Maholm, Hinske Contract Details

ESPN.com reported the specifics of the new contracts for starter Paul Maholm and new utility player Eric Hinske. Maholm received a three year deal worth $14.5 million. That total includes salaries for 2009 ($3.5 Mil), 2010 ($4.5 Mil), 2011 ($5.75 Mil) and the potential buyout ($750,000) for the team option year of 2012. If that option is exercised, Maholm's salary for 2012 would be $9.75 million (or potentially up to $11.05 million based on his performance in the prior three years). The three guaranteed salaries are very reasonable based on Maholm's career thus far. If he continues to pitch as he has the past two seasons, this deal should work out quite well for Pittsburgh.

Hinske signed a one year deal. His base salary will be $1.5 million with the chance to earn up to a total of $2.5 million based on performance bonuses. That deal is more than reasonable for a solid, versatile veteran who can provide a little power off the bench.

Outfielder Nate McLouth is the only arbitration-eligible Pirate that remains unsigned. His hearing is scheduled for February 17. Plenty of time to get a deal done.

First Maholm, Now Hinske; Today is Officially the Most Exciting Day of this Off-Season for the Pirates!

That's right. Eric Hinske is a Pirate now. He agreed to a one year deal worth about $1.5 million, plus incentives. This moves adds a solid hitter to the Bucs' roster. He can spell the LaRoche brothers at first and third, respectively. Adam tends to start slowly, of course, and Andy might only hit well in Las Vegas. Hinske can also play some outfield, relieving a little pressure from Nyjer Morgan, Brandon Moss and Steve Pearce. I don't expect Hinske to block one of those three if they're performing well, but in case they are not, we have a viable alternative. This is a good move for the team, though it certainly means Doug Mientkiewicz will not be back. Doug was great, but Hinske is not exactly a drop-off. What he lacks in craziness/passion he makes up for in versatility and power.

I'm still hoping the Pirates do acquire another starter pitcher. Preferably Braden Looper. I think he could be had for under $5 million, which might be a fair deal. I know the team is nearing its self-imposed salary cap, but this would be worth the investment.

Maholm Inks Three Year Deal

The Pirates have signed starting pitcher Paul Maholm to a three-year contract, reported the PBC Blog. Financial terms are not yet available, but the deal does contain a club option for a fourth year. The contract covers all three arbitration-eligible years for Maholm and his first year of free agency, provided the option is exercised. The Pirates now have starters Maholm and Ian Snell, closer Matt Capps, second baseman Freddy Sanchez and catcher Ryan Doumit signed through at least 2010. Other potentially key players such as Tom Gorzelanny and Nate McLouth will not be eligible for free agency until after 2011 at the earliest. Adam LaRoche and Jack Wilson can be free agents after this coming season, and if either make it through this year while still members of the Pirates, they most certainly will not be retained.

So now we're kind of getting a better idea how the team will look in 2010, 2011 and 2012, which is when, if things go as hoped, we will see the likes of Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata and Pedro Alvarez in Pittsburgh. Since we're on the subject, let's take a look at a potential starting lineup for the 2011 Pirates: McCutchen CF, Sanchez 2B, McLouth LF, Doumit C, Alvarez 3B, Tabata RF, Neil Walker/Andy LaRoche/Steve Pearce 1B, Jordy Mercer/Brian Bixler?? SS. Okay, so that's not a bad looking lineup, at least based on what we all kind of expect from the few youngsters who have not yet made it to the majors. So clearly predicting who will play first base in two years is a bit of a crap shoot. It could even be Alvarez, with Walker at third. Shortstop is a tough one too. Maybe Mercer or Chase D'Arnaud will end up being viable. I doubt Bixler will be. Of course this is two years off and many things will change. One other change that could take place is second base. If the Pirates do not have significant improvement this year and next, keeping Sanchez and his contract might not seem too prudent to management, even if there are not any obvious replacements for him. I'm a huge Freddy Sanchez fan (and I'm not just saying that because I invested $100 in Freddy Sanchez apparel) and I would love to see him stick around, but realistically, it's doubtful.

Well, I'm not quite sure how a piece on Maholm's new contract turned into a preview of the 2011 starting lineup. Anyway, congratulations to Paul Maholm and I wish him continued success in 2009 and beyond.

Is Hinske About to Sign?

There are reports (c/o the Post-Gazette) that IF/OF Eric Hinske is in contract negotiations with the Pirates. Hinske played for Tampa last year and won the Rookie of the Year award with Toronto in 2002. He's versatile and has some power, so this could be an interesting acquisition, if it goes through. If Hinske signs, it would almost certainly mean that Luis Gonzalez and Doug Mientkiewicz are out of the picture. I'll keep you posted.

Pirates talk to Luis Gonzalez (says the Post-Gazette)

Luis Gonzalez is looking for a new team. Ideally, a team with a bench/part-time opening. Preferably with younger players. Really? The Pirates have those things. And Gonzalez does not want much money either. The Pirates have that too! Okay, let's all settle down and remember that the year is NOT 2002. Gonzalez is no longer a star. Physically, he probably could not play close to every day. And even with Gonzalez, and potentially Pedro Martinez, the Pirates will not reach the playoffs this year. So, what does this accomplish? They use (potentially, again) 2 roster spots for aging, past-their-prime veterans that could have gone to 2 younger players. Come 2010, those 2 younger players will not have that extra bit of big league experience that might come in handy. Perhaps this makes the 2010 team a little worse than it could have been. Then again, maybe having two veterans of such caliber would help the team mature. I really don't know. Doug Mientkiewicz was supposedly a very valuable player on the Pirate's roster in 2008. Everyone likes him. Everyone respects him. I'm sure some, if not all, players learned from him. Does this show in the standings? Will it show? I really don't know. As exciting as it would be to add a couple of aging superstars to the team, these moves, if they happen, could be a detriment. I would much rather see Braden Looper signed to be a starter. At least with Looper, there is a realistic chance that he could be retained beyond this coming season. I'm not sure I'd even want to see Martinez or Gonzalez, at this point in their careers, for one season.

PirateFest, Adjusting to Indiana and more...

Pirates Fest is taking place in Pittsburgh this weekend. I am not there. I've never been one to get especially excited about these sort of events. It's just basically a convention and 99% of the people there are Pirate fans like me. Since I've lived most of my life in California, I have not spent a lot of time around other Pirate fans. I kind of feel like I wouldn't like them. It's kind of like what Woody Allen's character Alvy Singer said in Annie Hall: "I would never want to belong to a club that would have someone like me as a member." Also, I'm not sure how I would react to seeing my Pirate "heroes" in person. I've never been one to obsess over celebrities too much, or go out of my way to follow them. I'm certainly no celebrity stalker. (Okay, so one time my wife and I were walking behind Teri Hatcher for a while, but I promise, we just happened to be walking in the same direction. That's all.) And what would I say to Nate McClouth if I ended up standing by him? 'Golly, sir. You sure are good at the baseball.' I would either say something trite or something stupid. And it's not like I really have anything to say to him anyway. Right now, under no social pressure, all I would want to say is 'Nice season last year. I'm glad you're a Pirate.' That's it. I have no insight to offer and I'm certainly not qualified to offer any suggestions. So anyway, my point is, even though I have had no desire to attend these sort of events before, I kind of feel like I'm missing out this year. Maybe it's because I'm only 400 miles away this year instead of the usual 2400. A day's drive might be worth it next year. Also, the Cincinnati Red's caravan came through town a couple days ago. I missed that one too. I didn't even know about it until I read the paper the next day. I am no Reds fan by any means, and I don't even think Dusty Baker is a very good manager, but I absolutely would have gone to that. Absolutely.

Before we moved here from California, I wondered what the pro baseball team of the area would be. Is there even a primary team that this area lays claim to? Since the Red's caravan came through, and Cincinnati is only 2 or 3 hours away, it could be them. Chicago is only 4 hours away, so there are two more choices there. Within a day's drive, we also have Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. And the Pirate's AAA team is in Indianapolis, but they've only been there a few years and I really don't think that's enough time to build up much of a minor league fan base. So I really don't know. I haven't done any research either. I'm waiting for the answer to come to me. My guess is a Cubs/Reds split. But for television purposes, is there a home team? I know there'll be Cubs and White Sox games on WGN, and I assume the MLB network will televise some games, but will there be a local network that carries a particular team? If so, I'm hoping for the Reds. Once again, I don't like them, but it will present more opportunities to watch the Pirates.

In actual Pirates news, it appears that Braden Looper has popped up on the Pirate's radar. I mentioned previously how I would like the Bucs to acquire someone in the Jon Garland mold, a solid experienced starter who might come on the cheap for a one-year deal. Looper fits. Pedro Martinez has also been mentioned, but there would be more injury concern there. If he's healthy though, Pedro would be great. But adding an experienced started in general is a very good idea, especially with Jeff Karstens hurting a bit. Let's say Looper is signed, the rotation consists of Looper, Maholm, Snell, Gorzelanny and Ohlendorf, that will leave Karstens, Duke, other McCutchen, Dumatrait and Barthmaier as viable options should an injury occur. This sort of depth is crucial and seriously absent from last year.

Andrew McCutchen cracks ESPN.com's Top 20 Prospects

Today, ESPN.com released their second annual list of the top 100 MLB prospects, though only the top 25 are available for free (I believe a subscription to ESPN Insider and ESPN the magazine are required for the complete list and I don't plan to fall for their scheme). The Pirate's own Andrew McCutchen came in at number 18. Not bad. They said he has been rushed through the Pirate's system, primarily in the Littlefield era. That may be the case, but it certainly doesn't feel like it. I guess when there are only so many halfway decent prospects in your team's system, the few good ones get so much of the attention that it seems like they've been around forever. But barring injury or some ridiculous backslide, McCutchen will certainly be on the major league team at some point this year. He might not make the team out of spring training, but at the absolute latest, we will see him in September.

ESPN was kind enough to list the top 5 Pirate's prospects for us. They did not provide where they ranked (or if they ranked) among the top 100, but here they are: 1. McCutchen, 2. Jose Tabata, 3. Pedro Alvarez, 4. Bryan Morris, 5. Brad Lincoln. In case you were wondering, 3 of the 5 were acquired by Neal Huntington last summer (2 in trades, 1 drafted). I know there wasn't much in the minor league system to start with, but I like that ratio.

Since I'm already subtly criticizing former GM Dave Littlefield, it might interest you to know who ESPN chose as their #1 prospect. That would, of course, be Matt Wieters, future star catcher for the Baltimore Orioles. Wieters is the can't-miss superstar-in-the-making that Littlefield chose not to draft in 2007. This decision probably factored in to his firing a few months after. The player he did select, Daniel Moskos, did not make the top 25, nor the Pirate's own top 5, and I'm assuming not any top anything list. Moskos might make it to the big leagues someday. It could happen. But he was certainly not worthy of a top draft pick.

We Will Never Learn Uber Alas

I was messing around with the blog layout options and decided to make a change. I found a layout I liked and then I reset all the colors and fonts and everything. It ended up looking a bit like the German flag. Though I am part German, this was a coincidence. Anyway, putting that aside, I would welcome any feedback from my reader(s) on the new look. Layout, design, colors, whatever. Even though the Pirates are ditching the red alternate uniforms, historically speaking, red is one of their colors so I would like to keep that around. Thanks.

4 Pirates Avoid Arbitration

Before today's noon Eastern deadline, Adam LaRoche, Zach Duke, Tyler Yates and John Grabow signed one-years deals, avoiding possible salary arbitration hearings. All of their new salaries (yup, even LaRoche's 7 Mil) are in line with what would be expected based on their experience and positions. This just leaves Nate McLouth and Paul Maholm as the only two arbitration-eligible players who have yet to ink new contracts. There have been reports that the Pirates and McLouth have been unable to work out the details of a possible multi-year deal, so I would expect their salary figures to differ by a bit. Maholm, on the other hand, has also been working on a multi-year with the team and there has not been any indication that the two sides are having issues. I would still expect both players to sign new deals before their cases reach arbitration. What does all this mean for the Pirate fans? Not a lot. There is no chance either player will be traded or released before the season and they are both certain to be starters when the season begins. The last time a Pirate player's case went to arbitration (if I'm not mistaken) was Jack Wilson in 2004. He won his case and responded with the best season of his career. So, we'll see.

Update (6:34pm): The Post Gazette reported the arbitration figures for McLouth and Maholm. McLouth asked for 3.8 Mil and the team offered 2.75 Mil. Maholm asked for 3.8 and the team offered 2.65. Not a huge difference really. McLouth's people are probably focusing on his '08 season and the Pirates are looking at his entire career thus far. He'll probably end up with a deal for around 3 and a quarter. Maholm's people also are focusing on last year, but since he has been in the starting rotation for over 3 years, his request seems a little more reasonable. I could see him signing for about 3.25 as well, with a multi-year deal possibly following that.

For a little perspective, the Phillies have Ryan Howard eligible for arbitration. He has asked for 18 million. 18 Million. Let it sink in. His team offered 14 million. The Phillies won't have much leverage if that one should go before the arbitrators; Howard has won Rookie of the Year, MVP and a World Series title in his 4 years. If they settle, it will be for very close to what Howard wants.

Could Pedro Become a Pirate?

As a slightly delusional Pirate fan, whenever a higher profile player gets mentioned in connection with the Pirates, I immediately envision him signing or being traded to the team and the amazing year he will have leading the Bucs to an unexpected playoff berth. Earlier this week, when Andruw Jones was released by the Dodgers, I had just such a fantasy. Looking to help regain his status among the game's elite, Jones would sign a one-year deal with Pittsburgh. As the new right fielder (even in my fantasy, McLouth's job is secure), Jones would have an impressive bounce back year, something along the lines of a .270 average, with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. He would make the entire lineup better and the Pirates would surprisingly win the division. Do bear in mind though that this entire fantasy transpires in my head for all of 5 minutes. I'm not insane. I don't dwell on these possibilities for days on end (any more). I realize that Jones might not want anything to do with Pittsburgh and the feeling could in fact be mutual. If the Pirates were a little closer to being a contender already, maybe. But they're not, so this won't happen. Reports indicate that Atlanta is interested in bringing Jones back. This makes sense for both parties; Jones had great success for many years there and the Braves are just as delusional as I am, believing that they are already contenders for their division and Jones could be that final piece they need. Best of luck to them both.

Despite my imaginary player transactions, the Pirates do actually pursue free agents on occasion. Earlier this off season, they were among the final contenders for the services of Rocco Baldelli. But that was not to be. However, yesterday the Post-Gazette reported that the Pirates are indeed interested in Pedro Martinez. They say he wants to stay with the Mets and he wants 7 million dollars. If the Mets pass and Pedro's dollar request drops, Pittsburgh may have a shot. Now I realize that the 2009 version of Pedro Martinez is not the 1999 version, or even the 2005 version. If he comes to Pittsburgh, he might only end up making 15 starts and maybe his ERA would be over 5. Statistically at least, he could hurt the Pirates. He would not single-handedly catapult them into the playoffs. But the mere possibility that someone who was recently one of the game's elite pitchers, and a possible Hall-of-Famer, might actually play for our Pittsburgh Pirates is a very intriguing and exciting thought. The Post-Gazette mentions that Florida and Cleveland are also in the running. Though it would be great to see Pedro in Pittsburgh, he will probably end up elsewhere.

The New Pitching Coach

I forgot to mention possibly the most crucial offseason move the Pirates have made: the hiring of pitching coach Joe Kerrigan. I know everyone hates on Jeff Andrews and, at least based on the results of the '08 staff, he deserves it. His supporters, of which I was once one, will point out the fine work of Paul Maholm last year and how Andrews was a part of it. Well, I would say that Maholm pitched nearly as well from June on in the '07 season (excusing his two starts in late September, following a stint on the DL). At most, Andrews just didn't screw him up.

But as for Kerrigan, I don't know if he'll fix all that ails the Pirate's staff. He is, however, entering at a point where a few key pitchers are coming off horrible years, so it would be hard to make things much worse. The Pirates will have more of a competition for rotation (and bullpen) spots this year than last, so that definitely helps. And Kerrigan does have more coaching experience than Andrews. Andrews had spent many years as a pitching coach, just never in the majors prior to last season. Kerrigan on the other hand has spent much of his coaching career in the big leagues, as pitching coach for Montreal, Boston and Philadelpia, and even managing the Red Sox briefly. Still, this is no guarantee that Kerrigan is a genius who can turn the Bucs' pitching staff around, but it does inspire more confidence.

Offseason Moves (thus far)

I previously mentioned my lack of enthusiasm for the Pirates this offseason. They have made very few moves of any significance (I'm not including Patel and Singh as significant, even though they are awesome). So far, free agents Jason Michaels and Chris Gomez have signed with new teams. Despite the fact that Michaels had a number of clutch hits, neither of these are loses. Doug Mientkiewicz would be nice to have back too, but I wouldn't blame him for wanting to play for a more successful team. The Pirates have signed free agent infielder Ramon Vasquez to a 2 year deal, which is fine as long as he's only a utility player. He is certainly a notch or two above Gomez, talent-wise. Vasquez also provides a little insurance in case the team finds a buyer for Jack Wilson some day. You never know. Also, today the Pirates signed Craig Monroe to a minor league deal. Only a couple of years ago he was a fairly impressive youngish slugger for the Tigers. And I believe Dave Littlefield was trying to have him included in a potential Jack Wilson deal that fell through. Monroe has of course fallen on harder times since then, but on a minor league contract, I like him. Maybe he can regain his form from a few years back. I doubt it, but it's worth the miniscule risk here.

Also this offseason, the Pirates have signed catcher Ryan Doumit to a multi year contract and failed to ink centerfielder Nate McLouth to a similar deal. Pitcher Paul Maholm may also be approached about an deal. We shall see.

I doubt any more free agents will be brought in. At least none of much interest. It would be nice if the team is able to bring in a Jon Garland type on a 1 year deal to try to add some competition to the rotation. Garland could be the Kyle Lohse of this year (though with a little less talent), accepting less money than he expected with the hopes of proving that he's worth so much more.

The debut of the MLB Network

I have watched a little here and there of the new MLB network and so far, I'm fairly impressed. There really isn't a lot of news in Janaury, so there are a lot of drawn out 'Hot Stove' segments with Harold Reynolds and Joe Magrane rambling on about the Red Sox signing of Brad Penny. But they are squeezing in some 'classic' games here and there. One they aired the other day was a regular season game from April 1991 between the Cubs and Bucs. I knew if they chose to air some regular season game, there must be a good reason, so I expected going in that the home team Pirates would pull off a major comeback. (Note: though I did fervently follow the Pirates in '91, I had no recolection of this particular game) So anyway, after a couple of Pirates rallys, the game heads to the 11th inning, tied at 7. With 2 outs, the Cubs score a run. The next batter is Andre Dawson and he belts a grand slam over the right center wall. Even though I suspected from the start that the Pirates would make a spectaular comeback and win this game, my heart sank at this moment. 16 years of watching your team make good efforts or almost win games only to fold at the end will do this to you. It was also a bit pathetic that I was getting a little upset and disapointed over an 18 year old game. Anyway, (spoiler alert!) the Pirates did score 6 in the bottom of the 11th, capped off by a Don Slaught two run single. It felt great watching that happen. And it wan't all Barry Bonds or anything. It was all 9 hitters: 6 hits, 2 walks and one sacrifice fly. It was seeing a good team pulling off an impressive come-from-behind victory. It made me nostalgic.

Oops

So it looks like I still have a Pirates blog. Either I've been ignoring it or I became too despondent to write anything because of the horrid tailspin the Pirate's season look in 2008. Anyway, my reader pointed out yesterday that he does still check my blog for updates. Maybe he was just being polite, I don't know, but he inspired me somewhat. I'm going to try again this year. I have lower hopes this year though. Usually there is something minuscule that gives me a false sense of optimism. Take last year: I bought a Freddy Sanchez jersey. Yeah, that's it. My first Pirate's jersey in 17 years. But that was enough to get me a little bit excited about the team and to imagine the (in my mind) not too far-fetched occurrences that would need to transpire for the Pirate's to sneak into the playoffs. This year, I'm not feelin' it. After 16 years of disappointment, I've learned to keep my expectations low. 62 wins, here we come.

I plan to update the schedule soon and maybe even add a new poll. Stay tuned.