor league contract status. He won't be MLB ready until May at the earliest, and is still working his arm and body back into game shape. He missed his last scheduled appearance and appears to be missing today's as well. C'mon Anna, put down your marmosets and give your man some McLovin. *Rule 5'er Travis Blackley, non-roster invitees Vic Darensbourg and Gary Knotts, and Clay Condrey (out of options) are still vying for the coveted spot in the Phils 'pen. I believe Condrey has the inside track, but Darensbourg is a lefty and has pitched well so far this spring. *After having their punk card publicly pulled by the renowned players' manager Charlie Manuel earlier this spring, the starting pitching has responded well. Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick, and even Adam Eaton have turned in quality outings. Yesterday Chad Durbin (destined for long relief) pitched 3 perfect innings against a Detroit Tigers lineup mostly composed of regulars. Pirates: *Centerfield is still up for grabs between Nate McLouth and Nyjer Morgan. Based on spring stats alone McLouth should be the starter (OPS: McLouth 1.084, Morgan .533). Then take into account that McLouth has experienced some success at the Big League level while Morgan is still wet behind the ears. *It seems that glovesman Doug Bat-Mientkiewicz will make the squad. Not sure why the Buccos need a no-hit all-field backup first baseman, but then again I don't understand most the moves this organization makes. *An example of a move I don't understand- prospect slugger Steve Pearce, he of 4 spring longballs, is most likely ticketed for Triple A...why? *Like the Phillies, the Pirates starting pitching has been a bit rough around the edges this spring with Matt Morris, Tom Gorzelanny, and Paul Maholm all pitching poorly. Ian Snell and Zach Duke have done well though. Also, minor league signings Jaret Wright and Hector Carrasco are improving their chances of being added to the 25-man roster.

No Clement; Thoughts on the Rotation

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 02:52:34 -0500

This article discusses GM Neal Huntington's decision to stick with the current starting rotation this season rather than pursuing another SP in the offseason. Go Buccos!

The Richest Player in Pirate History. Really.

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 02:45:58 -0500

Pretty sad that the all-time HR leader didn't earn close to what Matt friggin Morris does in the Steel City.

Fantasy Impacts at the Trade Deadline

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 02:34:18 -0500

As a result of yesterday's MLB Trade Deadline, some things got shook up in fantasy baseball. FIO staff writer Lou Poulas discusses some of the trades that went down - those with fantasy implications and the ones that really didn't mean anything.

Latest MLB Trade Rumors From Around The League

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 01:35:05 -0500

With names like Mark Teixeira, Jermaine Dye, Troy Glaus, and Dontrelle Willis the MLB trade rumor central is a one stop shop to boredville. Teams are looking for the backend guy, or the off the bench, ummmm boring. But, here is a list of those players and the teams that are interested in them.

Look Back at 2006's Free Agent Pitching Buffet

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 07:16:25 -0500

I hope you like expensive buffets with shitty food. It's almost humorous to read through this list of terrible free agent signings.