OnlyBucs

477579796D5F7C75787D7275140 wrote: Yes, not sigining him because of the car wreck is definitely hindsight.  However we can be pretty sure that he was not going to hit like last year.  Still, I don't know what price he would have been to us but I wanted him to remain on the team too (if it made sense).


I don't think the team ever came out and said it but they were not willing to match what he received (maybe even the two years). The Bucs probably would have taken him back for a 3 million or 3.5 million but knew he was going to get better offers.

022534303528172334353528510 wrote: Good story.  I hope he does something well for the Bucs in probably limited time.



That said, this is where we are at as an organization.  Bringing up a guy that can't hit a lick, but supposedly fields well.  After being swept 2-1 by a mediocre Cards team and losing 1-0 last night ... this doesn't really help in the grand scheme of things. Really miss guys like Rodriguez and Joyce this year. I definitely would have brought him back. The Braves only gave him a 2 year deal for 11 million which the Pirates definitely could have paid but chose not too for whatever ridiculous reason.




That is the point I was trying to make. Our bench situation is poor. We lost two valuable players that weren't replaced in those two and one of our bench players, Freese is starting due to the actions of Kang. Phil Gosselin isn't SRod.

Rodriguez's accident happened in Miami, his hometown, not Atlanta.

If the Bucs had been able to move Harrison and his salary, like they were trying to do, Rodriguez would have been a Pirate and had a staring position, although he likely still would have seen time at multiple positions.

547870777C5B6C7A6A190 wrote: If the Bucs had been able to move Harrison and his salary, like they were trying to do, Rodriguez would have been a Pirate and had a staring position, although he likely still would have seen time at multiple positions.


Though we would have been scrambling to replace him after the accident.



But yeah, again that is hindsight--just imagining.

Gift Up, Neverauskas down

7C6C6D5A4C4C402F0 wrote: Good story.  I hope he does something well for the Bucs in probably limited time.



That said, this is where we are at as an organization.  Bringing up a guy that can't hit a lick, but supposedly fields well.  After being swept 2-1 by a mediocre Cards team and losing 1-0 last night ... this doesn't really help in the grand scheme of things. Really miss guys like Rodriguez and Joyce this year. I definitely would have brought him back. The Braves only gave him a 2 year deal for 11 million which the Pirates definitely could have paid but chose not too for whatever ridiculous reason.




That is the point I was trying to make.  Our bench situation is poor.  We lost two valuable players that weren't replaced in those two and one of our bench players, Freese is starting due to the actions of Kang.  Phil Gosselin isn't SRod. They didn't resign them because they didn't want to pay them. It always come back to money with this team and them not wanting to spend more then they are willing too. Don't know why it's so hard for people to figure this out. They could have afforded to give Rodtiguez 5 million they easily have that money but once again the tight owner of this team refuses to spend more then he is willing too. The proof of this is the Pirates are still in the bottom half of payroll in the entire league when they should be a lot better and well over 100 million dollars.

54736266637E41756263637E070 wrote: Good story.  I hope he does something well for the Bucs in probably limited time.



That said, this is where we are at as an organization.  Bringing up a guy that can't hit a lick, but supposedly fields well.  After being swept 2-1 by a mediocre Cards team and losing 1-0 last night ... this doesn't really help in the grand scheme of things. Really miss guys like Rodriguez and Joyce this year. I definitely would have brought him back. The Braves only gave him a 2 year deal for 11 million which the Pirates definitely could have paid but chose not too for whatever ridiculous reason.




That is the point I was trying to make.  Our bench situation is poor.  We lost two valuable players that weren't replaced in those two and one of our bench players, Freese is starting due to the actions of Kang.  Phil Gosselin isn't SRod. They didn't resign them because they didn't want to pay them. It always come back to money with this team and them not wanting to spend more then they are willing too. Don't know why it's so hard for people to figure this out. They could have afforded to give Rodtiguez 5 million they easily have that money but once again the tight owner of this team refuses to spend more then he is willing too. The proof of this is the Pirates are still in the bottom half of payroll in the entire league when they should be a lot better and well over 100 million dollars.




So do you propose that he would be as good this year as he was last year (his career year by far)? 



Because the first time we signed Rodriguez most people trashed the organization.  Right before last season started people HATED he was on the team, saying that "he's a great example of the Nuttings not willing to spend" on better players. People seem to be erasing this part from their memory.

I can't fault the Pirates for not signing Joyce and S-Rod. We had what we thought was going to be a deep team with:



lf:Polanco

cf: Marte

rf Cutch

3rd: Kang

ss: Mercer

2nd JHay

1st Bell

C Cervelli



With a bench of Freese, Jaso, Frasier, Hansen/Gosselin, I am sure they thought they had flexibility to move people around. Kang and Marte being gone really hurt that depth, just like it would ANY team in baseball. Of course, they didn't want to pay SRod or Joyce but right now Frasier is playing well and cheaply. Teams make choices all of the time based upon who they have and how much they pay each piece. I think there are times that the Pirates are cheap, i.e. Liriano deal and other times they are making fairly sound decisions. I think it was a sound decision not to spend as much on Joyce and SRod because they are bench players who may or may not have career years last year.

We may not be winning many ball games but we will represent the United Nations very well!