Bucs Dugout: FanPosts

Pirates rotation next year

2009-11-06T20:25:03Z

So the first three spots in the rotation, baring trades of course, are pretty much set with Maholm, Ohlendorf and Duke taking the three locks up. But what abou the rest. Free Agency starts soon and there are going to be some serviceable number 4 and number 5 guys out there.

I think Morton is going to be in the rotation baring injury. I'd like to see him in more of 5th starter role rather than the number 4 guy. Here are my candidates for the Pirates (Free Agent/Trades/Already in the organization)

Brett Myers: Told today by the Phillies they aren't pursuing a contract with him. Myers would be relatively cheap and could bring an experienced arm to our rotation. He'd be a number 4 starter if we get him.

Daniel McCutchen: Impressed a little bit at the end of the year in his September Callup. I like him more as a long relief type but I don't think the Pirates Management see it that way. Will be in spring training vying for the fifth starter job with Veal, Hacker, Karstens,Hart and whoever else they bring in

Kevin Hart: Was the Pirates 5th starter once acquired at the trade deadline. was very unimpressive but looks like the frontrunner for the 5th starter job. Would really like to see him as a middle reliever though I think he can be a very solid MR. He was lights out for Iowa Cubs outta the bullpen.

Donnie Veal: Pitched ok out of the bullpen this year but at times look like he didnt belong in the big leagues this year. The looks like he's on the outside looking in on the rotation for next year and will start the season at AAA and will be called up when hes ready or someone in the rotation goes on the DL.

Virgil Vazquez: More than likely not going to even make the opening day roster. Was bad when he pitched this year in the big leagues with a few good outings. He's in the same situation as Veal is.

Rich Harden: Cash would be a reason that he wont come, also might not want to play for a perennial loser. But Pittsburgh could be appealing for Harden because hed be an ace on the staff and he could pitch for Joe Kerrigan. Longshot this happens at best.

Jason Marquis: Marquis could be enticing to Huntington because he will be reasonably priced and might be as sought after as Harden or Lackey. He's familiar with the NL Central with his time with the Cubs and again Joe Kerrigan could be an enticing option for him. Another longshot but not as much of a long shot as Harden.

I didnt put Brad Lincoln in this list because hes going to start at AAA and will be a september callup next year.

What do you think? Did I miss anyone?

Rich Harden

2009-11-06T20:12:30Z

My bad if this ground has already been covered.... but would Harden be a good move for the Pirates? his contract is going to be hard to predict, given his injury issues, but say for a two-year contract? The Pirates have enough spare payroll lying around that they could afford the risk, say 7 mil for two years, with some incentives?

On a simlar note, how about Ben Sheets? He'd probably be worthless until midseason or later, but who is better positioned right now than the Pirates, to take a risk like that? Risk: waste some money, and burn a roster spot while he shows he's toast. Upside: Get an ace for cheap.

JJ Hardy traded to the Twins!

2009-11-06T17:58:24Z

Wow the hot stove season has gotten off to an early start. The Tehan trade was finally made official and I just read on MLBTradeRumors.com that JJ Hardy has been dealt to the Twins for Carlos Gomes.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/11/twins-acquire-jj-hardy.html

I think Minnesota did pretty well here. I definitely thought Hardy could get more than a no hit all glove CF (albeit a really good glove). I have admit I was secretly hoping the Bucs could acquire him. He would have been a nice stop gap unitl D' Arnaud, or someone else, is ready. I have no problems with Cedeneo but I think we can do better defensively.

Lot of Pent Up News from World Series No Fly Zone

2009-11-05T20:49:50Z

Angels resign Abreu

Putz' option declined

Daniel Cabrerra becomes free agent

Chad Tracy's option declined

John Garland's option declined

Teahan (KC) traded to the White Sox for Josh Fields and Chris Getz

White Sox resign Kotsay

Yusmeiro Petit (remember he shut out the Bucs, or came close) claimed by Mariners, Doug Slaten by the Nats

Trent Oeltjen & Alex Romero outrighted to AAA

Scott Proctor signs with Altanta

One other thing on my mind, and that's Jose Tabata. Singles hitter, gap power doubles hitter, or home run hitter? I've heard Keith Law say he hits well but is not interested in doing anything else. He's still young (if that can be believed) and he looked like a stud last spring training, but quite honestly I have no idea how good he will be.

opinions?

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

Let's say we didn't trade Freddy...

2009-11-05T02:33:36Z

...and he had been injured so his option did not vest. Now he can be a free agent. Iwamura is available. The Germans won the war and Spock has grown a beard and I have to get to 75 words so I'm desparately trying to come up with other absurd juxtapositions to show that we are in a bizarre parallel universe that does not bear any rational relationship to our own. If you choose option D, explain your work in a comment below.

Poll

Who would you rather have at 2B for the Pirates in 2010?

Ex-Pirate Enrique Wilson is apparently a real sleazeball

2009-11-04T22:59:25Z

A statement from his ex-wife, Ms. Marina Valdez:

I guess is a tradition for these players to do that..I have a daughter with Enrique Wilson (former Yankee player) and he also stopped paying child support and has never call his daughter again, his place to escape and be child support free…Dominican Republic…I have been searching for him for the past 3 years and no one can tell me exactly were he is at, until 2 weeks ago that my cousin was watching a game and saw him playing for a baseball team in the Dominican Republic...Can you put a search party out please...I'm willing to cooparte.. I can even send you a copy of how much he owes in child support

Via Deadspin . The Pirates acquired Wilson as part of a package in exchange for noted wife-beater Wil Cordero at the trade deadline in 2000, and shipped him to the Yankees for Damaso Marte in June of 2001.

Running out on responsibilities to your children is one of the lowest things a man can do, and it's particularly egregious when you've earned more than $3.3M over your major league career. If anyone here has any connection to Wilson from his Pittsburgh days and knows where he is, please e-mail A.J. Daulerio at ajd@deadspin.com to help his family get what they deserve.

UPDATE: He's been found . You may now resume your prior offseason-related activities.

What you can expect from Aki

2009-11-04T04:46:11Z

Hey Bucs fans I just want to give you a little insight on what you are getting from the man that Rays fans have known as Aki. Aki will tend look stupid on outside pitches, partly because of his "Japanese Style" swing where he bails out of and moves towards first base. However, he can pounce on pitches with the best of them and will earn a walk. On the basepaths Aki is sneaky quick and will advance well moving from first to third. Defensively, Aki turns one of the quickest doubleplays that you find. You will more then certainly will enjoy his grit ~~will fall in love with his child-like smile~~ as he makes remarkable catch in shallow right field.

Alright, what's the bad side? I can't really come up with one. He is a solid baseball player and a great fit for any team. I hope you guys up there in Pittsburg enjoy seeing Aki as much as we did. He will missed.

So, what's your opinion on Chavez? What should I, as a Rays fan, expect to see from this guy? What's the best and worst parts about him?

Good luck in '10, Bucs fans. I wish you guys all the best. Maybe we'll talk more come next October.

Akinori Iwamura is Officially A Pirate

2009-11-04T02:17:33Z

According to the Pirates website http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091103&content_id=7614836&vkey=news_pit&fext=.jsp&c_id=pit Iwamura is now a Pirate, and Jesse Chavez is not. This is probably not a move that brings the Bucs any closer to contending, but it stablizes a position where the in-house options are limited. If Iwamura can stay healthy, and that is a big if, he should be able to help out the pitching staff (Zach Duke should be happy with this). Another bonus; DY can go back to the bench role for which he seems more fitted. We will miss Chavez, but overall I think it's an upgrade.

Iwamura on his way to the Pirates?

2009-11-03T21:13:03Z

Dejan Kovacevik is reporting via Twitter that the Bucs are involved in trade talks with the Rays for Iwamura. MLBTradeRumors.com is also reporting that the Rays are on the verge of dealing Iwamura to an NL club.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

We need some middle IF's and the Ray's don't want to pick up that option so it looks like there is a potential match here. Iwamura is supposed to be a good defensive 2B and the move would put DY on the bench where he probably belongs. Is this a good move for the Bucs if we don't give up anything of consequence? Let me know your thoughts.

Some people can take up to six months to heal

2009-10-31T16:50:22Z

Here's an interesting piece from The Hardball Times that discusses Doumit's injury and season.

Overall, however, 2009 simply stunk for Doumit. His .268 BABIP and .164 ISO were the lowest since 2006 and 2005, respectively. That low BABIP could either signal bad luck or hitting with less authority; that his 17.9 LD% was his lowest since 2006 would point towards the latter. Since it's rare for a guy's power to suddenly vaporize at his age 28, this is most likely wrist-related. To wrap up the anatomy lesson from above, some people can take up to six months to heal completely from a scaphoid fracture, and loss of hand and wrist strength (sometimes permanent) isn't unusual.

His dreadful August surely helped in the free fall, but September suggests he should be back to normal by next year (i.e., a good, injury-prone hitter). What's scary is that only Andrew McCutchen, Garret Jones, and Andy LaRoche had more total bases after the All Star Game. (Lastings Milledge was close.) Methinks the Bucs need more offense to be competitive.

Color Me Shocked

2009-10-31T15:07:27Z

Two interesting pieces in an article by Buster Olney today. Here is the link to the article:

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4610865&name=olney_buster

1.) I think the first paragraph sums it up:

The conversations between general managers began accelerating this week, and some have noticed a distinct trend that does not bode well for this winter's crop of free agents: The financial restructuring that has been occurring across the landscape is about to hit the arbitration-level players like a tidal wave.

This is exactly what I expect(ed) and I think it will continue to color the landscape going forward in baseball as well as the NBA and NHL. (The NFL has its own separate issues, in my opinion.) Salaries are going to come down.

2.) Freddy gets a new two year deal.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/31/SPCE1AD7NT.DTL

Needless to say I was completely wrong and Vlad was right about this part of the Jack-Freddy duo (although I think with Freddy's injury, this might even surprise him.) I don't know who the Giants thought they'd be bidding against. Maybe they wanted to justify giving up Alderson. I am very surprised. One year, six million--maybe. Two years, eight million--maybe. Two years, twelve million--while it isn't by any means outrageous, I think it is pretty surprising, particularly in the context of what Olney writes above. I bet Freddy is breathing a sigh of relief today. Good for him.

Bucs and Reds swap High A organizations

2009-10-30T12:09:51Z

According to the Post-Gazette the Reds, who are moving from the Grapefruit League to the Cactus League, are trading their Sarasota team to the Pirates for their Lynchburg organization. The Pirates will move the new Florida team to Bradenton.

As a relocated Pirates fan who now lives just north of Myrtle Beach, this stinks. I said in an earlier post my wife and I saw several Hillcats games in Myrtle Beach against the Braves High A team. I was excited to see Pedro Alverez last season and was excited to see some of the upcoming prospects coming up from the West Virgina Power. I declare shenanigans !

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09303/1009441-63.stm

Pirates add lefty to bullpen mix!!!

2009-10-30T02:53:50Z

Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com is reporting that the pirates claimed lefty reliever Justin Thomas off of waivers from the Mariners. I don't know much about the guy other than what I read in the article, but I am sure he is just marginal at best. The thing that came to my mind when I read the article were the comments that Huntington made when the Bucs traded Grabow. I think it was something along the line of it doesn't matter how many lefties we have in the pen as long as we have effective relievers. I agree with the statement to a degree, but I don't think the Pirates are ever going to have a bunch of lights out relievers. If you don't have all studs in the pen, it is important to have some guys who can succeed in the right situation like LOOGYs. I think this move indicates Neil is backpedalling a little on his statements. I guess that is what you get when you have a GM who always tells you exactly what is on his mind. I guess you have to take the bad with the good. Anyone have any thoughts on the move? (Is Thomas any good?, Does Neil speak before he thinks sometimes?, Are bullpen specialists important?, etc., etc.) Also, who do you think is the likely candidate to be removed from the 40 man?

link to article

Cliff Lee

2009-10-29T03:59:06Z

Ya think NH is grinding his teeth watching this guy dominate? Our buccos could have had Lee and Shopach, but FC thought it wasn't a good enough return for Bay and vetoed the deal. Of course hindsight is 20/20. It is a credit to NH's evaluation skills as he saw value in Lee. Would have been nice to have an ace on our staff, even if it would have been for 2 years worth of bad teams.

McCutchen is Baseball America's Rookie of the Year

2009-10-26T20:59:01Z

Baseball America has named Pittsburgh Pirates' outfielder Andrew McCutchen it's 2009 Major League Rookie Of The Year. McCutchen is on the cover of the magazine and is joined on the All-Rookie team by first baseman Garrett Jones. It's nice to see these two get some national recognition. I'm excited to see what these two can do over a full season in 2010.

UPDATE by Charlie: Pedro Alvarez was recently on BA's cover as well.

Aroldis Chapman

2009-10-25T16:40:33Z

Since we lost out on Sano, and really have'nt made any big splash with any International signings like NH has promised to do; Why haven'nt we been mentioned as one of the teams that are going after highly touted Cuban prospect Aroldis Chapman? He's 21 years old, lefty, 6'4 200 lbs, played for the Cuban national team, being compared to Stephen Strasburg, and has been clocked throwing 102 mph.

Scouts also say that right now hes 80% ready to pitch in the major leagues. Which would make this signing even more valuable. If we could get him signed this year, and send him straight to either AA or AAA he could arrive in our starting rotation at the same time that Alderson and Lincoln are, and the same time the Alvarez is arriving at 3rd base. I've also recently heard scouts say the Pirates have a solid rotation, but have too many 3-4 starters and no 1-2 caliber starters. Well I think Chapman would be someone who would bring that 1-2 top of the rotation stuff. He would have a much higher ceiling than any Pirate pitcher in our organization right now, and any pitcher that was drafted in the past years draft other than Strasburg.

Sano recieved a bonus of around $3 million if I can remember correctly, and I'm sure Chapmans demands would be right around that number. Something that we can definetely afford, and something that we should definetely pursue, but like always the Pirates will sit back, and watch the Yankees or Red Sox sign him, and thats why there playing in October and were not. Does anyone have any information on this? Have we spoke with his agent at all? Have we been interested in him at all?

Letter from FC to Season Ticket Holders

2009-10-25T00:33:41Z

Kind of long, sorry for misspelling if any...

Dear ...,

As we move forward into the 2010 offseason, I want to let you know how much we truly appreciate the support that you have given the Club in 2009 after making some very difficult decisions to accelerate the overhaul of the organization. Like you, we are extremely disappointed with the performance of our Major League Club this season. But, for the reasons set out here and illustrated in the attached package, we are just as encouraged about the direction of the organization and its future.

While the post-August timeframe receives the most attention from the media, our performance all season was unacceptable. As a result, we needed to take further bold steps to turn the organization around as quickly as possible. While the trades executed as we approached the trade deadline left the Major League Club shorthanded in some areas, these trades make us a much stronger organization for many years to come. As difficult as it has been to go through these growing pains this season, doing nothing to reverse the cycle of losing was simply not an acceptable option.

As we have said from the beginning, we are not interested in being just an average Major Leagu Club, Our unwillingness to accept mediocrity has caused you additional aggrevation over the short term. We regret that this was necessary but you deserve much more than a mediocre team. In the fine tradition of this city, you deserve a team that competes for championships. The bold steps taken this year, I hope, have demonstrated that our only interest is in giving you that type of team again, After supporting this great franchise through far too many lean years, you deserve nothing less. The blueprint for our return to winning baseball was drafted two years ago. The attached "drawings" summarize some of the significant progress that has been made in building that winning organization. We all knew it would not be easy to completely overhaul our system, but the necessary groundwork has now been laid. We have worked very hard over the last two years to rebuild this proud franchise by focusing our energy and resources on the following core priorities:

- Extremely aggresive drafts to acquire as much high-level talent as possible by investing more resources in the draft than nearly any team over the past two years and securing top classes as a result.

- Increased focus in our international operation to ensure we are in the best position to find talent in every part of the world where baseball is played by doubling the number of our international scouts, covering countries that had previously been ignored, tripling our international signing budget and building one of the very best Latin American training centers in the Dominican Republic.

- Aggressively adding talent at all levels of our system by trading veteran players who were approaching free agency for multiple young players over whom we have multiple years of control. Although we traded players who were popular, we know that what you want is a winning team. We are very excited that several players seized an opportunity to demonstrate that they can be important parts of a winning team. The fact that other players have not seized that opportunity will play a role in our off-season decision making.

- Rebuilding our player development systems, including the way we instruct, train and mold our prospects. It is a cohesive approach at all levels that will allow our farm system to become the engine that constantly feeds our success. The fruits of this two-year effort were evident throughout the minor league system this year, but perhaps most apparant in Lynchburg where the Hillcats won the Carolina League championship based on a spectacular first-half fueled by Pedro Alvarez, Jordy Mercer and others and stellar pitching in the playoffs by five 21- and 22-year old starters (Rudy Owens, Bryan Morris, Jeff Locke, Justin Wilson, and Nate Adcock).

- Significant investment in our core operations which has greatly improved our scouting and development systems, as well as our baseball facilities and top-of-the-industry analytical systems.

The investment of money, time, and energy in these priority areas over the past two seasons has made us a much stronger organization. The talent we now have throughout the entire system means that exciting players will arrive in Pittsburgh beginning in 2010 to join the group of young, talented players that includes Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones, Ross Ohlendorf, Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Lastings Milledge, Ryan Doumit and others.

I cannot emphasize enough the appreciation we have for your continued support of the Pittsburgh Pirates. WE understand that we have tested your patience but hope that you understand that we have done so in order to make the blueprint for success in Pittsburgh a reality and to do so as quickly as possible. I also hope that, after reviewing the attached progress report, you will share our confidence that your patience will soon be rewarded. If you have any questions, please call --------.

More to come on the attached info on a later post.

The Count Comes To Town

2009-10-23T20:03:47Z

There once was a German Count who had a huge interest in the American Southwest. He devoured novels by Louis L'Amour and had an insatiable appetite for reading anything and collecting everything that pertained to that region of our country. For years he had a yearning to visit and one day, many years ago, decided to bring his dream to fruition. So he gathered his staff and they helped him choose this one small West Texas town for a three day visit. He dictated a letter to his secretary to be sent to the town's council notifying them of his impending visit.

Needless to say, once the letter was received and word spread throughout this small municipality, the whole town was abuzz with excitement. They had never experienced European Nobility before and wanted to do it right for the Count and his family and his entourage. They had a town meeting and reached a consensus on all the events during his visit culminating with an old fashioned Texas BBQ on a Saturday afternoon, the last day of the Count's visit. The days festivities would end that evening with the town's orchestra entertaining the Count with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

There were several problems attached to the entertainment aspect of the day's program. One was that the only venue available was the local high school gym which was an old structure in great disrepair. It also did not have air conditioning which could be brutal in the midst of a scorching Texas summer. They simply had to rely on a decrepit ventilation system which had seen better days. And because this was a small gym, they had to limit the instrumentation as well as the vocalists for the choral part in Beethoven's Ninth. Secondly, the orchestra itself was neither very talented nor reliable. They had two bass players that were the town drunks. Yes, co-town drunks! And sometimes they'd even arrive at performances smashed. Then the choral part required a full choir, however, lack of space limited them to four vocalists, two women and two men.

Despite some of these problems, the town went undaunted with the planning and preparation for the arrival of their German guests. Tents were erected at the town park for the BBQ in the event of rain. Food preparation was assigned to a committee. Volunteers cleaned up every square inch, every nook and cranny of the town. Amazing foresight was given to communications between the park and the gym in the event of any problems. The town hired two noted residents of this town who were a married couple that competed in marathons. They were to deliver, on foot, any messages between the gym and the park to address any problems that may occur. The town park had no pay phones and widespread cell phone usage was still unavailable back then.

The first two days events proceeded impeccably and went according to plan. Yet, early Saturday morning brought a trivial problem but an ominous warning of what may lie ahead. It seems like the marathoners received word of the availability of a house that they long coveted. Saturday was the only day that they could move their belongings to their dream house due to a tight schedule. It was too late to hire new messengers so the idea of communications between the two venues was scrapped. A final rehearsal was being conducted in early afternoon for that nights performance of Beethoven's Ninth but the two male vocalists did not show up and these two men could not be found despite a town wide search. And the co-drunks, the bass players, once again showed up blitzed out of their minds. Still, everyone was still determined to make this work despite the two runners who had to relocate, the drunk bass players and the two men who could not be found.

The BBQ at the park was going well although the Count was a little amused when the whole town showed up in Bavarian garb while he and his group were wearing cowboy and cowgirl attire. But the Count loved the food! He ate everything that was provided from the cole slaw and baked beans to the BBQ beef brisket and shredded pork. And the townspeople kept encouraging him to eat more and more. A little of this. A little of that. It reached the point where he was stuffed and the Count could eat no more! Nevertheless, an enjoyable time for all that afternoon.

It was a little hot at the gym but the fanning system seemed to work alright. The town's rendition of Beethoven's Ninth was not the greatest yet the Count seemed to be enjoying himself. Then came the intermission before the final part of the Symphony. A stage hand was moving around some of the music stands when the score, the sheet music was knocked off one of them and scattered to the floor. He hurriedly picked up the sheet music hoping no one was watching. Quickly he grabbed a piece of string and tied them all together even though there was no correct order to the score for Beethoven's Ninth's. Still he breathed a sigh of relief that no one noticed.

Well, the intermission was over and the Orchestra started playing the last part of Beethoven's ninth. Suddenly, without warning, the ventilation system started acted up making a real ruckus and then it began billowing black smoke from the fans and the gym had to be evacuated.

So the bottom line is this:

-It's the last of the Ninth!

-Two men are out!

-The score is tied!

-The Bas(s)es are loaded!

-The Count is full!

-The runners are moving!

-And the fans are going crazy!!

I know it's rather long but it's a slow day anyway. Hope it worked!

Off-Season.....and Contracts

2009-10-23T15:49:36Z

I think there has been a reasonably interesting debate going on as an undercurrent to some of the discussions we've had here. (I'm going to try to express the views here and what I think some people have as expressed as their opinion. Please correct me if I misrepresent something.)

My opinion and one I think is shared by WTM is that the free agent market corrected last year and I think will continue to correct this year. As a result values presented by WAR, etc. are misleading, if not completely off-base. I am probably in the extreme in that I think we've seen the peak and player contracts will not continue to spiral upward. I expect the cumulative amount paid out in player salaries to remain pretty constant over the next five years. I also think franchise values in virtually all sports excluding football have peaked. Understand that does NOT mean the next time the Pirates are sold they won't be sold for more than they were when Nutting, et al bought the team. It means that the franchise value five years from now won't be appreciably different than it is today, even correcting for inflation (very low at the moment).

The basis of my opinion is that owners have become more rational and GMs more intelligent and thus are not willing to shell out as many ridiculous contracts as they have in the past. Sure there will still be the occasional terrible one, but even those tend to be shorter in duration than the six years that Mike Hampton got or the seven years that Barry Zito got. I even think we will see a slow down in the outrageous arbitration awards that are given as top players salaries stop rising. And, certainly young talent is valued more highly than ever before.

Vlad and JRoth, on the other hand, don't share that opinion. They note that the free agent market did correct last off-season and I think they view that as more of an anomaly based on the disastrous economic climate of the day. They think contracts will continue to move higher over time. Albeit, maybe at a slower pace.

Vlad has at times suggested that if this does occur that it will be because the owners are colluding. History is on his side in that argument as the owners have twice lost court cases on just that topic. I don't agree. More than half of the teams in the game are under different ownership than they were at the time those cases came about. I would argue that most of today's new owners, like John Henry or even Bob Nutting, are smarter businessmen dealing in a different economic climate than their predecessors. (Please don't make answers to this post be about whether Nutting is a smart owner. We don't have access to the books. Clearly the product on the field has been terrible under his stewardship, but he is most likely making a large amount of money each year as he pays of his debt, thus increasing the value of his ownership stake.) Sure Barry Bonds couldn't get a job, but I don't think anyone wanted anything to do with the SOB and all that he brought with him. Vlad thinks it was collusion. I certainly don't think Abreu, Orlando Hudson, Randy Wolf and many others got contracts lower that expected because owners were colluding. I think tremendously hard economic times caused a shift in the market that neither owners nor players expected. However, I do think this dramatic economic collapse showed the owners the folly of their ways and they are smarter for it.

So, what will we see going forward this off-season and over the next five years? I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I've posted a poll for your amusement. Also, WTM, Vlad and JRoth, I apologize if I mischaracterized any of your opinions. Please correct any misstatements on my part or take your shots at my opinions where you think appropriate. Thanks.

I couldn't publish a second poll, but I'll throw out my opinion for discussion. I think Jack and Freddy will earn less than $8 million combined next season. Thoughts?

Poll

How do you see free agent contracts unfolding over this off-season?

A continued correction as we saw last year with a few big contracts for players like Lackey.

44 votes

Right in line with last off-season.

29 votes

A move back higher, but not the dramatic increases we have seen in the past.

16 votes

More of a feeding frenzy that was common in the 2003-2007 era.

2 votes

91 votes | Poll has closed

Tangotiger Fans Scouting Report

2009-10-22T03:27:53Z

The Tangotiger fans fielding survey is open right now. The link is here.

The number of ratings submitted for the Pirates is kinda low now.

And now for the obligatory filler to get to 75 words. As if I needed encouragement to be wordy. Of course, I could do a "fanshot," but you'd have to scroll down to see it and nobody would and it'd defeat the purpose of this post. I guess I shouldn't use contractions because that's only one word instead of two.