Help fix the Pirates

[BooCocky]

I didn't want to clog up the Major League Baseball thread so I decided to give this its own thread.

The Pirates were once a storied franchise with Hall of Fame players and some of the best base ball players of all time during there Era. But all good things come to an end. In 1992 after we lost to the Braves after Bonds couldn't throw up Sid Fucking Bream at Home Plate, we decided to drop and reload. We came to a position where we had to sign Bonds, Van Slyke or Bobby Bo. We took Bonilla and Slyke to build a team around. Not knowing this rebuilding stage has lasted nearly twenty years. We've gone through the Kendall deal, the Bell deal and nothing came about. The McClatchy/Littlefield era blew. There dedication to building a shitty franchise worked. Now they're gone and gave Neal Huntington all the power to make baseball moves with the money the Nuttings want to use.

People believe NH is nuts, getting rid of Bay, Wilson, Nady, Sanchez, McClouth, Grabow and probably several more for a bunch of prospects, mainly pitching prospects. I can't call him nuts, he at least has a plan, something Littlefield and McClatchy never had. NH has gotten rid of basically everyone that was brought here during the McClatchy era except for a few names. Anyways, I can clearly see the NH plan, power pitching, with quick baserunners, and I first witnessed that when we traded Bay and Nady last year and that continued through to this year when we traded Sanchez, Wilson and Grabow.

Now that everyone is gone from the McClatchy era, how can you rebuild the Pirates? They have pieces there, McCutchen was a great minor leaguer with all the upside in the world, Tabata also has a huge upside along side Lastings Milledge, and Pedro Alvarez is still in the Minors tearing it up. We are also on the fast track to land Miguel Sano, the Domincan Republic SS who can resemble Hanley Ramirez, or Miguel Cabrera. Plus we already signed six Latin players and all offered 7 figure bonuses. Most are thought to be solid Major Leaguers.

The fans of Pittsburgh want to see a winning franchise right now, but I am mainly focusing on the future, and at the moment it looks to be a very bright one.

So how would you fix the Pirates?

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

I think that the Pittsburg Prospects... Er, Pirates are doing just fine right now. They weren't going to win anything with Bay, Nady, Wilson, Sanchez, etc. So, they traded their heavier contracts away for good prospects. Now, they have a loaded farm system. If these players turn out the way that they're expected to, you'll have yourself a winning club in the future. I can only hope, for my Yankees sake, that you'll bring them up one at a time and they'll perform well, but you trade them to New York at the deadline. I like to acquire things. Really though, I think your club has done a good job of building for the future. If you guys don't go broke in the next five years and collapse, you'll probably see a winning record in Pittsburg.

Edit: For the record, threads like this don't belong in the MLB thread. That's stuff pertaining to the season: trades, games, team bashing.. Same goes for NFL and all that stuff.

 

[FromTheSouth]

Step 1 - Sell the team to mark Cuban. I know that the establishment doesn't want him to own a team, but in all honesty, Mark Cuban took the worst NBA franchise and turned them into a perennial playoff team. They used to not make money, and suddenly they are among the most valuable teams in the league.

Step 2 - Trade some second rate prospects for some second rate veterans. If you want to attract free agents, you need a core of serviceable players. If you ahve some role players, telling a free agent that he is the difference might stroke his ego enough to get him to sign.

Step 3- Lock up your homegrown talent early. The Houston Astros are the model in this sense. Biggio, Bagwell, Berkman, Pence, and Oswalt were all locked up to long term deals early in their careers. For one, you get the at the discount, and second, you allow teams to develop together.

Step 4 - Stop thinking like a small market team. Being in a small market is an excuse. The Steelers and Penguins win in Pittsburgh. If you have somoene break out and star, instead of trading him, use him to entice others to come play. The Florida Marlins are good at this. Once they get a good core of young players, they can go get a star like Moises Alou (who was a star in 1997) or Pudge Rodriguez to put them over the top.

 

[gd]

I actually think what the Pirates are doing now is pretty good. Huntington at least deserves a shot since this is only his 2nd year with the ball club. He overhauled the mess of a team that previous managment gave us and has acquired what looks to be like a solid core of players.

Ryan Doumit is already a very good young catcher, McCutcheon is going to be a star and these guys can be surronded by other talented players like Jeff Clement, Garrett Jones, Pedro Alvarez, Tabata, etc.

The other key thing they've done is get a ton of pitching. The combo of Duke, Maholm, and Morton is a very talented front of the rotation. Olendorf is a work horse and one of the prospects they have gotten is going to be able to join the roatation as well. From what I've heard, this Alderson guy from the Giants is an absolute beast, plus Hart from the Cubs who has 3 wins this season as a rookie.

I think that the core is there for the Pirates, if ownership was willing to possibly lose a little money in the short term by locking up some of the young guys or bringing in a big free agent I think we'll really benefit in the long wrong. Personally, I am hopeful for the Pirates future.

 

[Baller]

Step 2 - Trade some second rate prospects for some second rate veterans. If you want to attract free agents, you need a core of serviceable players. If you ahve some role players, telling a free agent that he is the difference might stroke his ego enough to get him to sign.

NO NO NO!!!! You are heading in the right direction with The Pittsburgh Pirates. When you are in the stage of rebuilding you must do what the Florida Marlins did, and trade all of their veterans for younger players and grow with them. The Pirates have traded everybody and have gotten good prospects in return. By the 2010-2011 season the majority of these guys will be on the Pirates roster and be starting. The Pirates should lock up McCutchen as this guy is a future superstar, and make him you franchise player similar to Hanley Ramirez. The Marlins did this exactly right and the Pirates are looking good so far, but you must be patient with them and dont expect a good team till 2012-2013.

 

[NSL]

Becker, you'll hate me for this, but here's my only idea on how to make this team a serious competitor.

Move them. Far away. Las Vegas, perhaps?

Except for you, and a blind Pittsburgh fan or two that I know in real life, they've lost their fan base. The team does not sell tickets, the stadium does. The prospects they're getting give them a marginal minor league system, and they have a few good players on the major league level. Move them to a city deprived of a pro team, so they can have an instant fanbase of people dying to root for anyone.

Once they're there, they'll get increased revenue, and be able to attract some bigger names. I'm not talking guys like Matt Holliday or Adrian Gonzalez, but some nice mid-level guys, like Heath Bell. The farmhands will stick around a bit longer, learning the ropes as the major league team develops, and then you'll have a good crop of players to bring up, or use in trades for bigger names, like Halladay.

Since I don't see the team moving any time soon, I don't see them competing for a long time. It doesn't help that they're in a division with teams like Chicago and St. Louis, with Milwaukee and Houston competing almost every year, either.

 

[BooCocky]

Becker, you'll hate me for this, but here's my only idea on how to make this team a serious competitor.

Move them. Far away. Las Vegas, perhaps?

Except for you, and a blind Pittsburgh fan or two that I know in real life, they've lost their fan base. The team does not sell tickets, the stadium does. The prospects they're getting give them a marginal minor league system, and they have a few good players on the major league level. Move them to a city deprived of a pro team, so they can have an instant fanbase of people dying to root for anyone.

Once they're there, they'll get increased revenue, and be able to attract some bigger names. I'm not talking guys like Matt Holliday or Adrian Gonzalez, but some nice mid-level guys, like Heath Bell. The farmhands will stick around a bit longer, learning the ropes as the major league team develops, and then you'll have a good crop of players to bring up, or use in trades for bigger names, like Halladay.

Since I don't see the team moving any time soon, I don't see them competing for a long time. It doesn't help that they're in a division with teams like Chicago and St. Louis, with Milwaukee and Houston competing almost every year, either.

Yes, and then if they continue there losing ways you'll be back to square one. LV is a bigger market and they won't tolerate losing. They are just fine in Pittsburgh, they generate enough revenue. They have the right pieces in the minor leagues.

So this is just a dumb idea, Halladay will be able to pitch so you'll be giving up a lot of young guys for an older player. That is just idiotic. They are doing things correctly at this moment, and they should be competing in a few years.

Neal Huntington knows what he is doing, and the only thing they have left to do is sing McCutchen to an extension. They should have a top five pick for next year and the year after. Keep building the minor leagues like FLA and TB. That seems to work for them.

 

[Baller]

The Pittsburgh market will become more loyal as this young team continues to build. They will not have a good fan base until 2 or 3 years when McCutchen is a superstar and they have a team built around him.