Pirates

[bfords16hmansMITCH]

well austin u have hit the nail on the head my friend...i agree with everything u said except matt lawton.....how much are they paying him....i mean without his bat they wouldnt have beat Milwakee on sunday...........he is slow and not very good in the OutField but i mean he could always be a D.H..............i also think maybe its time for mesa to leave........he is NOT dependable in the 9th inning with a 1 run lead

[Goodwill]

I surely hope the Bucs aren't turning it in for the season

[ham55]

Lawton is solid, getting rid of him would be a grave mistake. Kip needs traded, he has 7 scoreless vs. the Phillies going right now, great timing with the trading deadline coming up.

[ham55]

Complete game 4 hit, shut-out by Wells... 12 K's... Second career shut-out, Career high in K's in a game... Not bad for a guy that had been 0-4 with at 10.50 ERA in his last 4 outings...

[defender007]

Everything out here says that Matt Lawton is gone. I was upset about this for a while but. it would give Doumit some starts in RF.

I am upset that they're going to trade Mark Redman. As was stated earlier, he is a mentor to Dave Williams who, despite being shelled by the Phils, is having his best season yet. I also think he could help Duke and other young pitchers along.

They'll probably also be benching Daryle Ward when Craig Wilson comes back, and I'm not the biggest Craig fan. He is inconsistent at best. D-train is on pace for a 100 RBI season, whether or not he hits the bombs like we expect. A potential 100 RBI player is not someone you should be benching.

In other news, Rick White came out on FSN and said that he feels the younger players in Pittsburgh feel no pressure to win. How does anyone think that we fix that? Is it all McClendon's fault? Or is there a lack of vetran leadership to blame? From what I can tell it can't be Lloyd's fault, he is always so fired up. Let me know what you think.

[voncap]

Also saw the interview with White. This is not a good thing.

The Pirates have been trying for a few years to keep their minor league teams strong and build a winning attitude with the sucess of their minor league teams. They know the chance of bringing in a player from one of the winning major league clubs is slim. So they have been working on building the winning mentality from the ground level.

If the young players, after experiencing winning at the minor league levels, aren't coming to the 'bigs' hungry (sorry about that one) to win, this organization is in big trouble.

[Coach]

Who I'd trade...

Matt Lawton- If we have Bay we have to have ANOTHER big hitter in the lineup from our outfield. Someone with more power and that can hit 3-5 needs to be found for RF next year.

Craig Wilson- I'm sick of the guy I guess. I think with Doumit he can play a lot of RF and C. He can also learn 1B a bit.

Kip Wells- He might return a HITTING prospect that is AAA and ready to be in the bigs next year. I would love to see a Bay type of guy.

Jose Mesa- Closers are tough, tough, tough to find this year. Send him and get more in return than you deserve for him. We won't contend this year so a closer isn't a top priority right now...especially an older one.

Maybe another SP but I don't know who I'd unload. We have Duke, Snell, VanB, and Burnett all at a point where they are close to MLB ready or will be returning. Bullington will also be close to ready sometime soon I'd say.


Ward is on pace for 100 RBI. Bay is a stud. Thing is we need a 3B or a RF that can hit 25+ and drive in 100. With a player like that this team will be a lot better.

I like this team:
OF- Bay, Mackowiak, and find a power hitting RF

INF- Sanchez, Wilson, Castillo, and Ward. I like it the way it is. If anything find a 3B and let S,W, and C be the middle infield for years to come.

C- I don't like Ross or Cota for the long time answer. I don't think Doumit is the guy either though. I'd say Cota because he is the best defensively.

P- Perez, Redman, Duke, Fogg, Snell or another rightie. That staff has 3 LH which is great for PNC. I would like to see D Williams move to the pen to be the guy that is opposite Vogelsong or we send Vogs packing too.

[voncap]

IMO:

Trade Bait:

Lawton - not a big fan. He doesn't hit for high average nor for power, his defense is shaky, and his base running well let's just be nice and say it is lacking. Besides he makes 7.75 mill/year and is a free agent at the end of the season. The Pirates can get the same production for a lot less money. For example, we could have Adam Dunn for 4.3 mill/year. Granted he strikes out a lot (maybe an understatement) but wouldn't his 40+ hrs a year look good in the middle of the Pirates lineup and how many more homers and doubles would he hit with PNC Park's RF fence?

Wells - May be the only player the Pirates have who can return major league ready talent in a one for one deal. Wouldn't mind seeing the Pirates keep him but they have to find some offense.

Mesa - Hot commodity. I agree with Coach on this one. We have time to develop a closer. A few playoff contenders are in dire need of a closer and Mesa should be made available. If the Pirates add a young arm to a deal with Mesa, I think they should be able to get a quality position starter in return.

Cut the cord:

Ross - why is this guy still even around. How long can the Pirates afford to keep a weak hitting catcher around for one pitcher? He is taking playing time and at-bats away from Doumit and a roster spot from a player like McLouth or Duffy who could use the major league experience

Vogelsong - Has become the poster child for the Pirates failures. What kind of mentally is this guy developing being thrown out for every mop up duty?

Restovich - I know your a fan Coach, but he doesn't appear to be in the Pirates' plans. He should be the odd man out when C. Wilson comes off the disabled list.

The Rest:

I kindda like the rest of the roster. There are no superstars, but they all seem to provide something positive. The roster still needs some work, but it is a solid nucleus to build on. If the above mentioned trades can bring in three players who can have an immediate impact this team could be above .500 next year.

[bfords16hmansMITCH]

Even though Vogelsong does come in at scores of 10-1 and 12-3 he is getting paid and making the money. plus he has had his chance as a starter and he had a losing record last year....i know it would suck but that is where he belongs...........lawton hits for singles and doubles(keep him)................PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SEND DOWN ROSS.

[jumper22]

Just finished watching another ugly one. Good up till the 7th. Then the wheels came off.

I do see them getting rid of Lawton which i was kind of mad about till i realized we will owe him 6 million a year. He should end up with 20 HR/70 RBI which isn't too bad but maybe we can get something decent for him. I dont see him as a long term answer.

Wells just came off a great start and they changed his approach so hopefully he can keep this up. Doesnt matter to me what we do with him. If he pitches like this, he will help this ballclub, or we can get something decent in return.

Mesa has to go. I would almost be less nervous if they sent Vogelsong to the mound in the ninth than Mesa, and thats saying alot. Many teams need a closer so lets trade him. It may be tough though b/c he says he won't show up to a team that he doesnt like. And yes, Vogelsong needs to go. He is better in the bullpen than he was as a starter, but still not good enough.

Get rid of Restovich. Dont care where or how. Just do it.

Send Ross down. He is a veteren who can work with our young catchers. Thats about all he is good for.

I dont know about Craig Wilson. Never was a huge fan but he has the potential to do ok. But if they keep him when they come back, he would do us better in left (with Bay in center), than to take ward out at 1st. Ward hasnt homered in a month but you know that will end. He is still batting .280 which is decent for him and he is driving in runs. Not even playing too shabby of defense either. Definately need a third basemen and another outfielder in a deal. I like Sanchez but he isnt very productive for a third basemen. Still not impressed by our catcher of the future Cota and havent saw enough of Doumit to know for sure yet.

As far as Snell is concerned, i had heard that the Pirates werent sure if they wanted him to be a starter for them. They may keep him in the bullpen. I think they are happy with what is coming up through and think he may be a good long reliever. Not sure about that one yet, but i agree that i would at least like to see him start before they make that decision.