Once again, I would like to start off by apologizing for the lack of content over the past two weeks. Between family events, work, and then vacation, I was unable to set aside time to post anything on the Mutiny. While there were some who saw fit to take shots at the Staff here for having other commitments besides this blog, we do appreciate our loyal and understanding readers who were able to empathize with out conflicting schedules. This blog is a labor of love, to steal a line from Mondesis House, and therefore it is pretty far down the to-do list from time to time.
Although this may be a BIT of an understatement, a great deal has transpired in the world of Pirates baseball since my last post:
- The Bucs were swept at the House of Horrors, then came home to take 2 out of 3 from the Cardinals.
- #1 Pick Gerrit Cole and 2nd Round Pick Josh Bell both signed with the Bucs.
- Jose Tabata received a lengthy contract extension that could keep him here through 2019
-The Bucs dropped 2 out of 3 to the Reds, both losses seeing TERRIBLE calls go in the Reds favor, aiding their victories. The Curse Of Jerry Meals may now be the Curse of Jerry Layne
I won't bother recapping any of the series, especially the sweep by the detestable Brew Crew in Milwaukee. We've won like 3 of the last 40 games there, so coming away with a W was unlikely in the first place. Speaking of first place, the detestable Brewers are coming to town tonight 8.5 games up on the Cards for the NL Central lead. The Bucs and the detestable Brewers start off their current series with a double header tonight, with game 1 starting at 5:05 where Smallmouth Bass Karstens takes on Chris Narveson.
In case you haven't noticed, my allergy to the F***ing Brewers has returned. I absolutely abhor the Brewers and the very sight of some of their players makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit. Be it Ryan Braun's Ultra Cocky demeanor or the World's Largest Vegetarian stomping around acting like his team has won something, well, ever, I hate the guts of them. It would be nice to see the Bucs get at least a split out of this series, but I think I am dreaming there. I would just settle for a fastball lodged in Prince Fielder's earhole.
Moving on......... The Bucs were able to come to terms with #1 pick Gerrit Cole and 2nd round pick Josh Bell before the deadline and just like everything else, that is great news for some TBD future season. Both Cole and Bell are guys who could have a major impact on this organization, as Cole shouldn't require a wealth of time in the minors and Bell was believed to be one of the best offensive players in the draft. The fact that the Bucs signed Bell has lead many Pro Nutters to walk around freely with their erections in full view because it cost first round money to sign him. I say: The FO did their job, it's what they are paid to do. How many of you go to work every day, do exactly what you are supposed to do, and get a great big slap on the back? No, most of the time, you do what you are told, and your Boss still finds something wrong with it on top of blaming of you for something THEY did wrong in the first place.
But that is what happens in the Real World and far too many people prefer to live outside of reality in some sort of Fantasyland I thought only existed in Central Florida. BUT, I digress.
The most recent big news from the Federal Street Cash Cow is the signing of Jose Tabata to a contract extension.This is the opening line of the PG article on the subject and it tells you all you really need to know: Jose Tabata is happy in Pittsburgh, and he was willing to take less money to prove it. I am sorry, but when I read that lead in, I laughed out loud. But that is what the FO expects, guys to take less money to stay here. Now, that isn't out of the realm of possibility, the Penguins and Steelers get guys to give them hometown discounts all the time because some guys are willing to take less money if they have a shot to win.......... OK maybe that's not the best example.
Don't get me wrong, signing Tabata for the long term is great for the Bucs. If we can lockup Cutch for the same length, it would be even better. But once again, this is the Bucs FO doing what they are SUPPOSED to do. But maybe that was part of the plan all along, do things ass backwards for an extended period of time so that just doing the average, everyday things makes you look like a genius! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Burress--
ReplyDeleteFirst, my apologies for the additional snark about the lack of posts. I understand that this isn't anyone's first priority; I've often thought about starting my own, but I know that I wouldn't be able to devote the time to posting to really make it worthwhile. So I appreciate that you guys are taking the personal time to do it.
As for the baseball topics on hand, I think the chest-puffing in regards to the Bell signing are more than likely because so many professed Anti's swore up and down it would never happen for any variety of reasons. Both sides of this stupid ideological argument love to point out when the other side was wrong, so why be shocked?
While the signing doesn't make the present or even near-future teams better, it showed the Pirates were willing to take an expensive gamble...and it worked. They could just have easily passed on Bell in the draft like everyone else did and they wouldn't have been blamed. Instead, they made a bold move that worked. As I've said before, these are the kinds of gambles the Pirates need to win if they ever want to be competitive.
As for the Tabata signing...wow, can't believe that. That contract length is essentially unheard of. I will respectfully disagree, though, that this is what the Pirates are "supposed" to do. Tabata gave up THREE YEARS of free agency, potentially; you could probably count on one hand the number of guys that have given up even two years of FA before they were even eligible for arbitration. That contract is tremendously atypical, and there is almost zero chance you will see McCutchen sign a contract of a similar length. At most, I think you'll see the Pirates buy out one year of his, because he's going to be much more highly regarded and he knows he has more leverage. Put it this way, he's going to want more than $8.5M/year, which I think is the MOST that Tabata will make in a single season.
Great post and welcome back. It certainly was an eventful time for the Bucs. I too share your hatred of the Brewers. I wish them nothing but bad.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming the Bucs will put Bell right to WV next year. They did that with Grossman a couple of years back and Taillon last year. It has worked out pretty well in both cases.
Cole should go straight to Altoona. I mean they started Justin Wilson at Lynchburgh (high A) so I don't think that is a stretch. I just wish they would have signed sooner. I would love to see the deadline moved to August 1st, if for no other reason than you can see these guys for a couple of weeks.
In regards to Tabata I think it is a good move, but not earth shattering. People at the Smizblog miss the big picture here. Just like in the past with guys it's a great move. If players end up very good you have a bargain. If they end up good but not as good as you thought you still have a very friendly contract that doesn't break your limited payroll. You also will have the luxury of being able to move that player with such a friendly contract.
Tabata is going to develope more power, but probably not corner OF power. Grossman and Marte seem to be developing that kind of power. Cutch is at a career high of hr's. It often takes time to develope power.
Dog
@Sean,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Tabata contract is more or less unheard of in terms of length and money actually. Especially with the big years being option years.
@Dog,
I would like to see the signing deadline moved up and see Bell and Cole handled the exact same way. Tabata is a pure leadoff hitter and if cutch can hit 20-25 HR per year, I would be okay if Tabata didn;t hit more than 10 or so. I haven't checked on Grossman or Marte lately so it's nice to hear they are developing power. It would be a great addition if one of them could be a HR/RBI guy instead of the slappy speed guy we are accustomed to.
Bell intrigues me the most, every outlet has been high on him and he is exactly what the organization needed. Sadly, we are still years off from the big club seeing a lot of the big time signees.