"Untouchable"?

by ddff22 on Jun 4, 2009 10:48 AM EDT

From November of last year:

Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth, Paul Maholm, Matt Capps: These four are described as "as close to untouchable as it gets" for the Pirates.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/11/pirates-rumors.html

When the Bucs could have had multiple teams interested at the same time to get some competition for him, they shut off discussion. But come June 1, they take what I assume to be the very first offer from the Braves. The Yankees were looking to make a big push for McLouth last year, and they always are liberal with their prospects and young talent.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the managing editor (Charlie) or SB Nation. FanPosts are written by Bucs Dugout readers.

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Not accurate.

Pirates listed to offers on the “untouchables” but their asking price was considered too high at the time that negotiations were cut off. In relation to Atlanta DK has reportred on the Post-Gazette blog that the Bucs had been listening to offers with the Braves for a couple of weeks. They submitted a list of the three players we obtained and Frank Wren initially said no way, that’s too high a price. Wren came back yesterday and met our asking price and the trade was made. You can argue that the return wasn’t enough but from what is reported NH got what he wanted.

by Slick1 on Jun 4, 2009 12:08 PM EDT reply actions

Plus, the Yankees' offers traditionally suck.

They always have Melky Cabrera garbaging them up.

Stupid Melky. I wish they’d trade him, so the Yankees would stop trying to fob him off on us.

by Vlad on Jun 4, 2009 12:21 PM EDT reply actions

With this trade, how in the world is anybody supposed to believe anything the Pirates say? In DK’s piece today about the trade, it has Frank Coonelly’s quote about Nate being part of the commitment towards a winning product on the field. Well, that just flew out the window. Its just baffles me. The Pirates are the joke of professional sports right now, and this kind of stuff is the reason why. Lord, we better hope the Braves or Phillies or Red Sox or some other contending team doesn’t have their catcher suffer a season-ending injury because all they have to do is offer three prospects to the Pirates and Doumit will be gone! I know why they made the trade, but I still don’t like it. But NH and that front office have to live with the decisions they make. They have to look at themselves in the mirror every morning.

by mspirate on Jun 4, 2009 12:30 PM EDT reply actions

I reall would not be surprised...

to see Doumit dealt before the deadline if NH gets an offer he likes. Also wouldn’t be surprised if he went to the Red Sox.

by Slick1 on Jun 4, 2009 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Could be.

A team as bad as us needs to be ready to trade anyone, for the right price.

by Vlad on Jun 4, 2009 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions

No plan survives first contact with the enemy.

From what they’ve said, they didn’t plan on trading Nate until the Braves knocked them out with the offer that was accepted. When they said Nate was a part of their future, they didn’t anticipate getting an offer like that one.

by Vlad on Jun 4, 2009 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Glad to read that

Thanks Vlad,

I have been wondering about this all night. Good to see they got what they really wanted, and sold Nate when he was high. Stings because I really liked his hustle, but I guess it was inevitable.

If they can’t manage to trade Doumit this season – since he’s on the DL now until mid-July – do you think they’ll move him to 1B to generate more interest? I think he’s better suited for 1B than C, but with duality like that, he’d be a much more interesting trade option.

by Pensburgh Pirates on Jun 4, 2009 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions