OnlyBucs

This is far fetched but I wonder if Cole is doing this on purpose so he will get traded. I really couldn't blame him except I can't stand anyone that doesn't give their all no matter what the situation. Everyone has to be dishearted by Hurdles incompetence, including me. If we had won the previous 2 games as we should have the outlook would be completely different.

3E262423233425223F3E284D0 wrote: This is far fetched but I wonder if Cole is doing this on purpose so he will get traded.  I really couldn't blame him except I can't stand anyone that doesn't give their all no matter what the situation.  Everyone has to be dishearted by Hurdles incompetence, including me.  If we had won the previous 2 games as we should have the outlook would be completely different. 


I don't think he would need to do this to get traded. If he told NH he wanted out I bet that team would deal him especially if it was when he was doing well and would bring a great return.

Cole = Kip Wells, Kris Benson

233B393E3E29383F222335500 wrote: This is far fetched but I wonder if Cole is doing this on purpose so he will get traded.  I really couldn't blame him except I can't stand anyone that doesn't give their all no matter what the situation.  Everyone has to be dishearted by Hurdles incompetence, including me.  If we had won the previous 2 games as we should have the outlook would be completely different. 




That would be about the stupidest thing he could possibly do if he wants to get traded. 



Believe it or not, not everything is Clint Hurdle's fault.

At the start of the year the Pirates deliberately passed over other starters to ensure that Cole could stay on his normal rotation day start.



Frankly, Cole has rarely demonstrated the ability to take the ball every fifth day without breaking down.



I don't know if he is hurt, but he clearly isn't pitching well; the results speak for themselves. I know that there aren't many good options out there, but I believe the Bucs need to act to help him right the sinking ship.



Skip him in the rotation for the next 10 days or so to see if it helps. Have Tallion or Brault take his next scheduled start. If Cole miraculously shows some signs of improvement when he returns, work hard and fast to move him for what could be a good return.



I note that even if Cole pitches poorly the rest of this year, he will earn at least $7 mil next year. If he is as bad as he is showing, he is (as another poster noted) entering Kip Wells, Kris Benson and Charlie Morton territory.

He (Cole) will be on the DL in short order.



It's pretty normal for a rotation to suffer setbacks and injuries. That's why you use offseasons to bolster the team by acquiring talent.



right now, the rotation is garbage. Cole is having a bad go of it and/or hurt. Taillon is hurt and rehabbing, and we have two of the worst #4 and #5 pitchers in baseball.



I don't know who is to blame, but I'm sure it's not hurdle or NH, or Bob Nutting. I'm blaming the fans and players themselves. They just need to play better.

363F372628520 wrote: He (Cole) will be on the DL in short order.   



It's pretty normal for a rotation to suffer setbacks and injuries.    That's why you use offseasons to bolster the team by acquiring talent.



right now, the rotation is garbage.  Cole is having a bad go of it and/or hurt.  Taillon is hurt and rehabbing, and we have two of the worst #4 and #5 pitchers in baseball.   



I don't know who is to blame, but I'm sure it's not hurdle or NH, or Bob Nutting.   I'm blaming the fans and players themselves.   They just need to play better.


Yeah, everyone knew we needed more starting pitchers this past offseason and probably for several seasons before that.

I wonder how much Cole has depreciated in the past 3 weeks? I'd bet a fair amount. Now the Pirates have to gamble that if they keep sticking him on the mound every 5th day that they can recover their loses. The problem is, more often then not that results in more value lost and eventually you wind up with nothing.



I hate to sound like Nostradamus, but this is pretty much what I've been predicting for the past 6 weeks or so - crazy as it may sound, the Pirates needed to shop Cole in May.



Sometimes I think most of us forget that the Pirates can't be run like other MLB teams. Maybe other organizations would appropriately hold a guy like Cole till midsummer to see where the divisional races stand. It was foolish for the Pirates to take that approach; everything points to Cole being traded by this offseason, they're an outrageous long shot to compete this year. Too bad that the Pirates are run the way they are, but they had to protect their most valuable assets and Cole had significant value.



Now, he's just a messed up pitcher that could be injured and whose value is plummeting but will nevertheless start to get expensive this off season.



This should not even be a discussion except the Pirates are run in such a way that they must do extraordinary things to Field a competitive team because they don't do the ordinary things and other organizations do.



I bet Neal is counting his loses.

I know this is a broken record, but this is yet another example why I (and others) was begging for the Pirates to go out this past offseason and SPEND MONEY to acquire at least two more proven, legitimate starters.



Two things you know are going to happen every season:



1. There are going to be injuries

2. There is going to be under-performance by at least 1 or 2 of your starters.



To go into the season with the likes of Hutchison, Kuhl and Glasnow (who clearly wasn't ready) battling for the 5th spot is a bad way to go into a season.



Right now we have exactly ONE proven, legit guy who is performing very well in our rotation. ONE. So once out of every 5 days we send Nova out there. That's it. The other 4 days you have no idea what you are going to get.



This franchise was DESPERATE for more starting pitching this offseason and they did nothing about it.

6240534E4D484F40635442424E210 wrote: I know this is a broken record, but this is yet another example why I (and others) was begging for the Pirates to go out this past offseason and SPEND MONEY to acquire at least two more proven, legitimate starters.



Two things you know are going to happen every season:



1. There are going to be injuries

2. There is going to be under-performance by at least 1 or 2 of your starters.



To go into the season with the likes of Hutchison, Kuhl and Glasnow (who clearly wasn't ready) battling for the 5th spot is a bad way to go into a season.



Right now we have exactly ONE proven, legit guy who is performing very well in our rotation. ONE. So once out of every 5 days we send Nova out there. That's it. The other 4 days you have no idea what you are going to get.



This franchise was DESPERATE for more starting pitching this offseason and they did nothing about it.
And they've even reduced payroll and saved money on Kang and Marte. Now they have the FINANCIAL FLEXIBILITY to...sit on their hands and watch other teams spend money. :'(