While I believe Polanco is a sunk cost and will never offer any production, as an alternative to an outright release, I believe the Pirates should send Polanco to the alternate training site when Hayes comes off the DL.
They need Polanco to focus on two concerns.
1) Trying to find an approach to throwing the ball that recognizes the limitations of his shoulder, but still allows him to get some oomph behind his throws. Yesterday's play was an insult to the game of baseball.
2) Have him work on his hitting, particularly pitch recognition.
Also, I have no idea if the Pirates have any insurance on his salary, but if they do, they need to show yesterday's play to the insurance agency and file a claim. Polanco was never a 'great' ballplayer, but injuries have effectively stolen any value that he had.
Continuing, Polanco has no trade value. The Pirates are on the hook for his salary regardless of what happens the rest of this season. I doubt that he will ever again be even a marginally valuable ballplayer, but why not take a shot at the alternate site?
All-in-all, the number 1 consideration should be getting him off the active roster and taking a shot on someone who may add value to the team. At present, that is Evans playing RF.
Official Game Thread - 4/21 - Bucs @ Tigers - Game 2
Moderators: SammyKhalifa, Doc, Bobster
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Bobster21
Official Game Thread - 4/21 - Bucs @ Tigers - Game 2
775B53545F784F59493A0 wrote: While I believe Polanco is a sunk cost and will never offer any production, as an alternative to an outright release, I believe the Pirates should send Polanco to the alternate training site when Hayes comes off the DL.
They need Polanco to focus on two concerns.
1) Trying to find an approach to throwing the ball that recognizes the limitations of his shoulder, but still allows him to get some oomph behind his throws. Yesterday's play was an insult to the game of baseball.
2) Have him work on his hitting, particularly pitch recognition.
Also, I have no idea if the Pirates have any insurance on his salary, but if they do, they need to show yesterday's play to the insurance agency and file a claim. Polanco was never a 'great' ballplayer, but injuries have effectively stolen any value that he had.
Continuing, Polanco has no trade value. The Pirates are on the hook for his salary regardless of what happens the rest of this season. I doubt that he will ever again be even a marginally valuable ballplayer, but why not take a shot at the alternate site?
All-in-all, the number 1 consideration should be getting him off the active roster and taking a shot on someone who may add value to the team. At present, that is Evans playing RF.
ATS rules seem murky but I wonder if the same rule applies for optioning a veteran to the minors. If a player has 5 years of MLB service he can't be assigned to a minor-league team without his consent.
They need Polanco to focus on two concerns.
1) Trying to find an approach to throwing the ball that recognizes the limitations of his shoulder, but still allows him to get some oomph behind his throws. Yesterday's play was an insult to the game of baseball.
2) Have him work on his hitting, particularly pitch recognition.
Also, I have no idea if the Pirates have any insurance on his salary, but if they do, they need to show yesterday's play to the insurance agency and file a claim. Polanco was never a 'great' ballplayer, but injuries have effectively stolen any value that he had.
Continuing, Polanco has no trade value. The Pirates are on the hook for his salary regardless of what happens the rest of this season. I doubt that he will ever again be even a marginally valuable ballplayer, but why not take a shot at the alternate site?
All-in-all, the number 1 consideration should be getting him off the active roster and taking a shot on someone who may add value to the team. At present, that is Evans playing RF.
ATS rules seem murky but I wonder if the same rule applies for optioning a veteran to the minors. If a player has 5 years of MLB service he can't be assigned to a minor-league team without his consent.
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2drfischer@gmail.c
Official Game Thread - 4/21 - Bucs @ Tigers - Game 2
476B63646F487F69790A0 wrote: While I believe Polanco is a sunk cost and will never offer any production, as an alternative to an outright release, I believe the Pirates should send Polanco to the alternate training site when Hayes comes off the DL.
They need Polanco to focus on two concerns.
1) Trying to find an approach to throwing the ball that recognizes the limitations of his shoulder, but still allows him to get some oomph behind his throws. Yesterday's play was an insult to the game of baseball.
2) Have him work on his hitting, particularly pitch recognition.
Also, I have no idea if the Pirates have any insurance on his salary, but if they do, they need to show yesterday's play to the insurance agency and file a claim. Polanco was never a 'great' ballplayer, but injuries have effectively stolen any value that he had.
Continuing, Polanco has no trade value. The Pirates are on the hook for his salary regardless of what happens the rest of this season. I doubt that he will ever again be even a marginally valuable ballplayer, but why not take a shot at the alternate site?
All-in-all, the number 1 consideration should be getting him off the active roster and taking a shot on someone who may add value to the team. At present, that is Evans playing RF.
Everything you state makes perfect sense if we were talking about another player, but I'm not sure the Pirates have enough time to get a return on an investment by sending Polanco to the alternative site. He's never been a quick study and, time after time, coaches have made changes to his game that have lasted only a short time before he slips back to old habits.
We all know Polanco's 2022 season will be bought out by the club. Therefore, he shouldn't play another inning after July 31. So if he can't very quickly be reeducated, baseball-wise, and made into an above average player by mid-May at the latest, there's really no point in him playing at all. It's time to cut the cord and send him home.
They need Polanco to focus on two concerns.
1) Trying to find an approach to throwing the ball that recognizes the limitations of his shoulder, but still allows him to get some oomph behind his throws. Yesterday's play was an insult to the game of baseball.
2) Have him work on his hitting, particularly pitch recognition.
Also, I have no idea if the Pirates have any insurance on his salary, but if they do, they need to show yesterday's play to the insurance agency and file a claim. Polanco was never a 'great' ballplayer, but injuries have effectively stolen any value that he had.
Continuing, Polanco has no trade value. The Pirates are on the hook for his salary regardless of what happens the rest of this season. I doubt that he will ever again be even a marginally valuable ballplayer, but why not take a shot at the alternate site?
All-in-all, the number 1 consideration should be getting him off the active roster and taking a shot on someone who may add value to the team. At present, that is Evans playing RF.
Everything you state makes perfect sense if we were talking about another player, but I'm not sure the Pirates have enough time to get a return on an investment by sending Polanco to the alternative site. He's never been a quick study and, time after time, coaches have made changes to his game that have lasted only a short time before he slips back to old habits.
We all know Polanco's 2022 season will be bought out by the club. Therefore, he shouldn't play another inning after July 31. So if he can't very quickly be reeducated, baseball-wise, and made into an above average player by mid-May at the latest, there's really no point in him playing at all. It's time to cut the cord and send him home.