Wilson Trade Still in Works

by Charlie Wilmoth on Aug 3, 2007 11:01 AM EDT in News

A report from Detroit indicated the Pirates and Tigers had completed a Wilson trade early this week in which the Tigers would have picked up all of Wilson's remaining contract money -- in excess of $14 million.

"We had a deal," a source said.

The Pirates would have received Dallas Trahern or Jair Jurrjens -- both 21-year-old right-handed pitchers -- and a mid-level position player prospect. That deal apparently collapsed when the Pirates asked for a major-league player, perhaps outfielder Craig Monroe.

If true, I don't know how you don't do that deal. (I also don't know why any sane person would let Monroe hold up a deal, but that's just me.) In the Pirates' defense, that sounds too good to be true.

Jurrjens is the more interesting of the two; Trahern hardly struck anyone out at Class AA. Neither have played much above Class AA, which seems to contradict the P-G's earlier report that the pitcher the Pirates were after could step right into the big-league staff.

The article also reports that Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty could be a CEO candidate, although Jocketty denies this.

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I don't know

how you don't take that deal either. On the other hand, if we did and the two kids flamed out, then fans like me couldn't get away with adding this to deals like the Ramirez trade, and moaning a year or two from now that they "gave away Jack Wilson for nothing." Which, to be honest, is kinda fun, in a perverse way. With the Pirates, everything is lose-lose.

by bucdaddy on Aug 3, 2007 11:21 AM EDT reply actions

Seems like...

...a slam dunk to me, as currently written.

The idea of hanging a deal up for Craig Monroe is nuts.

by Vlad on Aug 3, 2007 1:07 PM EDT reply actions

I would have settled...

For a Jim Leyland autographed pack of cigarettes in exchange for taking on Wilson's entire contract.

Getting Jurrjens and Trahern on top of that would have been a coup.

No harm in asking for Monroe (he's not that good, but at least he has legit power), but once they said "no" DL should have just agreed to pull the trigger.

But it's painfully obvious that he's more interested in doing all he can to save his job and doesn't care about adding prospects who might help later. Can't let his successor look like a genius now, can he?

by OmarMoreno18 on Aug 3, 2007 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe he HAD

legit power. He looks terrible now. This is exactly the kind of player the Pirates don't need but covet all the time: a 30-year-old on the slide -- BA and OBP down each of the past three years. Monroe would be another one of those guys whose career stops here. Regardless, he looks like he'll be out of baseball in two years anyway, if not sooner.

by bucdaddy on Aug 3, 2007 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Even a few Leyland cigarette butts would be

sufficient if they took all of Jack's contract. He's a heck of a nice guy and all, but his hitting speaks for itself.

by Travis @ Bucs Dugout on Aug 3, 2007 7:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Jocketty

Please take a look at the Cardinals roster and farm system and give me one reason that hiring Jocketty is a good idea??

The Cardinals have pretty much been built by trades and free agency. We know that Nutting isn't going to go crazy on free agents.

by Thunder on Aug 3, 2007 2:09 PM EDT reply actions

But...

You can't lay all the blame at the GM's feet for minor league success or failure. Yes, it's his job to hire and trust those responsible for the scouting and development of the minors, but he does not directly influence that outcome as much as he does at the major league level.

I believe Pujols and Duncan were both homegrown St. Louis prospects. Those are 2 more power bats that they've developed than we have. And there are some gems in their system - Chris Perez looks like he'll be a promising young closer, and Colby Rasmus a future All-Star in the outfield.

Look at it this way, at least Jocketty has been pretty competent with the big league roster. Yes, he's made some bad calls (Kip Wells), but what GM doesn't? He also got his team a championship.

I would gladly settle for that type of competence...

by OmarMoreno18 on Aug 3, 2007 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Different situation

The Cards have had just enough resources for Jocketty to rely primarily on vets. He's traded away a lot of decent prospects, too. (Coco Crisp comes to mind.) I have to think he'd realize the situation in Pgh. is different and would adjust his strategies. The more important thing is that he's usually shown good judgment about talent.

You also have to remember that the Cards don't draft near the top every year like the Pirates do. In fact, hardly ever. And that Jocketty had the sense to get rid of Ed Creech after one year. And that Jocketty apparently would be the CEO, not the GM.

The thing I like about Jocketty is that he values impact players. That's how he built a series of playoff teams in St.L.--a few outstanding players and a bunch of role players. When they had a chance to draft JD Drew, who everybody thought would be a great player, they shelled out a lot of money to do it. He's not a guy who thinks that playoff teams are built with middle relievers, like DL.

by WTM on Aug 3, 2007 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions