Pirates Acquire Casey McGehee For Jose Veras
by Charlie Wilmoth on Dec 12, 2011 8:53 PM EST
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The Pirates have acquired third baseman Casey McGehee from the Brewers for reliever Jose Veras, Jenifer Langosch writes.
I'm not a huge Casey McGehee fan, and I love Veras' stuff - I'm pretty sure that if I were a Brewers fan, I would love this trade. (The Brewers no longer needed McGehee after signing Aramis Ramirez to start at third.) But I can see why the Pirates did it - I've been screaming as loud as anyone that the Bucs need an alternative to Pedro Alvarez, and McGehee, who at least was an above-average hitter in 2009 and 2010, provides one. (He was also hitting reasonably well in April of 2011, then hit really poorly for a couple months after spraining his thumb - I'm not sure if that means anything.) If, as we all hope, Alvarez doesn't completely crater, McGehee can be a useful bench player - in addition to third base, he can fake it at second and first as well.
The Pirates also have a bit of a logjam in their bullpen. I don't think they should have considered non-tendering Veras, whose breaking ball is a thing of beauty, but the fact that it was even a possibility suggests that they have enough in their 'pen to get by without him. Meanwhile, McGehee, who's entering his first year of arbitration, should be pretty cheap. I don't love this deal, but I certainly understand it.
It looks like Chris Resop, at least, can breathe a bit easier now, as this move appears to make it more likely he'll be tendered a contract.
UPDATE: Rob Biertempfel:
#Pirates GM says McGehee "gives us protection for Pedro and Garrett or can be starting option at 1b or 3b if one of them struggles"
It sounds like Jones will be tendered, and it sounds like the Pirates are beginning to settle on him as their starting first baseman.
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He’s only played a handful of major-league games at third, so I certainly hope this doesn’t have anything to do with Jones.
by Charlie Wilmoth on Dec 12, 2011 9:11 PM EST up reply actions
at first, you mean
Not actually affiliated with whygavs.
by WHYG Zane Smith on Dec 12, 2011 9:20 PM EST up reply actions
I mean, correct! Although he hasn’t played much right field, either.
by Charlie Wilmoth on Dec 12, 2011 9:30 PM EST up reply actions
(Beat me by about 30 seconds...)
Now watch Veras beat our azzes 3-4 times this year.
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
Looking at his stats
Thought he was better :/
Must have just been the whole “Every Brewer becomes an All Star against the Pirates” effect.
by ATribeCalledGreg on Dec 12, 2011 8:56 PM EST reply actions
If we got the 2009-2010 version of McGehee...
it’s a good move. If we got the 2011 version, we are likely to have a terrible platoon at one corner or the other.
We were likely to have a terrible platoon in one corner or the other already.
This will, at the very least, likely make it less terrible. At the very most, it makes it downright good.
www.stealingfirstbase.com
Blech
Basically, we’re giving up a useful player for a player who’ll be useful only after the season is already sunk.
Occupy MLB! Down with Seligula!
How was veras useful
Everytime i turned on a game, he was blowing it in the 8th inning
Maybe you should have watched the rest of the games. :)
by Charlie Wilmoth on Dec 12, 2011 9:06 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Veras
Did have some bad outings at the end of the year, but he was fantastic prior to the All Star break and was key at holding the bullpen together all season.
Yep.
He had a coupla bad outings in the 2nd half (as did the whole team), but man, was he lights-out in the first 4 months…
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Dec 14, 2011 8:15 AM EST up reply actions
I agree with Crusade. While the stats may make the counter argument, every time I attended or watched a game (plenty), Veras was creating a lot of drama on the mound.
which should tell you why the eye test sucks
esp when u dont watch everey game
by BurgherKing on Dec 13, 2011 10:49 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Oh.
Man, I hate when you don’t like trades and stuff. Makes me worried and stuff.
You gotta aim high to fail so big. - Trace Beaulieu
by IAPiratesFan on Dec 12, 2011 9:54 PM EST up reply actions
I would have been ok with non-tendering Veras
but giving him to the Brewers? Ughh..
Interesting splits...
2009 vs LHP .303/.404/.461 vs RHP .301/.345/.511 1st half .329/.387/.541 2nd half .282/.342/.469
2010 vs LHP .316/.358/.589 vs RHP .274/.330/.420 1st half .274/.342/.455 2nd half .298/.332/.474
2011 vs LHP .169/.228/.185 vs RHP .239/.295/.393 1st half .223/.279/.594 2nd half .224/.281/.393
Well, the BABIP is encouraging.
He probably won’t rebound to his 2009 season, but 2010 looks attainable.
www.stealingfirstbase.com
He hadf some of the worst luck in terms of ball placement.
He hit plenty of balls hard, they just seemed to go straight at people way more often than you would think is sustainable.
Packers: Working on a dynasty.
Blackhawks: Taking care of business as usual.
Badgers:Back-to-back B1G Champions!
Brewers: Move along, nothin' to see here.
This is a good move. We need someone to play 3B while Alvarez is at Indy again,
McGehee could also do some work against lefties and play 1B too.
パトリック
So let the spelling bee begin on BD
Casey McGehee and Nate McLouth.
パトリック
6 "Mc's"
McCutchen (x2)
McLouth
McKenry
McGehee
MacDonald
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Dec 12, 2011 9:16 PM EST up reply actions
Freaky
Very appropriate for Scots-Irish Pittsburgh, though.
Not that the first or last person on your list likely has a lot of Scots or Irish in him. Ahem.
We're starting...
the Irish National Baseball Team…or so it looks as a snapshot of the roster ;-)
I thought J-Mac
was a MacDonald too but BB-Ref has him as McDonald…
by KentuckyPirate on Dec 12, 2011 9:52 PM EST up reply actions
Why didn't Kevin McClatchy ever do this?
by SuperBaes on Dec 12, 2011 11:37 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
We even had
McClendon, fer chrissakes…
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Dec 13, 2011 7:58 AM EST up reply actions
Or is it McLatchy?
Occupy MLB! Down with Seligula!
by WTM on Dec 13, 2011 12:58 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
How
is this nothing but a great move? McGehee put up 3.3 WAR two years ago, is fairly young as he just turned 28, and is controlled for 2 more years after this one.
We gave up a bullpen arm for that, even if he was our second best bullpen arm.
by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Dec 12, 2011 9:17 PM EST reply actions
I like it as well.
Proud fan of Pittsburgh's professional sports teams and the Pirates too.
by Black&GoldTrain on Dec 12, 2011 10:05 PM EST up reply actions
Great Move
Totally agree with you. Even with his awful year last year, he still had the 3rd most homeruns, rbis and total bases out of any of the pirates. This is an absolute steal by the pirates, and exactly the type of trade they need to make, Buy low sell high. If we had made this trade after the 2010 season im sure the attitude towards it would be a lot different… Correction* he just turned 29.
don't care for this move
Coming off a pretty inspiring year last year I must say this offseason has been very uninspiring. NH has to get more creative and bring in some impact players…
He's doing pretty well with limited resources and the impact of two decades of losing, Jerry.
All the while they are continuing to build the club long-term the right way through the draft and the Latin America market.
パトリック
It may not be on par with
Ruth traded (or sold to) the Yankees, but we get a decent bench player, or known dependable replacement if Pedro implodes but we get a (career average) 3.5 WAR player at the cost of a 1.6 (career average) WAR pitcher.
And a new advertising slogan – McCutcheon, McGehee, and McLouth (oh my)….
What does that mean?!
Being a RH batter...
I expect that Hurdle will plan to play McGehee pretty much every day against LHP, unless the 2011 numbers against LHP were the real deal. Probably some at 1B and some at 3B. Fangraphs says he was a butcher at 3B in 2009-2010 and reasonable in 2011.
-8 and -4 UZR implies a little below average. Butcher would be more like -15. Anyway, a single season of UZR data should never be used if multiple seasons are available, because the data doesn’t stabilize that quickly. Safer to say that McGehee is overall slightly below average.
by Monkeyking42 on Dec 12, 2011 9:28 PM EST up reply actions
Mixed feelings on this deal
I was one of Veras’ biggest fans. Absolutely loved his stuff. Those that are saying otherwise, I’m curious as to what the hell you were watching. Did he have some bad outings, yes, but such is life as a reliever. IMO, he was their best pen arm not named Hanrahan. I wanted them to tender him and was afraid he was going to be the one left out. At least with this trade the Bucs got something for him.
Looking at McGehee, he is what he is. His first 2 years he OPSed over 800+ with well over .300 OBP. As Thunder posted above, his BABIP is all over the map. Last year was horrendous for him. I would find it hard to believe that he will repeat that performance to be honest. If he can get back to form and put up a .330 OBP, .800 OPS and normalize his BABIP to somewhere around .300, he will step in as the second best hitter on the team. His defense has improved by leaps and bounds, simply looking at his UZR numbers at 1B and 3B.
After writing all that and looking at some numbers, I’m sold. Looks like a really good deal.
by pskell02 on Dec 12, 2011 9:20 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, seriously
I was thinking in the $600-800k range.
But hey, it’s all loose change to Nutting, amirite?
Any chance we can take that first “e” in “McGehee” and insert it into Maholm’s name, before Paul signs somewhere else?
by sanny manguillen on Dec 12, 2011 9:24 PM EST reply actions
Then we can nickname him “The Golem”
by Charlie Wilmoth on Dec 12, 2011 9:31 PM EST up reply actions
Jones/Evans, Walker, Barmes and McGehee:
We could do worse.
パトリック
thnx for the spell D. Lee
“enjoy your retirement”
Looks like a Jones / McGehee platoon at 1b for 2012
This may mean Gorkys has a chance to stick with the opening day big league club (with Nate now as the fourth OF)
I'm fine with this.
Talent for talent, it’s a meh trade. I liked Veras for sure, and he’s a nice addition for the Brewers as a 7th inning guy (considering they have a $14M setup guy). But by and large, they dealt from a position of relative strength to fill a position of need. McGehee’s not great, but he’s young, pretty cheap, and won’t make me throw up in my mouth when I see his name in the lineup.
Fine with it
By and large I like the idea of trading relievers for position players with limited upside. However, Veras’s numbers seem to be on a positive trend over the past 3 years, so there is some reason to pause.
I love this move.
Pedro insurance was needed and this was better than most realistic alternatives. He’s got enough versaltility to be of use in case Pedro starts to hit (and what a wonderful problem to have that would be).
Not being a Brewers follower…I wonder if something may have been wrong physically with him last season. He only missed a few games, but those numbers seem like a large departure from anything he’s done in the minors or majors.
One thing about last year
Is that he saw a lot fewer fastballs than before. I guess pitchers figured out that he’s not very good at hitting breaking stuff. Sounds like Casey has some adjustments to make.
http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/hey-didnt-you-used-to-be-casey-mcgehee/
a .249 BABIP will do that to you...
Love this trade. Got a very serviceable, affordable player with bounce back potential for a relief pitcher we would have had to pay $2mm to keep, and would probably have non-tendered.
www.drstrangeglove.com
Neither are sure bets
But I would rather take a chance on a potential everyday player than a reliever.
The problem with this team
is that nothing exciting really ever happens during the offseason. Albeit, im a young fan with only a few years of legitimate time following the team, but I mean come on. Erik Bedard is our biggest offseason move. Really? I don’t think a Erik Bedard or even a Erik Bedard and Clint Barmes duo is going to draw many more fans to the stadium Neal. You need to make a legitimate move to get people out to the stadium, make some money and spend it on legitimate players. Come on now.
Actually
I’m really pleasantly surprised we got someone with as much upside as Bedard.
I don’t think a Erik Bedard or even a Erik Bedard and Clint Barmes duo is going to draw many more fans to the stadium
I don’t think too many fans come specifically to see certain players. If the team is winning, they draw more. If those guys provided NH’s best chance to add a few wins without screwing the future, then it was a good move.
Tell that to Cole/Taillon/Bell/Marte/Heredia when they come up
Those guys will all draw in fans that want specifically to see them play, so long as they live up to their potential.
I categorically disagree with Crusade regarding what they should do. Signing the guys the Bucs did is a definite step forward. Add McGehee in as a positive improvement as well (re. Harrison). As much as he and guys like Smizik (not comparing you of course) want to see big named guys come in, it just isn’t going to happen. The sooner everyone realizes that, the better off we will all be. Now, if this team goes on to have 3-4 winning seasons in a row and contend for a championship or 2, then yes, big name guys may start to think twice about offers from the Bucs. But until then, we have to live with the Bedard’s, Barmes’, and McGehee’s of the world. And I think we will all agree that those guys are better than the Diaz’s and Overbay’s.
People will want to see them at first
but it only stays that way if they succeed. If not, then the fans stop coming. On the other hand, they will pack the house to watch Kevin Correia as long as he’s pitching well.
by KentuckyPirate on Dec 12, 2011 10:25 PM EST up reply actions
Those guys will all draw in fans that want specifically to see them play, so long as they live up to their potential.
Maybe, but I definitely think that many fans (certainly not just you) really overestimate that effect.
Pedro and Cutch are easily the two highest-touted prospects we’ve called up in the last five years. Did either of their callups correspond to a big boost in attendance? Certainly more interest in that particular game or series, but I don’t recall either player really affecting attendance over the course of a season.
The fact is that the vast majority of the people who buy tickets are simply not as involved and interested in the team as the average BD poster. They’re more likely to buy tickets when the team is winning — even if, like Kentucky says — it’s someone as relatively unglamorous as Correia pitching. That’s not meant to be a knock on the fans — it just means that if you’re a casual fan, you’re naturally going to be more interested in a good time and a good result than seeing highly touted prospects.
For clairity sake
I was more so referring to the specific days that Cole/Taillon/Heredia pitch. I would have to assume that they would draw a lot of casual fans, similar to what Strasburgh did in Washington. Marte and Bell will bring some as well, but not as many and spread out. I don’t think any 1 person is going to increase interest in the whole team for a season+. Once the team starts winning consistently, the attendance will boom.
maybe you're right
I hope you’re right.
I’m sure there will be a bit of an attendance bump when those guys pitch for the first time. I just don’t think it’ll necessarily be equivalent to the “Strasberg Effect.” Strasberg was almost universally viewed as one of the best talents of his generation, and ESPN specifically televising his first start raised the hype level even higher.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think ESPN is going to schedule a special broadcast for Taillon’s first MLB game. And casual Pittsburgh fans have seen too many “can’t miss” prospects miss spectacularly that I don’t think you’ll see a big attendance boost until there’s a better chance of seeing a W than an L.
+ This
Sorry to say pskell02 but media guys like Smizik and Cook continue to stoke the fire with casual Pirates fans making them believe that high dollar FA’s ARE available to us and its just that Nutting is too cheap to get them. That is a completely unprofessional line of reasoning and I know these guys have to sell papers or garner attention to 93.7 the fan, but its complete crap.
But until then, we have to live with the Bedard’s, Barmes’, and McGehee’s of the world. And I think we will all agree that those guys are better than the Diaz’s and Overbay’s.
Truthfully, that is yet to be seen. This could just be another round of disappointing vets. But, my hopes are much higher for this latest batch of guys.
Put on your dancin' shoes.
Wonder if the Brewers know...
that they traded for 2 relievers…Good Veras and Bad Veras.
Their plan is to cut Bad Veras in Spring Training. Then the National League is screwed.
by Charlie Wilmoth on Dec 12, 2011 9:39 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Oh, come on now . . .
We know how this goes. The Brewers will only get Good Veras. That’s just how it works.
I'd be lying
if I said that didn’t occur to me. Would it really surprise anybody that much if Axford and K-Rod get hurt and Veras winds up with 30 saves and 10 K/9?
by KentuckyPirate on Dec 12, 2011 10:28 PM EST up reply actions
That said
I still think it’s a good “risk” for us to take.
by KentuckyPirate on Dec 12, 2011 10:29 PM EST up reply actions
jinxjinxjinx
I would be happy if those two went down, I can’t imagine their replacement 7th and 8th guys would be near as good.
I like it.
McGehee’s BB and K rates last year were more or less in line with his career averages, so his plate discipline wasn’t hurting him. If he can fix his batted ball profile a little (that is, not yank so many grounders to the left side), he should be a very solid bench bat at worst.
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
ARE YOU F#$%ING KIDDING ME!!!! ADAMS!!! JESUS TAPDANCING CHRIST YOU HAD 24 SQUARE FEET AND YOU MISSED IT ALL!! - OlenWhitaker
Certified Grabbo Lover, though only by accident.
Total Internet Points: 9001
I wonder...
…how well McGehee will mesh in the locker room. It’s not like there hasn’t been some love lost between Pirate players and the Brewers. Lets hope everyone can handle this well.
MLBTradeRumors...
was estimating Veras arby number at $2.5M and McGehee at $3.1M. So payroll went up a little.
Nutting is cheap!
Wait, what?
You gotta aim high to fail so big. - Trace Beaulieu
by IAPiratesFan on Dec 12, 2011 9:43 PM EST up reply actions
I don't hate it.
I’m not gonna lose any sleep worrying about not having Veras next year. Furthermore, if his decline last year was injury related, maybe McGehee can provide a good bat, either starting or on the bench.
So yeah, I’d say it’s a pretty even trade.
You gotta aim high to fail so big. - Trace Beaulieu
I wouldnt lose any sleep
worrying about the Pirates even if we had xavier paul as the new “ace” of our rotation.
Seems like a good trade
McGehee could easily break out again and provide huge value at either 1B or 3B. Chances are Veras is never going to gain enough control to not walk a lot of batters.
I like this trade...
But I’m still pissed that there is no reason to believe that we were interested in Aram. I find the roughly $12m/year deal he took with Milwaukee reasonable – it is the sort of deal the Pirates should be dying to make. I’d be understanding if Aram rebuked our overtures, but I’ve seen nothing in that regard.
There is time left and I will be open minded, but the starters on this team are not good enough for the sole focus to be on platoon/bench players.
Good day.
they might have pursued him if they were gonna give up on Pedro; but it's too soon for that
"Pitch me outside, I will hit .400. Pitch me inside, and you will not find the ball." - Roberto Clemente
by michaelbro8 on Dec 12, 2011 10:05 PM EST up reply actions
agree with this
If you’re going to pay Aram big money, he needs to play every day.
Are you ready to sit Pedro full-time, UncleNate? Just wondering, not trying to be snarky. Or would you try Pedro at 1B?
If you signed A Ram and moved Pedro to 1B, what happens in year three when A Ram can’t move well enough to play 3B?
Pray that Dickerson or Curry pan out and are capable of doing it :p
I don’t think we should have even considered Aram to be totally honest. He is old, left on bad terms (Bucs fault not his), and blocks a guy that everyone agrees that we need to be successful to compete going forward.
he was talking about 3B
i guess we just leave it unmanned and only pitch to the left handers
by white angus on Dec 12, 2011 10:26 PM EST up reply actions
Curry could probably handle it, in the same sense that Pearce could (that is, only is an emergency). Dickerson throws left-handed, so he can’t.
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
ARE YOU F#$%ING KIDDING ME!!!! ADAMS!!! JESUS TAPDANCING CHRIST YOU HAD 24 SQUARE FEET AND YOU MISSED IT ALL!! - OlenWhitaker
Certified Grabbo Lover, though only by accident.
Total Internet Points: 9001
Lol, gotcha.
I’ve heard people seriously mention Curry as a potential 3B option, though, so I guess that’s why it didn’t set off the joke detector when I first read it.
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
ARE YOU F#$%ING KIDDING ME!!!! ADAMS!!! JESUS TAPDANCING CHRIST YOU HAD 24 SQUARE FEET AND YOU MISSED IT ALL!! - OlenWhitaker
Certified Grabbo Lover, though only by accident.
Total Internet Points: 9001
I'm not ready to give up on Pedro
But I’d happily move him to 1B now to make room for Aram. With a deal as reasonable as that which Aram signed with the Brewers, the Bucs could afford to worry about his 2014 defense in 2014.
Good day.
FWIW
I’m fine with this move, although I don’t love it. Probably in the win-win category – we need McGehee more than we do/did Veras, the Brewers didn’t really need him (although they may regret this if Aramis shows his age). I like McGehee’s upside, although I think I dubbed him the Brewers’ Jones before he tanked in ‘11 – not as old, obvs, but a guy with little pedigree and some MLB success, but no one you’d rely on for 162 starts- as the Brewers found out last year.
soooooooooo
McGehee = Jones
then McGehee + Jones = 2 * Jones?
therefore 2 * Jones = real MLB 1B?
Thats what she said! - Michael Gary Scott
One good season by veras
Got some arb yrs of a corner if I say good move and dont think veras will repeat his success just like ronny wont they played well last year but neither is joey bats I forgot what I was saying
by tbote123 on Dec 12, 2011 10:08 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I personally love this move
I was hopin Neal would pick him up after he was non tendered. But this works as well. And as good as Veras was last year, everytime he went out to the mound I cringed just knowing he could walk 4 guys straight.
We get a great bounce back candidate for a reliever we weren’t going to keep anyway. IMO great move. If he sucks you cut him and ur out a few mill no big deal. I’m willing to bet he bounces back and become usefull. Clap clap
Big grilli fan also he was solid the 2nd half and is a great guy
age of last winning season: 5
by Bobby Hill on Dec 12, 2011 10:14 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I like Veras (one of the few here that do), but I like McGehee more
I’d make this trade every time, relievers are only so valuable. McGehee has the potential to be a 1.0-2.0 WAR guy with a normal BABIP if he played a full season, and we don’t nearly have enough of those when it comes to position players. Huntington is the master of finding and flipping MRs.
Should the Pirates keep Neal Huntington?
http://www.bucsdugout.com/2011/5/16/2174135/poll-should-huntington-be-retained
Heyhey
Positive vibes from kosstics. it must be a good deal.
age of last winning season: 5
by Bobby Hill on Dec 12, 2011 10:21 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
this is the busiest offseason in NH's term and some are still griping about everything!!!!!
fuck it all… lets punt this bitch already
bring back Eye Chart
That will make them happy. He’s scrappy.
by Brakeman8 on Dec 12, 2011 10:30 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Why not
Delyn Young while we’re at it?
by BlindSquirrel on Dec 13, 2011 9:19 PM EST up reply actions
Dirty Doug
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Dec 14, 2011 8:17 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah Im down
you can totally tell 2012 is going to be a punt year, its pretty obvious at this point now.
Thats what she said! - Michael Gary Scott
one more SP and the punting will be official
by white angus on Dec 12, 2011 10:33 PM EST up reply actions
The only way for Neal Huntington to truly prove that he wasn't punting...
would be to have been to keep last year’s entire 90-loss team intact for this year.
Obviously, he has no interest in making this team better.
FWIW
most of the comments on the MLBTR thread seem to favor the pirates in this deal. at least the wisdom of crowds likes it.
i think we dealt from a position of surplus for a position of need. 90 minutes from now, as the highest projected salary of our arb-eligible relievers, there’s a solid chance we would lose veras for nothing.
I definitely like this deal. As Charlie mentioned, the Pedro insurance was pretty much a necessity.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Neal Huntington, it’s that his teams don’t stand pat, lots of new faces every year.
Look at how much the opening day line-ups have changed…
Last pre-NH year (2007): Duffy (CF), Wilson (SS), Bay (LF), LaRoche (1B), Paulino ©, Nady (RF), Bautista (3B), Castillo (2B), Duke (P)
2008: McLouth (CF), Sanchez (2B), Bay (LF), LaRoche (1B), Nady (RF), Doumit ©, Bautista (3B), Wilson (SS), Snell (P)
2009: Morgan (CF), Sanchez (2B), McLouth (CF), Doumit ©, LaRoche (1B), LaRoche (3B), Moss (RF), Wilson (SS), Maholm (P)
2010: Iwamura (2B), McCutchen (CF), Jones (RF), Doumit ©, Milledge (LF), Clement (1B), LaRoche (3B), Duke (P), Cedeno (SS)
2011: Tabata (LF), Walker (2B), McCutchen (CF), Overbay (1B), Alvarez (3B), Doumit ©, Jones (RF), Cedeno (SS), Correia (P)
2012 (???): Presley (LF), Tabata (RF), McCutchen (CF), Jones (1B), McGeehee (3B), Walker (2B), Barajas ©, Barmes (SS), Bedard (P)
AZ non-tenders Micha Owing
Maybe we should grab him for a bench bat. .820 career OPS and 106 wRC+ :p
Weren’t we talking about him as a potential trade candidate last year?
Sprained thumb
A sprained thumb takes what, 4-6 weeks to heal? McGehee hit .278 in March/April. He sprained his thumb on April 26 against the Reds. The next 2 months he hit .199. He then went on to hit .253 in July and .260 in August. Now he did go in the tank in September only hitting .132 but I think you can at least explain the miserable May and June he had.
He seems like a solid bounce back candidate to me.
It would take 4-6 weeks...
if you weren’t aggravating it by playing every day.
True
So we shouldnt have any reason to believe that McGehee’s production last year is what we should expect out of him from now on. If he’s given adequate playing time he should be a solid addition to Bucs.
wrote this at like 2 PM about Casey on another thread
overall – as former NHL coaching great Michele Therrien used to say "I am not impress"
however, he would be a nice backup plan with upside plus nice RH bat counter for Pedro and our bench if they’re just going to GIVE HIM AWAY (which i doubt they will). he doesn’t walk nearly enough for my personal liking and also seems to be a buffoon. On the positive side, he doesn’t strike out a TON but strikes out a bit. He’s prob somewhere in the middle of his very good 2009-2010 and his awful last year.
dont know how his defensive WAR shot up so much last year after being very negative and also looking very negative to me
Pujols or bust!
“Pujols or bust in 2021!”
Get it done NH!!
Thats what she said! - Michael Gary Scott
NH won't be here in 2021
If he does poorly, he’ll be fired long before then. If he does well, another team will pay him more money.
Now's the time!
The Angels still owe him $250M! They’re going to want to dump that contract!
that being said
this is kind of what i meant by ‘giving him away’. I am a Veras fan also, but McGehee is a wonderful bounceback candidate. A middle reliever that got signed off the scrap heap for a player one year removed from a 3.6 WAR season? good deal. I’ve also read that McGehee is not a buffoon but i was kind of joking about that anyway.
Funny to hear people mention McGehee being terrible last year....
because the scary thing is that even with McGehee’s awful hitting last year, his OPS was STILL 65 points higher than Alvarez.
As seems to be the case with any deadline...
the Pirates seem to wait until the very last minute (or later) to make announcements.
my initial reaction was meh
but the more time i spend thinking about it, the more i like it. Veras could (and probably will) flip a switch someday and become an elite shutdown reliever, but for now, I prefer McGehee…
This is a good move.
For several reasons..
1. Relievers are replaceable, especially considering NH has shown a surprisingly strong ability to build the bullpen year to year.
2. McG is a decent player that’s still in his prime. An 800-850 OPS wouldn’t/shouldn’t be shocking to anyone. Yes, it’s possible he’s more like the 2011 player again, but Veras is well worth that risk.
3. Pedro Insurance. Hopefully, this won’t be a factor, but if atrocious Pedro shows up again, we’ll be glad to have a guy that can hit for a less-awful 650 OPS.
PUNTING!
Pirates said to be leaders for Wei Yin Chen .. we are the Ray Guy’s of MLB!
by patient pirate on Dec 12, 2011 11:46 PM EST reply actions
it IS Oprah day in Pittsburgh!
You get a contract…and YOU get a contract and you get a contract and wait, aren’t you Pedro Ciriaco? No contract for you.
I love this deal
Veras had a nice year last year, but if things line up perfectly, he’s the 7th inning guy. I don’t like Casey McGehee, but he’s a good bat to be had that cheaply. He was putrid last year, but it looks like more of a blip (low BABIP with similar K%, BB%, and LD%). I think 2010 is more of what to expect (.285/.337/.464). Plus he’s under control for two more years. Huge win for the Bucs.
You lost me there
You don’t like the guy, but your also calling it a huge win. How does that work? If he returns to his 2010 numbers, which were pretty damn good by the way, I would be thrilled to have him starting at the hot corner or 1B regularly.
It's like rooting for a former Cleveland Brown
Even when you objectively know it’s a good pickup, it’s hard to root for him.
Great Move
Dealing from a position of strenght (bullpen) to solidify an area of weakness (1st and 3rd). I really hope Pedro is working on his game and comes in with some confidence. I think there is a strong possibiltiy that he will be a bust. McGehee is at least serviceable and is likely to show some power from a corner position. By no means a long term answer if Alvarez is a bust, but after his performance last year signing a legit backup was must. I like Veras, but he threw a lot of innings. I don’t know how much longer his arm will holdup, so I think this was a very solid move.
Casey is an awesome person
and if you guys let him, he’ll become a fan favorite. I really hope he turns it around and gets back to putting up stats, save for 12-14 games a year. Treat him right guys, he’s a good dude.
Packers: Working on a dynasty.
Blackhawks: Taking care of business as usual.
Badgers:Back-to-back B1G Champions!
Brewers: Move along, nothin' to see here.
As I said above
he had possibly the worst luck I’ve ever seen on a baseball field. He made solid contact more often than not on balls in play, but it seemed like they flew straight at the defender instead of finding the gaps they did two seasons ago. I’d expect a pretty good turnaround, the kind of bad luck he had isn’t sustainable unless you piss off some sort of cosmic power, and he’s too nice of a guy for that.
Packers: Working on a dynasty.
Blackhawks: Taking care of business as usual.
Badgers:Back-to-back B1G Champions!
Brewers: Move along, nothin' to see here.
the .249 BLEEBLOPBABLIPY says it all
by white angus on Dec 13, 2011 6:44 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
we'll get to you yet, angus
Not actually affiliated with whygavs.
by WHYG Zane Smith on Dec 13, 2011 10:09 AM EST up reply actions
I believe I read somewhere that last year McGehee's kid was having health issues...
Could be the reason for a drop-off, in addition to the thumb. I don’t care who you are, a sick kid is enough to take you out of the game mentally.
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the goddamn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
-Earl Weaver
the bench
I could see the bench is almost set, if they carry 12 hitters, the 4 bench spots would look like: McKendry (the backup catcher), McLouth (the 4th outfielder), Navarro (the UT man, though I think Nunez will be sent back anyway), McGehee (1B/3B and RH platoon).
I like it......
…a potential everyday player and impact bat for reliever….we traded from a position of strength and filled a position(s) of need…..what’s not to like here??
by Marooned Pirate on Dec 13, 2011 9:30 AM EST reply actions
Agreed
A reliever, the most easily replaceable position in the game, for a youngish, cost controlled 3B/1B(?).
by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Dec 13, 2011 11:22 AM EST up reply actions
Only really becomes a bad move
If the Pirates fail to sign or trade for a legit option for 1B. Jones/McGehee/Hague all have the pedigree to be on an MLB roster, and even see some starts, but the Pirates really need the offensive output typically seen from the 1B position, and there appears to be those types of players on the trade market.. .
In retrospect...
Garret might be an alright option strictly v, RHP at 1B.. With some combination of Fox/Evans/McGehee v. LHP… but it’d still be nice, and probably smart to try to capitalize on some potential “diamonds in the rough”so to speak with the 1B trade market.
I’d rather trade Tabata in a deal for a bat at 1B and have Garret get some at bats in RF… The problem with this before was the Pirates probably had limited options for the two top spots in the order, but some combination of Walker, Jones(v. rhp) and McGehee(v, lhp) would suffice..
Best Bench in a while
I do think adding McGee gives us the best bench we have had in a while. McGee and Navarro provide actual hitting ability and McClouth, well, he is left handed.
This also means our AAA infield is Hague, D’Arnaud, Mercer, and Harrison. Not a bad infield down there either. Add in Gorkys Hernandez and the Pirates may actually have depth going into a year. Wow.
by SojourningPirate on Dec 13, 2011 11:45 AM EST reply actions
And the umpteenth McClouth... heh
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Dec 14, 2011 8:19 AM EST up reply actions
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