Jordy Mercer gets Screwed

Jordy Mercer was optioned to Triple A today after Neil Walker was activated. This was a ridiculous decision and can be added to the list of why Clint Hurdle should be fired.

Not only does Jordy have a great hashtag (#LamborghiniMercer) but he has been playing well. He hasn't made any errors and has been hitting the ball at an average rate with 3 homers. The two guys he was sent down for however have not.

First guy is John McDonald. The old Prime Minister of Defense has to have the worst OPS in the majors. It's .276. I honestly do not know how that is possible. John has an average of between .060 and .070. To put that in perspective, Wandy Rodriguez is batting .156 in a similar number of ABs. And that defense, well it's been pretty unreliable for a guy known for good defense. So why is he still here over Mercer and even Josh Harrison or Ivan De Jesus? Neal Huntington says he "still fills a need". What that need is, I'll never know.

The other guy sticking around is Brandon Inge. He's terrible defensively but his bat is ok. He's shown an ability to hit lefties but Mercer blows him out of the water. Inge has 8 hits all year. Mercer has 8 since Friday. Inge brings a ton of versatility so he's better than McDonald and the internal options (for now) so I don't mind that he's still here.

Bottom line is Jordy Mercer should be in the majors getting 2-3 starts a week at SS, 2B, or 3B in the role that Inge is in now. This would allow him to dip into the majors since he'll be the starting SS next year in all likelihood. This is just another of several terrible moves by Hurdle/Huntington and I am really at my breaking point with it. I hope something changes soon.

Pirates add another "Mc"

The Pirates traded for John McDonald today and cleared a spot for him on the 40 man roster by placing Chase D'arnaud on the 60-day DL. McDonald is a utility man that is very reliable defensively but can't hit at all. If he doesn't remind you of anyone, he should. He's Clint Barmes 2.00. Or maybe I should say Clint Barmes .200?

This trade doesn't do a lot for me. McDonald is set to make $1.5 million this year so he'll make the roster. I just would've rather given a young guy a shot. Our internal options are just as good. At least we only gave up a PTBNL or cash. Nonetheless, he adds veteran experience and this means you now have Brandon Inge, Josh Harrison, Jordy Mercer, Alex Presley, and maybe even Felix Pie battling for the final bench spot with Gaby, Jose Tabata, The Fort, and McDonald. I tend to think that Hurdle will keep Inge for god knows why but maybe he'll wake up and keep the versatile Harrison or a lefty bat that is severely needed off the bench. We'll know soon enough with Opening Day two weeks away.

Coming soon I will do my 25 man roster projection, stay tuned.

A Modest Proposal for the Pittsburgh Pirates

One problem that is seen within Pittsburgh and beyond is the constant losing of the Pittsburgh Pirates and how to end their 20 seasons of losing.

There is a simple way to fix this problem. No one has considered this solution because it may be frowned upon by human rights activists but it may be the only way to save this dying franchise. To get the Pirates on the winning track again, they must follow this modest proposal and perform a live sacrifice of Greg Brown, Bob Walk, and Steve Blass to the great god Jobu. Although Greg Brown may accept this fate willingly, Bob Walk and Steve Blass may have to be forced into the live sacrifice in order to restore Pittsburgh Pirate dominance in the MLB.

One strong appeal for this solution is that it has worked once before in the only attempt it has been tried. Therefore, this has never failed. In the movie Major League, the Cleveland Indians had not won a pennant in over 30 years but once a player, Pedro Serrano, sacrificed a live chicken to the god Jobu, the team won the American League pennant and he received extra power by hitting a two run homerun in the eighth inning to tie the tiebreaker game that they ultimately won. Because the Pirates have not had a winning season in 20 years, let alone a pennant, it is necessary to gain more power by sacrificing three live humans instead of one chicken, one person for the first half of the regular season, one for the second half, and one for the playoffs.

Another appeal to this resolution would be the fact that the fans would be spared of three awful announcers. It is dreadful enough that Pirate fans are forced to see the awful team play that is fielded on a yearly basis but then they also have to listen to equally awful commentary. The loss of these commentators would bring in new fans on the listening and watching over the airways that had been lost because of the horrible on-air analysis. In essence, this would be killing two birds with one stone, giving the Pirates extra power from above and eliminating three nuisances to Pirate fans.

One final appeal to proceed with this action would include the fact that the Pirates have not had a winning season in over 20 years. The Pirates are one of the great franchises in baseball and even the country. It is a shame to see a team that has produced greats such as Roberto Clemente, Honus Wagner, and Willie Stargell in the gutters of America’s pastime. What would those players think of the Pirates today is a key question that must be noted. The Pirates have tried everything within those 20 years and they have not succeeded. This alone should be reason enough to push for this drastic but proven plan of action.

Another possible solution to this problem would be to just sell the team and start over with a new regime. The owner, Bob Nutting, is not 100% committed to making the team a powerhouse again and a new owner like maybe Mark Cuban, a Pittsburgh native, could provide that motivation. This would cause a trickle down effect that would dump President Frank Coonley, General Manager Neal Huntington, and the inept Manager Clint Hurdle. This regime has provided parts that are necessary to win but it is now time for new leadership to come in and use those parts to win. As stated above, this could all be accomplished by selling the team and the rest of the necessary moves would be taken care of from there.

#Hurdled

Clint Hurdle signed a one year extension today with an option for a second year. As most of you probably know, I'm not a Clint Hurdle fan at all. The question I'm going to discuss, is if he deserves this extension.

The answer is a resounding NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

There is nothing that makes my blood boil like Clint Hurdle making a critical in game decision and, predictably, blowing the call. I can't deny that he is a great player's manager and great in the clubhouse but that only goes so far. Like I said, he is an awful in game manager. You can point to calls in every single game where you scratch your head and wonder "Why did he do that?". Why is he not bringing in Joel Hanrahan in a tie game in the top of the ninth? Why is he pinch hitting Jeff Clement? The bases are loaded with two outs, why isn't he going to Jason Grilli for a strikeout? These are just a few questions I had when it came to Hurdle last year and I anticipate asking several of the same ones this year.

Hurdle has led the Pirates to great improvement in the first half of the season but is 38-70 in the second half. Hardly deserving of an extension. Overall though, if the Pirates struggle or collapse again, Neal Huntington and possibly Frank Coonley would be fired leading to the firing of Hurdle anyway. I just don't like this extension being a premature move before we get a final, third year of Hurdle.

Jonathan Sanchez "close" to Signing in Pittsburgh

Well, if you were like me and thought the Bucs were done, think again. Apparently they are close to signing LHP Jonathan Sanchez to a minor league deal. Before you see the name and get excited, look at his stats from last year...

Sanchez had an ERA over 8.00 and more walks than strikeouts in 15 starts last year. Those numbers make me want to puke. Then again, it's a minor league deal. It's a flier. No harm no foul if he tanks. In years past he's had an ERA that hovered around 4.00 and dominant strikeout numbers but his control has always been putrid. If he could turn it around as a lefty in PNC Park he could really see great results, similar to what I said about Liriano.

Speaking of our buddy Francisco, his deal isn't even official yet. Now there's a debate between the sides on guaranteed money and minor/major league deals. Honestly, Sanchez and Liriano are the same pitcher but Liriano has tons more upside. After this deal, I wouldn't be shocked if we signed someone similar to Sanchez and just walked away from Liriano while having a huge competition for the last two rotation spots. I still have hope that Liriano signs with this pressure but who knows anymore. We don't even know if this is a done deal. Tom Singer put it perfectly on twitter saying "I'll wait on Sanchez. We were also "close" to singing Liriano 45 days ago". Stay tuned and see what happens.

Pirates Payroll Looks Set

Today the Pirates announced that they avoided arbitration with Neil Walker and James McDonald, clearing their arbitration slate. Walker settled at $3.3 mill and JMac at $3.025 mill. Both were the midpoints of their filing numbers. This should effectively give us the Pirates payroll for the year. The question is, what is it?

I follow several Pirates reporters and there seems to be a discrepancy in projected payroll. Bill Brink over at the Post Gazette believes it is $75 million currently with Liriano's deal making it above $80 million. On the other hand, Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects has it currently at $68.3 million with Liriano pushing it near $75 million. Although I usually disagree with Tim, I respect his work and tend to side with him here. He has a chart with all of the salaries and is usually spot on with money projections. I don't know where Bill is getting that extra money but I think he miscalculated. So say when it's all said and done we're near $75 mill. That's a solid number for the Pirates but I still think it's a bit too much.

Trading Garrett Jones could be an option again as it has been. We have way too many 1B/RF players and we added Brad Hawpe for a tryout (a famous Hurdle boy from the Rockies). His salary could be dumped for more relief help or a good potential prospect. I like the idea of selling high on him, as many of you know, because I think we can get the same value out of a combo of the guys we have already. But with where the Pirates payroll is at, I'd be fine with keeping him too. Or at least more comfortable.

Will the Pirates sign anyone else to affect this payroll? Probably not unless they add some washed up relievers and revitalize their careers (there's one every year). I like where the Pirates are at and I'm exited for pitchers/catchers to report.

UPDATE: Tim replied to my question of the payroll difference on Twitter. He said that his payroll deducts what the Yanks/Astros are paying Burnett and Wandy. That makes sense now for that discrepancy.

Jeff Karstens is Back in Black (and Gold)

Well, everyone is happy. Jeff Karstens is once again a Pirate. According to reports, he signed a one year $2.5 million contract today. I can't think of a single person who was happy with his non-tender earlier this offseason but now we can all stop worrying and be happy. But does this have more significance?

After this deal, I'm not sure what happens. Does this mean we're now out on Francisco Liriano, Shaun Marcum, and Joe Saunders? I'm inclined to say no but reluctantly... I can't see the Pirates going into a rotation with Karstens as the #4 and a rookie at #5. The rotation was obviously our biggest hole and this really doesn't fix it. It's the same rotation as last year. If they only do this, most Pirates fans will be happy but I'll honestly be pissed. The rotation needs improved. This doesn't improve it.

This is an ideal situation for me. Our payroll is around $63 million with Karstens. I can see a deal like Erik Bedard's working for Liriano. $4 million with about $2 million in performance bonuses. That would put the payroll at $69 million max with the chance to add a reliever or two in February like usual. That'll put the payroll at just about $70 million. Right where it should be. This is an ideal situation for us and it has a high probability of happening. And this is without a possible Garrett Jones trade. This would make a rotation of Burnett, Rodriguez, McDonald, Liriano, Katstens. Then when Cole comes up mid season, Karstens can move to the Correia role.

Overall, this is a great deal for Neal Huntington. Karstens should've been worth $4 million for 1 year according to most bloggers, including myself, and that's what he would've got in arbitration. We got him for $2.5. Neal made a great deal as it stands but if there isn't another pitcher signed, this offseason looks like a failure to me.