Nutting Family HQ:
"I wonder how many Carols Beltrans this would be worth?"
It is the belief of this blog that the current group of Pittsburgh Pirates has massively overachieved, in spite of the ineptitudes of the front office (Opie and the Lying Liar) and its skin flinted ownership family, not because of them.
The time to cash in on this stroke of good fortune is RIGHT NOW.
Contrary to the vehemently held beliefs of some in the Pro-Nutting faction, I do not see a core of young talent in place that will carry the Pirates into inevitable contention for the foreseeable decade ahead.
Their hitting, which was supposed to be the strength of this young squad, ranges from slightly above average, to absolutely dreadful. And despite Clint Hurdle’s crafty drafting, the lineup card often has more holes than a driveway put together by a kangaroo operating a jackhammer.
The Pirates are 3 games over .500 in early July because they are a scrappy, 'never say die’ group of players, anchored by a starting rotation that is pitching, as a whole, well above what their career norms would possibly lead anybody to expect.
And it just so happens that this once in a decade swoon of good luck for the Bucs coincides with their division being eminently winnable this season.
The town is absolutely abuzz with excitement about this slightly above average ballclub. My family has been going to the same 4th of July Party with the same group of extended family and friends since I was a small child. And for the first time since the early 90s yesterday, the Pirate game was front and center at the celebration, not just some dreary background noise. The place erupted after the Bucs got through the 8th inning, because we all knew Hanrahan would not let things slide away in the final frame.
The City of Pittsburgh is ready to embrace this team.
Note to Nutting: your move.
The Pirates should absolutely break the bank, open up the Scrooge McDuck vault down in West Virginia, and try to bring in some batting to help launch this team into legitimate contention.
Chances, like this season presents, only come around these parts every so often. It is time for the Bucs to move all-in.
I again, echo your statements and view this as the perfect storm with a real chance that they can slip into the playoff picture. Rent a player or two and let’s see if our current roster can hold up their end of the deal.
ReplyDeleteJust for the record please don’t confuse me with “former blog host - Anonymous”. I have posted previously and sparingly on the Smizik board under the screen name Virgil. One name/one IP. As for the “former blog host Anonymous” - I come on this site for content, not so much for pictures.
Virgil
I had always intended to post pictures, but never did because I honestly wasn't certain whether I was possibly infringing on copyright laws. I read Tax Code nearly every day for work but didn't feel like researching the legality of posting pics here.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do think it adds a little bit to the reading experience. But I hope that people coming here are doing so to read our crazy opinions and not see nice little pictures.
I like the photos, as long they're organically part of the content and not shoehorned in. Scrooge McDuck is fine, the headshots in your team awards were a really nice touch, and the logos in the top story were fine.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to offer constructive criticism, I'd say that the Bluto Blutarsky photo from a few weeks ago was pulling at straws. Let the content speak for itself.
Otherwise, good stuff all around here. I hope the Pirates make an addition, preferably in RF. I feel a RF addition allows them to move Overbay out of the lineup and Jones to 1B, so really you're strengthening two positions. I mentioned Melky Cabrera as a possibility in RF or Carlos Pena at 1B on SmizBlog earlier today.
Oddly enough, that drew some negative (-)'s. I don't know if it was the Anti's I've angered voting simply because it's me, or the Pro's who seem to think the team is perfect as is! I'm just a man without a country, I guess...
Pucks_And_Pols and I have felt that Beltran would be an interesting guy to go after as well as the 2 you mentioned. It's kind of a question of "Where is his head?", though. I could see standing pat if the FO tries to make a move, gets some feelers out there, and there is honestly nothing to be had. But we need a little bit of transparency if that becomes the case. I don't think it is asking too much of them to hear "We wanted to bring a big guy in, but they wanted Taillon in return".
ReplyDeleteCabrera's numbers this year look good and Pena would be a good power bat with experience. His average may turn people off when looking at his salary. But big homer guys tend to K alot.
I don't think there are a ton of guys available, but if you could get Beltran for a mid-level propsect, it's worth the gamble. I said to Pucks_And_Pols: even if you make that move and Beltran totally fails, at least you made moves to try and win right now.
Burress--
ReplyDeleteI look at Pena this way; his average is essentially the same as Overbay's, but he has 11 more home runs and his OPS is roughly 130 points higher. It's really a no-brainer who the more productive player is.
I know he got off to a slow start, but Pena is a guy that could potentially be had on the cheap and would provide the offense a shot in the arm. Imagine the 3-6 portion of the line-up going McCutchen - Pena - Walker - Jones. By god, with Presley - Tabata in some order (assuming Tabata returns and continues to get on base - and Presley continues to perform) and Doumit & Alvarez...that might be a MLB line-up that scores runs.
I'm open to the discussion, anyway.
I wouldnt want Beltran --- too many injuries in his career.
ReplyDeletePena is a good choice to acquire. But will this FO be willing to forgo profits for wins??
Antis have been savagely criticized for beating the "acquire a bat" drum all year. of course, antis have been savagely attacked all year for saying the sky is blue also.
This FO needs to concentrate much more on capitalizing on winning baseball, and stop with the Stroll Inn strong-arm tactics, and stop putting multiple "plants" on blogs to attack posters who dont blindly follow the regimes propoganda.
Need proof of this? Just look at the savage attack on BFD last week, and the mass deletions of anyone who came to his aid. Only after 4 hours of total b.s. did Smizass finally do something.
Very interesting to support a team that uses those tactics.
Is Shawon Dunston available?
ReplyDeleteI'm open to any and all possibilities that would help this team win games. Right now, they are doing a great job of scrapping and duck taping things together. The squeeze play last night was a great example of Hurdle generating runs out of thin air.
If the team is going to seriously challenge this year, they need more power than they are getting from the corners in both the infield and the outfield. I’m not saying give up prime pitching prospects, but it is time for the Nuttings to open their damn wallets and make the reverse move from what they have done at the deadline for the last blasted eternal 18 seasons. Take on some other teams salary dump for mid-level prospects. Lord knows we should have those in droves right now.