Church and not one, not two but maybe three relievers?
by Brakeman8 on Jan 13, 2010 1:31 AM EST
Email
Print
Interesting story in the PG today says the physical went well and the Ryan Church signing should be made official today. That will fill the 40 man roster. That fact could be holding up other signings. Would you believe three relievers? The story says Octavio Dotel and DJ Carrasco (on a minor league deal) could be close to becoming Buccos and that a third reliever (possibly Jamey Wright) could also be on the radar for a major league deal. Other potential targets should it not be Wright could be Kiko Calero (who I hope it is), Seth McClung, Brendan Donnelly, Chan Ho Park or Russ Springer. The third reliever will not be Kevin Gregg. Dotel would also be getting a major league deal meaning two roster spots would have to be opened. The release of a "bubble" player like Brian Bixler or Steve Pearce could happen or possibly a trade of a player without a position like Brandon Moss or Delwyn Young. Adding even just Dotel and Carrasco into the bullpen mix certainly seems like a positive move for 2010.
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.
67 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
just saw Dejan's article
That’d be a boost to the pen.
Very curious as to the 3rd signing- I doubt its Calero, because I don’t think the signing could have been kept that quiet, although I am astounded we haven’t heard more about him yet. I’d expect it to be someone who can start- Park or McClung. If not Calero, I hope its Park > Donnelly > McClung.
Park can start...
…but probably shouldn’t. His usage splits the last couple of years are pretty drastic. If they want a swingman, McClung’s a better bet there.
That said, Park is actually a pretty solid reliever, and as long as he was signed with the understanding that he’d be used that way, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.
I havent seen much of either McClung or Park. Purely from looking at their stats, Park seems a better bet, definitely for relieving, while the starting stats are not good for both… any reason for preferring McClung?
McClung had a solid run as a SP in '08.
12 starts: 4.24 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 50/29 K/BB in 63.2 IP.
Park, in contrast, has been pretty combustible when used in the rotation over the last few seasons, with a 5.78 ERA in 13 starts from ‘07-’09.
If we’re talking about a short reliever, Park’s your guy, but for a long man and sixth starter, I think McClung’s a better bet.
McClung
Is he the big ogre who dead “sprints” from the bullpen to the mound? If so then I totally hope they sign him. Lol. Thats entertainment.
"So you think 25 percent of the country is retarded?! Yea. Atleast 25 percent. Well lets so a sample. There are 4 of us an you're retarded. Thats 25 percent." Southpark; Mystery of the Urinal Deuce
by gorillakilla34 on Jan 13, 2010 5:47 PM EST up reply actions
We can follow McClung on Twitter; he’s a pretty frequent poster. Plus, it’s about time that we had an almost “Almost Heaven” Pirate on the team. I can’t think of anyone since Don Robinson.
Isn't that Grant Balfour?
They might both do it, but I’m pretty sure that Balfour’s the one known for that.
Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89
Why can't Mendy bust a long TD run? We could use it.
I'm almost certain it was McClung...
I saw a few Brewers games last year and I’m pretty sure it was him who ran from bullpen to mound as fast as he could.
"So you think 25 percent of the country is retarded?! Yea. Atleast 25 percent. Well lets so a sample. There are 4 of us an you're retarded. Thats 25 percent." Southpark; Mystery of the Urinal Deuce
by gorillakilla34 on Jan 13, 2010 10:27 PM EST up reply actions
Damn
I don’t want McClung then. ;)
"So you think 25 percent of the country is retarded?! Yea. Atleast 25 percent. Well lets so a sample. There are 4 of us an you're retarded. Thats 25 percent." Southpark; Mystery of the Urinal Deuce
by gorillakilla34 on Jan 14, 2010 10:45 PM EST up reply actions
Ill take anyone if
the other two are Dotel and Carrasco, it looks like the Pirates are building a mighty fine bullpen for next year IMO. Maybe if the starters are half decent then the buccos have a shot at medicore this season. I think the offense will be fine, its always the pitching in pittsburgh that has me worried.
I as well
Hope the third one is Calero, but I would be content if they could actually get DJ to sign a minor league deal and get Dotel for around 3 million. I would believe in this year’s pen more than last year’s if they get even those two guys.
I’m surprised that Carrasco will likely end up with a minor league deal here. He’s not a fantastic pitcher or anything, but you’d think he pitched well enough to at least get a roster spot somewhere.
I’ll never understand the general lack of interest in Calero. He’s at least as good as many relievers who have already signed fairly big deals. I like Brendan Donnelly as well. I doubt the Pirates will sign either pitcher, but they’d be my favorites.
It's tough out there...
…for a non-elite RH reliever. Just look at Al Reyes’s career.
If I were to guess, the slow market for Calero might be health-related.
Calero, Donnelly, Park, and maybe Springer look like the best options, along with the first two of Dotel and Carrasco.
I’m not impressed at all with Jamey Wright, who doesn’t look like an upgrade over what we had last year from here.
Park looked great in relief last year and 08, but his starts dragged his overall line down. But I could understand not wanting him as well.
by Adam Reynolds on Jan 13, 2010 8:19 AM EST up reply actions
The other difficulty w/ Park...
…is that Japanese players and Korean ones don’t always get along particularly well.
I don't think that's an issue
It’s sort of like saying black and white players don’t always get along particularly well.
It would be an issue if Park or Iwamura had a history of not getting along with Japanese/Korean teammates, but I’ve never heard anything like that about either one. Park pitched on the Dodgers with Nomo and they always seemed to get along quite well…they were hanging out in the bullpen together in one LA game I caught back in the day.
I've never heard anything specific either...
…but there’s a lot of long-term racial animus between Japan and Korea, and it shows up in NPB a lot more often than you’d think. For instance, calling an ump a “Korean” there is an ejectable offense, just like if you’d called him a mother****er. And there are American teams that have had troubles of that nature, like the 2000 Red Sox, who had Tomo Ohka and Sun Woo Kim getting into fistfights in the clubhouse.
Um, yeah…but we’re no talking about “Japan” and “Korea” as a whole, we’re talking about a specific Korean dude who’s been in the big leagues for 15 years, has been on teams with Japanese players for years at a time and never had any issues that I know of. I mean Carlos Silva was threatening to kick Ichiro’s ass last year, but that doesn’t mean Latin and Japanese players don’t mix. It just means that Carlos Silva’s an ass.
Bottom line is that there’s no reason Park’s status as a Korean should affect whether the Pirates pursue him, it should be strictly a baseball decision.
Japan didn't conquer Venezuela...
…and force hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan women to become sex slaves. It’s a totally different context.
And of course...
…it’s not like relations between Nomo and Park have always been nothing but rainbows and unicorn farts:
It may not be a problem, but if it’s going to be, I’d rather find out about it before signing both guys than after.
I mean really, you’re the guy that wanted to bring in Milton Bradley and now you’re worried about clubhouse chemistry?
C’mon, man!
It's a different thing.
Milton Bradley is manageable. A 125-year history of invasions, assassinations, kidnappings, slavery, and sexual abuse is… not, so much.
reminded me of this quote:
Sure, I’ve been called a xenophobe, but the truth is I’m not. I honestly just feel that America’s the best country and all the other countries aren’t as good. That used to be called patriotism.
by BlindSquirrel on Jan 13, 2010 7:13 PM EST up reply actions
I agree with Vlad
He’s not defending the fact that Koreans and Japanese are often at odds. He’s speaking about a reality that may be potentially harmful.
Regardless of how wrong prejudice is, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. And if it does exist, pushing it aside “because its wrong” isn’t a feasible solution.
It’s akin to saying you believe genocide isn’t right, and therefore ignoring it will fix it. It just doesn’t make any sense.
by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Jan 13, 2010 9:00 PM EST up reply actions
This might be ........
the silliest thread on here in a long time. Let’s assume that these guys have both proven that they are professionals and can get along in a ML clubhouse. We have absolutely no reason to believe otherwise.
Let’s not search for problems that don’t appear to exist.
Thank you, dtoddwin.
And yes, big tuna – I agree that that WAS what you were saying…
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Jan 14, 2010 8:37 PM EST up reply actions
Well,
that cocktails character is back from galavanting about the country. Who knows what laws were broken?
Man, it’s time for baseball. Can I just go to sleep and wake up in time for spring traning?
It’s not like the world will miss my labors or anything else.
Laws broken?
What are you implying, sir?
.
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Jan 14, 2010 9:52 PM EST up reply actions
It still upsets me...
that we seem intent on keeping Vasquez. I have no problems with moving DY or even Moss/Pearce for that matter but Vasquez seems like dead weight. It would be different if he were at least solid defensively.
I think theBucs Pen should be league-average next year if Dotel and Carrasco are both in and the third man is not bad.
Lopez is weak as the only lefty, which would be the biggest issue from my view.
If the third man is Calero and he is healthy, then it might even be above average. We would have Dotel, Hanrahan, Meek and Calero as the excellent choices, Carrasco as the long guy.
If you’ve got 4 excellent choices in the pen, that’s really not bad.
The left situation is still weak, but we’ll see who looks good in camp.
by MarkInDallas on Jan 13, 2010 12:26 PM EST up reply actions
That is a solid bullpen.
And if we get the starting pitching we got over the first two months or so last season, our whole staff will be pretty formidable. Our offense is still going to be weak IMO.
so we are brining in a WV boy to this team in Seth McClung sweet
Players who should be in the Hall of Fame: DIck Lebeau, Pat TIllman, Dwight White, Donnie Shell, L.C. Greenwood, Ray Guy, Steve Tasker, Greg Llyod, Andy Russel, Cris Carter, Kevin Greene and Jerry Kramer
"If you give Arians a fullback, he won’t use one. Instead, he insists on using Matt Spaeth, who probably doesn’t cast a shadow because it would require blocking sunlight." steelin with some very true words
Dotel AND Carrasco?
And someone else to boot? Sign me up.
I think that, after this, we can probably stop signing bullpen guys.
I mean, we’ve already gotten Lopez, Chulk, Ledezma, and Yates. Cotts too. And Vasquez and Burres, if longmen are your thing. Oh, and we traded for Jakubauskas too. And Claggett. We claimed Justin Thomas. And also, can’t forget we signed Taschner. Or Bass. Heh.
Seems every team should do this, every year. Considering the volatility of relievers, wouldn’t each team want to bring in swarms of arms every year to see who sticks?
Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89
Why can't Mendy bust a long TD run? We could use it.
Well,
We’ll see how it works out for us. Huntington is sure making a play to break the stigma that he’s never shown he can put together a decent bullpen.
by MarkInDallas on Jan 13, 2010 10:33 PM EST up reply actions
Most teams DO do it.
We did last year, too, to a certain extent (limited by the fact that we had fewer open jobs then than we do now). Unfortunately for us, last year most of our pen NRIs (like Bootcheck and Bautista) got their brains beat in when we needed them.
by Vlad on Jan 14, 2010 6:42 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Oh I was there
the day Chris Bootcheck had the nerve (or maybe JR told him to go out there; he may have been quaking in his shoes, or sleeping) to pitch to the Cardinals.
Brains beat in is such an understatement. My granddad (lifelong pirate fan) was laughing by the time Bootcheck was taken out. Laughing in pain and pity. The memory still haunts me to this day.
So ya about anyone.. lets say Vlad, Charlie, and WTM would be an improvement, so its great we got Dotel and Carrasco and whoever else should be improvements.
by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Jan 14, 2010 1:05 PM EST up reply actions
Not only that, but our depth signings this year like Vinnie Chulks are miles better than Bootcheck and Denny Bautista. That could be just as important later in the season.
by Adam Reynolds on Jan 14, 2010 1:21 PM EST up reply actions
Some are, some aren't.
As far as lefties, I only really like Lopez and Cotts, and Cotts isn’t going to be ready to pitch at the start of the year.
Carrasco - done deal
Minor league deal. He gets 950k if he makes the team plus 250K in potential bonuses. Seems like another good, safe deal.
just saw that
nice work by the pirates, they land dotel and that one other guy and i believe there bullpen can compete with the rest of the league
love the optimism
isn’t it amazing how we don’t even have a clue who the other guy is but here we are thinking, “Once we land that other guy, we will have a great pen!”
No sarcasm, btw, just saying- its a nice thing to observe the optimism around!
yeah well
if no one believes in the buccos, then why root for them. to be honest i wish i could just make everyone fill up pnc park each and every game. you see these teams play in front of the big home crowd and it makes them want to go out and put on a good performance. its sad that the pirates dont get the same treatment because they lose. maybe if they had more fan support they would win a few more games. you’d be surprised at what that can do for morale
I seem to be in the minority in thinking—and slightly preferring—it to be Donnelly to sign the third deal. Are people just down on him due to age concerns?
I can't find a link to a story
But Donnelly’s Wikipedia page says he signed with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Donnelly
Can anyone find confirmation on this?
I'm leery of him because he's a known PED guy.
And as such, more difficult to predict with any accuracy, since we don’t know exactly how much his performance was enhanced in the past.
On the other hand, he IS a former replacement player.
Which is kind of fun. I don’t think we’ve had one of those since Osik left.
I can buy that.
But I was more or less emphasizing that I thought he would be signed as the “mystery reliever.”
Looks like it's Donnelly
Not as good as Calero, but should give us a decent option. He’s been used as a 8th inning guy with the Marlins, but has been used as part of a closer by committee situation. His ball has some light sink on it, but not a ground ball pitcher. He induces lots of popups, but doesn’t appear to have pinpoint control most of the time. I’ve watched quite a few of his outings this afternoon, and they were neither overly impressive nor disastrous. I would say he’s probably the 4th best guy now in our pen assuming Dotel is signed: 1. Dotel/Hanrahan, 3. Meek, 4. Donnelly.
by MarkInDallas on Jan 16, 2010 4:16 PM EST up reply actions
The mystery reliever is officially narrowed down to the six previously mentioned names, per the Post Gazette: Jamey Wright, Seth McClung, Kiko Calero, Brendan Donnelly, Russ Springer, and Chan Ho Park (link). Also, Dejan has talked to an agent who said that Calero isn’t likely :(.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bucs Dugout
Related FanShots on Bucs Dugout
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
Baseball Nation Recent Stories
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Baltimore’s tradition of fans shouting ‘O!’ during national anthem sparks interleague feud
- Chris Perez follows rant against Cleveland fans with even better rant against Cleveland fans
- Pitcher Clayton Richard gets key pinch single in 13th after coming in 0 for 16
- Livan Hernandez welcomes ball boy to the bigs with shower of sunflower seeds (VIDEO)
- Man beaten by four others in Dodger Stadium parking lot
