Pirates Interested in Luis Gonzalez
by Charlie on Jan 27, 2009 2:19 PM EST
23 comments
Not a very good baseball player anymore, but he's not terrible either, and he has those all-important leadership skills. Basically, he's Doug Mientkiewicz with a better resume. Gonzalez does little for me, and at this point, if the Pirates only have $5 million or so left to spend (which obviously is itself is a pretty dubious self-imposed limit), I'd rather they waited to see if they could get someone better.
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Luis Gonzalez’s slugging averages, 2003-2008:
.532, .493, .459, .444, .433, .413; and,
OBP:
.402, .373, .366, .352, .359, .336.
I think if you do a straight line on that, he falls to .393 and .322 this year.
by Arnold Rothstein on Jan 27, 2009 2:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
.393 and .322?
So he’s overqualified then . . . .
I think people are missing the most important qualification — Gonzalez has played for an AL Central team.
by WTM on Jan 27, 2009 2:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
A dubious self-imposed limit on payroll indeed. Set below the money they’ll get from the league, it’s purpose is to make McNutter profits as recession proof as possible.
With, e.g., Dunn and Abreu still out there, ther’e’s no reason to sign Gonzalez other than to keep payroll under the magic line.
In pissing money away on the likes of Gonzalez, in this part of the plan, the Pirates are doing exactly what they did in the McClatchey-Littlefield era. Holding down payroll with the promise of spending more later.
Luckily the rest of the plan actually is a plan. Everyone just has to wait. And no thumb twiddling.
by rogero on Jan 27, 2009 3:02 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Not "exactly" like DL
In pissing money away on the likes of Gonzalez, in this part of the plan, the Pirates are doing exactly what they did in the McClatchey-Littlefield era. Holding down payroll with the promise of spending more later.
i don’t think the idea would be to start Gonzalez (regularly) unless absolutely necessary because of injury or flameout. McLittlefield would sign him and never play Moss, even if Gonzalez flamed out or got hurt (see Randa, Burnitz, Simon, Young). Some of those decisions may have had more to do with Lloyd or Tracy, but there’s a clear difference in the reasoning for the vets we’re interested in now.
That said, I’d pass.
by azibuck on Jan 27, 2009 4:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe, Andy. But it’s easy to see Gonzo getting lots of time when competing against Morgan and Moss on the corners (with Moss questionable to start the season), particularly early in the year. So you can discern a difference now from Burnitz, Randa, and Simon who were brought in, and given more money than Gonzo is going to get, to start and block better players, but it may turn out pretty much the same way.
My beef is with pissing away the roster spot claiming poverty when Dunn and Abreu are out there and their price is dropping by the day. Those two guys and others add real value to the roster.
Btw, how’d you do in the BD fantasy league last year?
by rogero on Jan 27, 2009 6:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Lost in the finals
I think I finished 6th in the regular season but won a couple playoff rounds. Charlie dominated the regular season but got knocked off the the playoffs, which are somewhat of a crapshoot in head-to-head. JimBibbySweat won it.
Just remembered something about McClatchy. I think he used to say that they’d spend more when they drew more. I’m not saying I trust Nutting, yet, but at least he’s tying the possibility of spending to baseball needs.
by azibuck on Jan 27, 2009 11:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Playoffs?
There weren’t no stinking playoffs when I played in ’07. You won the regular season (remember when it used to be called the pennant) and that was it. You were champ.
by rogero on Jan 28, 2009 2:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
We switched to head-to-head last year
Each week you played one other team straight up. I’d give dual awards. Charlie was the clear best season-long team, and Bibby had better weeks in the playoffs.
by azibuck on Jan 28, 2009 10:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Gonzo!...
can only play two positions - LF and 1B. Rule out 1B because it makes no sense with LaRoche.
Gonzo’s arm has been non-existent for about five years, and he certainly can’t be expected to cover LF at PNC.
He would be a lefty bat off the bench and maybe start a MAXIMUM of two games per week. But if you start him, you immediately have defensive problems.
BUT, if he is willing to take $500K with some reasonable incentives to get him up to $1 million, it might make sense (only MIGHT).
At 41, I would PASS.
I have absolutely no idea why a supposed family man like Gonzalez (who is most likely relatively comfortable at this stage in his life) would want to extend his career, unless somebody on the West Coast wanted him.
by thegunner on Jan 27, 2009 3:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Gunner is right
Did I say that?! Lemme rethink this . . . .
No, damnit, Gunner is right.
Even worse, if Gonzo signs with the Bucs, he’s going to end up starting for part of the year because somebody, Moss most likely, is going to get hurt. There’s also the risk of Morgan or Moss hitting .120, or Morgan oversliding a base and ending up in the river and drowning. Gonzo just isn’t the right guy for this team.
On the whole, I just don’t get NH’s approach to the bench.
by WTM on Jan 27, 2009 3:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
What would you do
How would you construct the bench this year, assuming no major move is made, and we’re starting Doumit, Laroche, Sanchez, Laroche, Wilson, Nyjer, Nate, Moss?
by azibuck on Jan 27, 2009 4:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Assuming no major move?
I’d probably have Pearce and Andy Phillips on the bench. Actually, I’d have Pearce in the OF pretty often in place of Nyjer. One good AAA month from McCutchen, though, and he’d be in the OF every day.
I’d also, however, be out there grubbing around for failed prospects and AAAA types, trying to find somebody with some upside. Somebody like Craig Monroe six years ago. I just don’t know other teams’ systems well enough to be more specific than that.
by WTM on Jan 27, 2009 4:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Two things:
1. I’m guessing this is the guy we’re supposed to fall in love with?
2. Just out of curiosity, is there anyone here who would prefer this guy to Jeff Salazar?
by Arnold Rothstein on Jan 27, 2009 3:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
1. That sounds eerily like DL.
2. Not me. The D’backs had both and they preferred Salazar.
by WTM on Jan 27, 2009 3:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Somewhat embarassing
At this point in his career, this is not a guy who can take over in LF when Nyjer Morgan flares out.
A million dollars (or two) for a LH pinch hitter (he made $2M + incentives last year)? That’s a lot of money just cause you’ve already made up your mind to send Steve Pearce back to AAA.
Jeff Passan for Yahoo Sports lists Luis as the 108th best free agent on the market going into this winter. Brad Wilkerson and Emil Brown — who suck — both made it into the 90s, and couldn’t possibly cost more. (Maybe they’re the other OF’s the PBC is talking too?) P.S. EyeChart checks in at No. 120 according to Yahoo.
This is scraping below the bottom of the barrel.
by WstCstBucco on Jan 27, 2009 3:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
To whom do you think this expression of interest was directed?
Since Luis and his agent already know of the Pirate’s interest, this is probably directed at someone else. I suspect that this is a negotiating ploy. Salazar is likely to be the backup in center and left irrespective of who else signs. So the need is for a RH batter. Brown perhaps?
Viva Clemente!
by Roberto on Jan 27, 2009 4:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I hate to imagine that management would resort to a ploy to gain leverage on Emil Brown.
by Arnold Rothstein on Jan 27, 2009 4:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Sad, isn't it
But Emil’s problem is that he has a brutal split: an 812 OPS versus LHP and a 601 OPS versus RHP. Just fine for a platoon player, but pretty shabby for an everyday player.
Viva Clemente!
by Roberto on Jan 27, 2009 4:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Can he play
first base? Can he be taught? At least for a couple months he could take LaRoche’s (theoretically) tougher at-bats in the first half — “theoretically” because they’re all tough for LaRoche in the first half.
by bucdaddy on Jan 27, 2009 6:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
My sense is that it shouldn’t be that hard to find a lefty who can post better than an .812 OPS against righties. That’s just not a rare skill. Brown’s problem isn’t so much his platoon split, but the fact that he can’t hit anymore.
by Charlie on Jan 27, 2009 6:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
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