233B393E3E29383F222335500 wrote: It's obvious NH isn't a good evaluator of talent. The only draft pick he has had that came up quickly and he had several very high picks is Cole. Everyone else, it has taken forever to get any production out of them, and then only limited success. His trades have been mostly bad. We need a real evaluation of the front office and manager. All we have been getting is blowing smoke, and unfortunately the fans keep buying the garbage they are putting out. I'm tired of always wait until next year. Cutch was a real talent, NH didn't draft him, he just got lucky and now that Cutch is obviously not the player of his MVP years, this team is in trouble. Why can't we draft a real prospect and get them to the majors in a couple of years like other teams. Because of poor talent evaluation by NH and front office.
I totally disagree. Huntington rebuilt what Littlefield destroyed. It took longer than usual because of what Littlefield did. Huntington rebuilt and made the Pirates contenders. Remember three years in a row of making the playoffs? How can one say he has done a bad job?
My point about impact rookies is their time period. Some very good players came through, but didn't have a monster rookie year. I know it's rare, but would be nice is all I am saying.
Impact Rookies
Moderators: SammyKhalifa, Doc, Bobster
Impact Rookies
7F747C7075746F2A2C5B627A7374743578741B0 wrote: It's obvious NH isn't a good evaluator of talent. The only draft pick he has had that came up quickly and he had several very high picks is Cole. Everyone else, it has taken forever to get any production out of them, and then only limited success. His trades have been mostly bad. We need a real evaluation of the front office and manager. All we have been getting is blowing smoke, and unfortunately the fans keep buying the garbage they are putting out. I'm tired of always wait until next year. Cutch was a real talent, NH didn't draft him, he just got lucky and now that Cutch is obviously not the player of his MVP years, this team is in trouble. Why can't we draft a real prospect and get them to the majors in a couple of years like other teams. Because of poor talent evaluation by NH and front office.
I totally disagree. Huntington rebuilt what Littlefield destroyed. It took longer than usual because of what Littlefield did. Huntington rebuilt and made the Pirates contenders. Remember three years in a row of making the playoffs? How can one say he has done a bad job?
I think it would be unfair to say NH has done a, "bad job." He did turn the franchise around from 20 years of losing. He should get credit for that.
But let's be honest:
-Four of the main pieces of the "Huntington core," came from Littlefield (Cutch, Marte, Walker, Watson)
-Cole, Mercer, Alvarez and Justin Wilson were the main components of NH's drafts on those teams.
-The rest of the team was built primarily from reclamation projects (Burnett, Martin, Liriano, Volquez). I give NH credit for bringing those players in as obviously it helped the team get over the top. But that isn't a sustainable formula for success. You can't go into every season thinking you're going to turn a 37 yr old AJ Burnett into the 29 year old Burnett. Just like the organization pretending we're contending when the truth is we're not even close. This team is bad, it's just that the division is an absolute disgrace.
-It's two seasons now where we're seeing the cumulative results of NH's ability to build an MLB organization. Last year we won 78 games and we're going to win less this year.
-Glasnow is inching toward bust, Meadows struggled for his 2nd time in AAA and is now on the DL with another hamstring injury.
What you see is what you get. You are witnessing the fruits of the Neal Huntington era. This team is bad with not much help coming in the near future.
I totally disagree. Huntington rebuilt what Littlefield destroyed. It took longer than usual because of what Littlefield did. Huntington rebuilt and made the Pirates contenders. Remember three years in a row of making the playoffs? How can one say he has done a bad job?
I think it would be unfair to say NH has done a, "bad job." He did turn the franchise around from 20 years of losing. He should get credit for that.
But let's be honest:
-Four of the main pieces of the "Huntington core," came from Littlefield (Cutch, Marte, Walker, Watson)
-Cole, Mercer, Alvarez and Justin Wilson were the main components of NH's drafts on those teams.
-The rest of the team was built primarily from reclamation projects (Burnett, Martin, Liriano, Volquez). I give NH credit for bringing those players in as obviously it helped the team get over the top. But that isn't a sustainable formula for success. You can't go into every season thinking you're going to turn a 37 yr old AJ Burnett into the 29 year old Burnett. Just like the organization pretending we're contending when the truth is we're not even close. This team is bad, it's just that the division is an absolute disgrace.
-It's two seasons now where we're seeing the cumulative results of NH's ability to build an MLB organization. Last year we won 78 games and we're going to win less this year.
-Glasnow is inching toward bust, Meadows struggled for his 2nd time in AAA and is now on the DL with another hamstring injury.
What you see is what you get. You are witnessing the fruits of the Neal Huntington era. This team is bad with not much help coming in the near future.
-
DemDog
Impact Rookies
1232213C3D530 wrote: It's obvious NH isn't a good evaluator of talent. The only draft pick he has had that came up quickly and he had several very high picks is Cole. Everyone else, it has taken forever to get any production out of them, and then only limited success. His trades have been mostly bad. We need a real evaluation of the front office and manager. All we have been getting is blowing smoke, and unfortunately the fans keep buying the garbage they are putting out. I'm tired of always wait until next year. Cutch was a real talent, NH didn't draft him, he just got lucky and now that Cutch is obviously not the player of his MVP years, this team is in trouble. Why can't we draft a real prospect and get them to the majors in a couple of years like other teams. Because of poor talent evaluation by NH and front office.
I totally disagree. Huntington rebuilt what Littlefield destroyed. It took longer than usual because of what Littlefield did. Huntington rebuilt and made the Pirates contenders. Remember three years in a row of making the playoffs? How can one say he has done a bad job?
I think it would be unfair to say NH has done a, "bad job." He did turn the franchise around from 20 years of losing. He should get credit for that.
But let's be honest:
-Four of the main pieces of the "Huntington core," came from Littlefield (Cutch, Marte, Walker, Watson)
-Cole, Mercer, Alvarez and Justin Wilson were the main components of NH's drafts on those teams.
-The rest of the team was built primarily from reclamation projects (Burnett, Martin, Liriano, Volquez). I give NH credit for bringing those players in as obviously it helped the team get over the top. [highlight]But that isn't a sustainable formula for success. You can't go into every season thinking you're going to turn a 37 yr old AJ Burnett into the 29 year old Burnett. Just like the organization pretending we're contending when the truth is we're not even close. This team is bad, it's just that the division is an absolute disgrace.[/highlight]
-It's two seasons now where we're seeing the cumulative results of NH's ability to build an MLB organization. Last year we won 78 games and we're going to win less this year.
-Glasnow is inching toward bust, Meadows struggled for his 2nd time in AAA and is now on the DL with another hamstring injury.
What you see is what you get. You are witnessing the fruits of the Neal Huntington era. This team is bad with not much help coming in the near future.
Don't disagree with your thoughts Aaron but do think that at least during 2017 losing Marte and Kang has not helped the Bucs on iota except for them finding out what some of the prospects are able to do.
As for Glasnow working toward a bust, so if that happens how do you think they can use him if he is not starter quality?
And Meadows, he is far from being ready in my opinion. Yes he has a big upside but he needs to being to realize the upside and most important stay healthy. I would not rush him anymore. Let him finish in AAA this year and start him there next season and who knows maybe he might be ready in late May or early June for callup.
One more thing. Before we give NH a pass we must realize what you pointed out in your post and that is what I agree with. NH is doing what Littlefield did for a few years and his predecessors did for the remainder of the long losing streak.
What I see is that the Bucs have gotten into a rut. One where they will only try to sign reclamation projects and not go at a minimum into the FA market for upper middle FAs.
I totally disagree. Huntington rebuilt what Littlefield destroyed. It took longer than usual because of what Littlefield did. Huntington rebuilt and made the Pirates contenders. Remember three years in a row of making the playoffs? How can one say he has done a bad job?
I think it would be unfair to say NH has done a, "bad job." He did turn the franchise around from 20 years of losing. He should get credit for that.
But let's be honest:
-Four of the main pieces of the "Huntington core," came from Littlefield (Cutch, Marte, Walker, Watson)
-Cole, Mercer, Alvarez and Justin Wilson were the main components of NH's drafts on those teams.
-The rest of the team was built primarily from reclamation projects (Burnett, Martin, Liriano, Volquez). I give NH credit for bringing those players in as obviously it helped the team get over the top. [highlight]But that isn't a sustainable formula for success. You can't go into every season thinking you're going to turn a 37 yr old AJ Burnett into the 29 year old Burnett. Just like the organization pretending we're contending when the truth is we're not even close. This team is bad, it's just that the division is an absolute disgrace.[/highlight]
-It's two seasons now where we're seeing the cumulative results of NH's ability to build an MLB organization. Last year we won 78 games and we're going to win less this year.
-Glasnow is inching toward bust, Meadows struggled for his 2nd time in AAA and is now on the DL with another hamstring injury.
What you see is what you get. You are witnessing the fruits of the Neal Huntington era. This team is bad with not much help coming in the near future.
Don't disagree with your thoughts Aaron but do think that at least during 2017 losing Marte and Kang has not helped the Bucs on iota except for them finding out what some of the prospects are able to do.
As for Glasnow working toward a bust, so if that happens how do you think they can use him if he is not starter quality?
And Meadows, he is far from being ready in my opinion. Yes he has a big upside but he needs to being to realize the upside and most important stay healthy. I would not rush him anymore. Let him finish in AAA this year and start him there next season and who knows maybe he might be ready in late May or early June for callup.
One more thing. Before we give NH a pass we must realize what you pointed out in your post and that is what I agree with. NH is doing what Littlefield did for a few years and his predecessors did for the remainder of the long losing streak.
What I see is that the Bucs have gotten into a rut. One where they will only try to sign reclamation projects and not go at a minimum into the FA market for upper middle FAs.
Impact Rookies
7E5F577E555D3A0 wrote:
I totally disagree. Huntington rebuilt what Littlefield destroyed. It took longer than usual because of what Littlefield did. Huntington rebuilt and made the Pirates contenders. Remember three years in a row of making the playoffs? How can one say he has done a bad job?
I think it would be unfair to say NH has done a, "bad job." He did turn the franchise around from 20 years of losing. He should get credit for that.
But let's be honest:
-Four of the main pieces of the "Huntington core," came from Littlefield (Cutch, Marte, Walker, Watson)
-Cole, Mercer, Alvarez and Justin Wilson were the main components of NH's drafts on those teams.
-The rest of the team was built primarily from reclamation projects (Burnett, Martin, Liriano, Volquez). I give NH credit for bringing those players in as obviously it helped the team get over the top. [highlight]But that isn't a sustainable formula for success. You can't go into every season thinking you're going to turn a 37 yr old AJ Burnett into the 29 year old Burnett. Just like the organization pretending we're contending when the truth is we're not even close. This team is bad, it's just that the division is an absolute disgrace.[/highlight]
-It's two seasons now where we're seeing the cumulative results of NH's ability to build an MLB organization. Last year we won 78 games and we're going to win less this year.
-Glasnow is inching toward bust, Meadows struggled for his 2nd time in AAA and is now on the DL with another hamstring injury.
What you see is what you get. You are witnessing the fruits of the Neal Huntington era. This team is bad with not much help coming in the near future.
Don't disagree with your thoughts Aaron but do think that at least during 2017 losing Marte and Kang has not helped the Bucs on iota except for them finding out what some of the prospects are able to do.
I agree with you Possum. The loss of Kang and Marte hurt the team from a performance standpoint. No doubt. But I think, both Freese and Frazier have done a respectable job of filling. It's not as if we've gotten replacement player level of production from the two of them. With Kang and Marte, the Pirates would probably have won roughly 2-3 more games this season to date. We can't discount the production we've gotten from Freese and Frazier.
As for Glasnow working toward a bust, so if that happens how do you think they can use him if he is not starter quality?
Just to clarify, I'm not ready to call him a bust yet. We have to hope he gets his stuff together, but right now, it ain't looking good. He's not exactly dominating at AAA and we saw what he did against ML hitters.
I'd keep him at AAA and keep him starting for now with the hopes he can at least get to being a reliable back end starter, who can potentially become more down the road. If that never happens, gotta try him in the 'pen, as he won't have any trade value.
What I see is that the Bucs have gotten into a rut. One where they will only try to sign reclamation projects and not go at a minimum into the FA market for upper middle FAs.
Here's what I think the issue is. Huntington sold himself as a great drafter/talent developer. They thought he'd be churning out Bryce Harpers and Clayton Kershaws every season and that they'd never have to consider reclamation projects or having to spend big money in free agency.
The results after a decade say that Huntington is nowhere near as good as they expected him to be.
I totally disagree. Huntington rebuilt what Littlefield destroyed. It took longer than usual because of what Littlefield did. Huntington rebuilt and made the Pirates contenders. Remember three years in a row of making the playoffs? How can one say he has done a bad job?
I think it would be unfair to say NH has done a, "bad job." He did turn the franchise around from 20 years of losing. He should get credit for that.
But let's be honest:
-Four of the main pieces of the "Huntington core," came from Littlefield (Cutch, Marte, Walker, Watson)
-Cole, Mercer, Alvarez and Justin Wilson were the main components of NH's drafts on those teams.
-The rest of the team was built primarily from reclamation projects (Burnett, Martin, Liriano, Volquez). I give NH credit for bringing those players in as obviously it helped the team get over the top. [highlight]But that isn't a sustainable formula for success. You can't go into every season thinking you're going to turn a 37 yr old AJ Burnett into the 29 year old Burnett. Just like the organization pretending we're contending when the truth is we're not even close. This team is bad, it's just that the division is an absolute disgrace.[/highlight]
-It's two seasons now where we're seeing the cumulative results of NH's ability to build an MLB organization. Last year we won 78 games and we're going to win less this year.
-Glasnow is inching toward bust, Meadows struggled for his 2nd time in AAA and is now on the DL with another hamstring injury.
What you see is what you get. You are witnessing the fruits of the Neal Huntington era. This team is bad with not much help coming in the near future.
Don't disagree with your thoughts Aaron but do think that at least during 2017 losing Marte and Kang has not helped the Bucs on iota except for them finding out what some of the prospects are able to do.
I agree with you Possum. The loss of Kang and Marte hurt the team from a performance standpoint. No doubt. But I think, both Freese and Frazier have done a respectable job of filling. It's not as if we've gotten replacement player level of production from the two of them. With Kang and Marte, the Pirates would probably have won roughly 2-3 more games this season to date. We can't discount the production we've gotten from Freese and Frazier.
As for Glasnow working toward a bust, so if that happens how do you think they can use him if he is not starter quality?
Just to clarify, I'm not ready to call him a bust yet. We have to hope he gets his stuff together, but right now, it ain't looking good. He's not exactly dominating at AAA and we saw what he did against ML hitters.
I'd keep him at AAA and keep him starting for now with the hopes he can at least get to being a reliable back end starter, who can potentially become more down the road. If that never happens, gotta try him in the 'pen, as he won't have any trade value.
What I see is that the Bucs have gotten into a rut. One where they will only try to sign reclamation projects and not go at a minimum into the FA market for upper middle FAs.
Here's what I think the issue is. Huntington sold himself as a great drafter/talent developer. They thought he'd be churning out Bryce Harpers and Clayton Kershaws every season and that they'd never have to consider reclamation projects or having to spend big money in free agency.
The results after a decade say that Huntington is nowhere near as good as they expected him to be.
-
DemDog
Impact Rookies
1030233E3F510 wrote:
I totally disagree. Huntington rebuilt what Littlefield destroyed. It took longer than usual because of what Littlefield did. Huntington rebuilt and made the Pirates contenders. Remember three years in a row of making the playoffs? How can one say he has done a bad job?
I think it would be unfair to say NH has done a, "bad job." He did turn the franchise around from 20 years of losing. He should get credit for that.
But let's be honest:
-Four of the main pieces of the "Huntington core," came from Littlefield (Cutch, Marte, Walker, Watson)
-Cole, Mercer, Alvarez and Justin Wilson were the main components of NH's drafts on those teams.
-The rest of the team was built primarily from reclamation projects (Burnett, Martin, Liriano, Volquez). I give NH credit for bringing those players in as obviously it helped the team get over the top. [highlight]But that isn't a sustainable formula for success. You can't go into every season thinking you're going to turn a 37 yr old AJ Burnett into the 29 year old Burnett. Just like the organization pretending we're contending when the truth is we're not even close. This team is bad, it's just that the division is an absolute disgrace.[/highlight]
-It's two seasons now where we're seeing the cumulative results of NH's ability to build an MLB organization. Last year we won 78 games and we're going to win less this year.
-Glasnow is inching toward bust, Meadows struggled for his 2nd time in AAA and is now on the DL with another hamstring injury.
What you see is what you get. You are witnessing the fruits of the Neal Huntington era. This team is bad with not much help coming in the near future.
Don't disagree with your thoughts Aaron but do think that at least during 2017 losing Marte and Kang has not helped the Bucs on iota except for them finding out what some of the prospects are able to do.
I agree with you Possum. The loss of Kang and Marte hurt the team from a performance standpoint. No doubt. But I think, both Freese and Frazier have done a respectable job of filling. It's not as if we've gotten replacement player level of production from the two of them. With Kang and Marte, the Pirates would probably have won roughly 2-3 more games this season to date. We can't discount the production we've gotten from Freese and Frazier.
As for Glasnow working toward a bust, so if that happens how do you think they can use him if he is not starter quality?
Just to clarify, I'm not ready to call him a bust yet. We have to hope he gets his stuff together, but right now, it ain't looking good. He's not exactly dominating at AAA and we saw what he did against ML hitters.
I'd keep him at AAA and keep him starting for now with the hopes he can at least get to being a reliable back end starter, who can potentially become more down the road. If that never happens, gotta try him in the 'pen, as he won't have any trade value.
What I see is that the Bucs have gotten into a rut. One where they will only try to sign reclamation projects and not go at a minimum into the FA market for upper middle FAs.
Here's what I think the issue is. Huntington sold himself as a great drafter/talent developer. They thought he'd be churning out Bryce Harpers and Clayton Kershaws every season and that they'd never have to consider reclamation projects or having to spend big money in free agency.
The results after a decade say that Huntington is nowhere near as good as they expected him to be.
On face value I cant argue with you. But I wonder just how much the lack of money to be spent hurt Neal's work.
I totally disagree. Huntington rebuilt what Littlefield destroyed. It took longer than usual because of what Littlefield did. Huntington rebuilt and made the Pirates contenders. Remember three years in a row of making the playoffs? How can one say he has done a bad job?
I think it would be unfair to say NH has done a, "bad job." He did turn the franchise around from 20 years of losing. He should get credit for that.
But let's be honest:
-Four of the main pieces of the "Huntington core," came from Littlefield (Cutch, Marte, Walker, Watson)
-Cole, Mercer, Alvarez and Justin Wilson were the main components of NH's drafts on those teams.
-The rest of the team was built primarily from reclamation projects (Burnett, Martin, Liriano, Volquez). I give NH credit for bringing those players in as obviously it helped the team get over the top. [highlight]But that isn't a sustainable formula for success. You can't go into every season thinking you're going to turn a 37 yr old AJ Burnett into the 29 year old Burnett. Just like the organization pretending we're contending when the truth is we're not even close. This team is bad, it's just that the division is an absolute disgrace.[/highlight]
-It's two seasons now where we're seeing the cumulative results of NH's ability to build an MLB organization. Last year we won 78 games and we're going to win less this year.
-Glasnow is inching toward bust, Meadows struggled for his 2nd time in AAA and is now on the DL with another hamstring injury.
What you see is what you get. You are witnessing the fruits of the Neal Huntington era. This team is bad with not much help coming in the near future.
Don't disagree with your thoughts Aaron but do think that at least during 2017 losing Marte and Kang has not helped the Bucs on iota except for them finding out what some of the prospects are able to do.
I agree with you Possum. The loss of Kang and Marte hurt the team from a performance standpoint. No doubt. But I think, both Freese and Frazier have done a respectable job of filling. It's not as if we've gotten replacement player level of production from the two of them. With Kang and Marte, the Pirates would probably have won roughly 2-3 more games this season to date. We can't discount the production we've gotten from Freese and Frazier.
As for Glasnow working toward a bust, so if that happens how do you think they can use him if he is not starter quality?
Just to clarify, I'm not ready to call him a bust yet. We have to hope he gets his stuff together, but right now, it ain't looking good. He's not exactly dominating at AAA and we saw what he did against ML hitters.
I'd keep him at AAA and keep him starting for now with the hopes he can at least get to being a reliable back end starter, who can potentially become more down the road. If that never happens, gotta try him in the 'pen, as he won't have any trade value.
What I see is that the Bucs have gotten into a rut. One where they will only try to sign reclamation projects and not go at a minimum into the FA market for upper middle FAs.
Here's what I think the issue is. Huntington sold himself as a great drafter/talent developer. They thought he'd be churning out Bryce Harpers and Clayton Kershaws every season and that they'd never have to consider reclamation projects or having to spend big money in free agency.
The results after a decade say that Huntington is nowhere near as good as they expected him to be.
On face value I cant argue with you. But I wonder just how much the lack of money to be spent hurt Neal's work.
-
skinnyhorse
- Posts: 926
- Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2016 1:19 am
Impact Rookies
Obviously NH got very lucky having Cutch already in the system he hasn't brought anyone close to him. He's been a failure at evaluating talent.
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0A2B230A21294E0 wrote: On face value I cant argue with you. But I wonder just how much the lack of money to be spent hurt Neal's work.
I think Nutting's refusal to increase the budget hurt in terms of not being able to better supplement the 2013-2015 teams and has also hurt since then.
But in the beginning of NH's tenure, the organization was setting records for spending in the drafts. So, NH certainly wasn't handcuffed there. He just didn't get nearly enough talent out of those drafts.
Where are the late round surprises that are great despite nobody knowing who they were before the draft? No, I'm not talking about players like Chad Kuhl or Brandon Cumpton, who may stick around as roster fodder for a few years. I'm talking about actual, legit, major league players.
I think Nutting's refusal to increase the budget hurt in terms of not being able to better supplement the 2013-2015 teams and has also hurt since then.
But in the beginning of NH's tenure, the organization was setting records for spending in the drafts. So, NH certainly wasn't handcuffed there. He just didn't get nearly enough talent out of those drafts.
Where are the late round surprises that are great despite nobody knowing who they were before the draft? No, I'm not talking about players like Chad Kuhl or Brandon Cumpton, who may stick around as roster fodder for a few years. I'm talking about actual, legit, major league players.
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dogknot17@yahoo.co
Impact Rookies
Marte and Kang are a huge loss. To say only two or three game difference is crazy to me. The Pirates are missing over 450 at bats from two of their best hitters.
Freese and Frazier have been fine. But still not Marte and Kang potential like. Also, guys like Ortiz, Osuna, Moroff, Gift, Bostick, Gosselin wouldn't have had any at bats. That's a huge difference.
Freese and Frazier have been fine. But still not Marte and Kang potential like. Also, guys like Ortiz, Osuna, Moroff, Gift, Bostick, Gosselin wouldn't have had any at bats. That's a huge difference.
Impact Rookies
517078517A72150 wrote:
What I see is that the Bucs have gotten into a rut. One where they will only try to sign reclamation projects and not go at a minimum into the FA market for upper middle FAs.
Here's the problem I see with the free agent market:
There are 3 tiers
1. The high-end mega-star, mega-contracts. These guys will likely be difference-makers for at least the early part of their contracts. However, they will cost so much that it's debatable if they could ever give enough value for their cost. A middling performance sinks the team, to say nothing of a crash-and-burn. . . and they cost a fortune at the end of their contract while putting out the worst stats of their careers.
2. Mid-tier. These are older players that have done something in the past, but are fading, or players that are middle-of-the road. In most cases they won't be difference-makers, and they cost too much. They can contribute to a good team who need to fill one or 2 holes, but as middling/older talent, they are more likely to fall off the cliff before the end of the contract.
For both the top and mid-tier, you're playing players based on past performances, ones they're unlikely to repeat, as they are aging and injuries are piling up.
3. Dumpster-diving/reclamation. Older players looking for one last contract, pitchers who lost the plate last season, players looking to rebuild value after a bad contract year, etc. The only tier that might possibly provide good value, but they are also the group most likely to be out of baseball before the end of the season.
The Pirates, for whatever reason, can't or won't take the monitory risks needed to get anything other than a reclamation project. Given that, they need to evaluate talent better for the draft and in Latin America (things on that front seem kind of quiet in recent years). They also need to take players that are over-performing, and/or are approaching the end of their contract, and use them to restock the minors. On occasion, they may have to turn over the team and have a fire-sale.
They could take on some short-term bad contracts to plug the holes left by the players they trade away. Overpaying for half-a-season of a player who is performing OK at the time of the trade, and will be gone at the end of the season, isn't tragic. The danger is overpaying someone, or several someones, for 3 years and having them tank.
Dumpster-diving is a really erratic way to build your team, but signing so-called mid-tier players doesn't always look much more appealing, and signing top-tier players just isn't going to happen. We have to maximize the draft and LA signings, and turn over players to keep the farm stocked. Cutch needs to go before the trade deadline if we can scare up a good offer, and if Cole can build his value with a couple good performances, he should go as well. The farm needs constant stocking. Everything else costs too much and carries too much risk.
It comes down to player evaluation, and I think the front office knows this. EVERY front office knows this, and they're all doing the best they can, but there's no magic formula.
What I see is that the Bucs have gotten into a rut. One where they will only try to sign reclamation projects and not go at a minimum into the FA market for upper middle FAs.
Here's the problem I see with the free agent market:
There are 3 tiers
1. The high-end mega-star, mega-contracts. These guys will likely be difference-makers for at least the early part of their contracts. However, they will cost so much that it's debatable if they could ever give enough value for their cost. A middling performance sinks the team, to say nothing of a crash-and-burn. . . and they cost a fortune at the end of their contract while putting out the worst stats of their careers.
2. Mid-tier. These are older players that have done something in the past, but are fading, or players that are middle-of-the road. In most cases they won't be difference-makers, and they cost too much. They can contribute to a good team who need to fill one or 2 holes, but as middling/older talent, they are more likely to fall off the cliff before the end of the contract.
For both the top and mid-tier, you're playing players based on past performances, ones they're unlikely to repeat, as they are aging and injuries are piling up.
3. Dumpster-diving/reclamation. Older players looking for one last contract, pitchers who lost the plate last season, players looking to rebuild value after a bad contract year, etc. The only tier that might possibly provide good value, but they are also the group most likely to be out of baseball before the end of the season.
The Pirates, for whatever reason, can't or won't take the monitory risks needed to get anything other than a reclamation project. Given that, they need to evaluate talent better for the draft and in Latin America (things on that front seem kind of quiet in recent years). They also need to take players that are over-performing, and/or are approaching the end of their contract, and use them to restock the minors. On occasion, they may have to turn over the team and have a fire-sale.
They could take on some short-term bad contracts to plug the holes left by the players they trade away. Overpaying for half-a-season of a player who is performing OK at the time of the trade, and will be gone at the end of the season, isn't tragic. The danger is overpaying someone, or several someones, for 3 years and having them tank.
Dumpster-diving is a really erratic way to build your team, but signing so-called mid-tier players doesn't always look much more appealing, and signing top-tier players just isn't going to happen. We have to maximize the draft and LA signings, and turn over players to keep the farm stocked. Cutch needs to go before the trade deadline if we can scare up a good offer, and if Cole can build his value with a couple good performances, he should go as well. The farm needs constant stocking. Everything else costs too much and carries too much risk.
It comes down to player evaluation, and I think the front office knows this. EVERY front office knows this, and they're all doing the best they can, but there's no magic formula.
Impact Rookies
1C373B3237366C61580 wrote:
It comes down to player evaluation, and I think the front office knows this.
And when a non-rebuilding team wins 78 games followed up by a season in which they win less than 78 games, they clearly aren't doing a very good job with their evaluations.
EVERY front office knows this, and they're all doing the best they can,
Oy vey. There's the new Pirates front office slogan.
"We may suck. But we're doing the best we can!"
It comes down to player evaluation, and I think the front office knows this.
And when a non-rebuilding team wins 78 games followed up by a season in which they win less than 78 games, they clearly aren't doing a very good job with their evaluations.
EVERY front office knows this, and they're all doing the best they can,
Oy vey. There's the new Pirates front office slogan.
"We may suck. But we're doing the best we can!"