Pirates, Nate McLouth Agree To Terms
by Charlie Wilmoth on Dec 7, 2011 12:01 AM EST
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PrintJudging from Ken Rosenthal's tweet, it sounds like it's a one-year, major-league deal, which is unfortunate. I assume it won't cost much, but again, if the Pirates non-tender Garrett Jones, who's a superior player at this point, that's a mistake. Of course, there's still the possibility that the Bucs will keep Jones, given that they don't know who their first baseman is going to be, and I'm hopeful that will be what happens.
In that case, signing McLouth isn't a huge mistake, but I'd still probably rather just roll the dice with some NRIs than give McLouth a major-league deal. It's a great move for McLouth, in that he gets to rejoin the one fanbase that will see him for anything other than what he is, which is a defensively-challenged outfielder with severe contact issues. His career is on life support. He hit .190 with the Braves in 2010, then - and this is the really scary part - only batted .234 after being demoted to Class AAA. Then he hit .228 with the Braves in 2011. I'm not saying his batting average is the best indicator of his value, obviously, only pointing out that a guy who provides little defensive value and repeatedly struggles to hit .230 as he heads into his 30s doesn't seem likely to contribute.
Maybe McLouth comes back to Pittsburgh, recovers a little bit of that 2008 magic, and helps out as a bench player. I'll be rooting for him. But it looks at least as likely to me that he joins with Clint Barmes, Rod Barajas and Pedro Alvarez to help the Pirates make a run at the modern record for lowest team batting average. I'm kind of kidding, but kind of not.
Anyway, I'm probably assigning too much significance to this move because it's McLouth, but I wouldn't be a fan of it regardless of who it was.
UPDATE: The Pirates will pay McLouth $1.75 million, which I think is way too much.
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I like it because:
The Pirates get: Charlie Morton, Jeff Locke, Gorkys Hernandez and 2.5 years later, Nate McLouth.
The Braves get:
You gotta aim high to fail so big. - Trace Beaulieu
Honestly, I think I like this formulation better:
The Pirates get: Charlie Morton, Jeff Locke, Gorkys Hernandez and 2.5 years later, Nate McLouth.
The Braves get:
by Charlie Wilmoth on Dec 7, 2011 12:25 AM EST up reply actions
You are such a pessimist.
Getting Nate the Great back is like the ’86 Mets getting Lee Mazzilli back. Except this will be way more awesome.
You gotta aim high to fail so big. - Trace Beaulieu
by IAPiratesFan on Dec 7, 2011 12:28 AM EST up reply actions
if you add the salaries in there
it will be more impressive.
Right. It’s already good! We should have quit while we were ahead.
by Charlie Wilmoth on Dec 7, 2011 1:05 AM EST up reply actions
Just to toss this in: I don’t know if it’s even possible, but I don’t think it would be stupid for Nate to try to play with lenses that correct him down to his pre-surgery vision.
by sanny manguillen on Dec 7, 2011 12:24 AM EST reply actions
Unless it's a different doctor now...
You gotta aim high to fail so big. - Trace Beaulieu
by IAPiratesFan on Dec 7, 2011 12:27 AM EST up reply actions
from twitter:
@northsidenotch
You know what would be awesome? If the Pirates agreed to a contract with McLouth only so they could tell him he failed their eye exam.
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Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Dec 7, 2011 12:27 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
If the Pirates use their original EYE CHART
with M-I-E-N-T-K-I-E-W-I-C-Z scattered about it, he probably would.
パトリック
Dirty Doug:
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Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Dec 7, 2011 9:04 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
As a founding member of "Nate's Mates" fan club...
…this is the greatest news ever. I don’t care how bad he stinks.
Nate McClouth, Clint Barmes AND Rod Barajas
Plan the parade.
Pittsburgh Sports: Creating sports history and legends since 1887.
Ovechkin-Leich-Semin: The greatest line in hockey..............................Tee Hee
by Bradley James McEachern on Dec 7, 2011 1:07 AM EST reply actions
I reserved the hotel room. I'm ready for it.
But I do that every year and cancel them the day the Pirates are eliminated from the playoffs.
You gotta aim high to fail so big. - Trace Beaulieu
Yeah.
I wait until they announce the dates for the World Series and add a couple days in case there’s rain.
You gotta aim high to fail so big. - Trace Beaulieu
by IAPiratesFan on Dec 7, 2011 11:53 AM EST up reply actions
A lefty off the bench
While this means Gorkys has to stay in AAA for a while longer, I think the Pirates may have had to do this for a lefty off the bench. Assuming a bench of McKenry, Hague (with Jones starting at 1B and Lee turning us down), Harrison, and a back up SS (hopefully not Ciriaco), we have to have a lefty as our 4th outfielder.
And looking at the realistic 4th outfielders out there, McLouth may be as good as it gets.
by SojourningPirate on Dec 7, 2011 1:50 AM EST reply actions
Anyone think Sean Burnett...
…will send an apology card to NH for his acting like a Grade-A jackass when they traded Nate?
It's just my two cents. Could be worth more, could be worth nothing.
Fuck
I hope this isn’t for more than $1M. Im sure it will be.
Should the Pirates keep Neal Huntington?
http://www.bucsdugout.com/2011/5/16/2174135/poll-should-huntington-be-retained
by Kosstic518 on Dec 7, 2011 7:33 AM EST via mobile reply actions
The one fanbase that will
will see him for anything other than what he is, which is a defensively-challenged outfielder with severe contact issues.
? I thought the Atlanta eye doctors took care of that?
What does that mean?!
Ba-DUM-Bump!
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Dec 7, 2011 9:16 AM EST up reply actions
This is scary:
But it looks at least as likely to me that he joins with Clint Barmes, Rod Barajas and Pedro Alvarez to help the Pirates make a run at the modern record for lowest team batting average. I’m kind of kidding, but kind of not.
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HOF
So does this mean he will definitively be wearing a pirates hat when he gets inducted into the HOF?
Yep.
Just need to get X-Man and J-Bay back here and they will all be inducted on the same day with Pirates hats on.
You gotta aim high to fail so big. - Trace Beaulieu
by IAPiratesFan on Dec 7, 2011 11:25 AM EST up reply actions
Heading into the offseason,
I thought the Overbay/Diaz disasters would slow NH down, and he wouldn’t chase any truly worthless players. “He should save money” “He should spend in 2013, when we have a team that can compete”, I repeatedly told myself.
…Huntington did the opposite. Barmes, Barajas, Betemit, McLouth, and who’s next, Jeff Francis? That’s probably 15 million dollars on 5 guys who we will hope to see get cut. Jose Reyes cost under 18MM, CJ Wilson will cost between 15 and 18…
Why not spend on players who will actually, you know, HELP YOU WIN?
I disagree on Reyes
There’s been no fanfare about other teams offering him similar money; it seems he took the biggest paycheck and signed it. I hear a lot about the Latin community in Miami, Ozzie Guillen, and the Marlins changing uniforms because Reyes likes wearing orange (did I make that up?); but in the end, it looks like Reyes took the most money. He took 6 years/$101… why wouldn’t he take 5 years/$100 million? It’s the same money and gets him back on the FA market in time for one last semi-big contract (age 33/34).
Finally, someone else
On my crazy train. How many of these same vanilla guys can you trot out before you break down and say “You know what, why don’t we just give Reyes $20 million?”
The problem with getting superstars (aside from the likelihood that they don’t want to play for the Pirates) is the years, not the money. Reyes was a nice get for the Marlins, but whether or not he’s going to be worth his contract in 2014 is 50/50, and he’s almost certainly not going to be worth it in the last couple years. The Pirates a) are not going to be competitive until Reyes starts being overpaid/crippled, and b) cannot afford to overpay players.
Or to put it another way: Reyes took $106M from the Marlins, so it’s unreasonable to think we could have gotten him for $20M.
I meant my earlier (and oft-criticized) ramblings that he’d be worth 5 years/$100 million to Pittsburgh.
sorry, but it needs to be oft criticized
mccutchen is never even going to get that amount as a pirate, so why in the flock would you think reyes would/could/should get that???
Cutch will be traded well in advance of FA.
We’d better enjoy his talents over the next couple of years while we can.
パトリック
I liked Nate when he was a Pirate before; back when he was kinda good
but I just really really don’t get this move at all. I get the need for OF depth, but there’s several better options
"Pitch me outside, I will hit .400. Pitch me inside, and you will not find the ball." - Roberto Clemente
such as... ?
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Dec 7, 2011 11:38 AM EST up reply actions
Didn't MacClowth's teammates build a shrine for him
and other traded Buccos like Hip-Hop back in ’09?
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Not really.
Relievers Sean Burnett and Jesse Chavez are fuming over how they’ve been portrayed by ESPN and other media for supposedly setting up a candle and “shrine” to Nate McLouth .
“It’s ridiculous. Blown way out of proportion,” Burnett said. “I’m waiting for an apology.”
Chavez said the candle was set up two weeks before McLouth was traded as a running joke about the players’ daily card game of Pluck. As long as Chavez and Burnett kept winning, the candle stayed lit at their lockers.
“It had nothing to do with the trade,” Chavez said. “It’s a friendly thing we had going on, an inside joke.”
Neither player was disciplined by the team and the candle and Pluck scoreboard remain at their lockers.
You gotta aim high to fail so big. - Trace Beaulieu
by IAPiratesFan on Dec 7, 2011 11:45 AM EST up reply actions
Damn it...I just can't get the spelling down...McLouth...there.
The pronunciation is tough too:
His last name is commonly mispronounced; the correct pronunciation rhymes with the word “mouth”, rather than the word “youth”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nate_McLouth
Whew…I’ll be sure not to mess that one up next time.
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$1.75 MM
Beertemple and Jen tweet
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Free your ass and your mind will follow.
Yeah, well... what can ya do?
I mentioned in the other thread that if it was more than $1MM, I’d be pissed, but what the hey.
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Dec 7, 2011 1:15 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, that just seems silly
for a guy we don’t especially need. I guess as a lefty bat, but….
If Jones gets non-tendered at this point, I’ll be seriously pissed.
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