The OFFICIAL Pirates Offseason Thread

[browntown653]

Pirates agreed to terms with LHP Mike Gonzalez on a one-year contract.

Gonzalez, who is set to act as the Pirates' closer unless traded, was eligible for arbitration for the first time. He'll be a free agent after 2009.

Perhaps they're going to hang on to him now.

[love_that_reefer]

They are still in talks with the Braves and DBacks.

[brewersfan19]

this is probably the same situation that the Brewers did with Mench. Sign him so they dont loose him and get nothing for him in return.

[Petyak]

the ownership group is looking for nothing but profits. OGDEN NUTTING CAN GO **** HIMSELF. There will never be a winning team in Pittsburgh and they have too many rah rah fans that dont even watch the game (too busy looking at their bobblehead or fireworks) to care. The owners will continue to line their pockets, Dave Littlefield will continue to destroy the minor league system, and the pirates will continue to play sub .500 baseball with their washed up, retirement home 1 yr veterans like Matt Stairs and Joe Randa. **** the owners...**** the pirates...and **** the fans for supporting 15 years of total bullshit.

[Witlon]

this is probably the same situation that the Brewers did with Mench. Sign him so they dont loose him and get nothing for him in return.

He was arb eligible, they signed him instead of going in front of the pannel with him.

As for trading him, I'm pretty indifferent, I like Torres as the closer, and Capps is probably the guy for the future, but I'm certainly not solid on LaRoche or Tracy being worth Gonzalez plus another talent, it just boggles my mind. I'd be happy to stick with Nady/Doumit at first, with Gonzalez at the back of the bullpen again next year.

And the first decent bit of Pirates news I've seen in almost 3 weeks...(From Rotoworld.com)


Pirates signed infielder Nick Green to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

The 28-year-old Green hit .240/.296/.387 in 75 at-bats with the Yankees last season. He could be a better choice than Jose Hernandez to act as the Pirates' 25th man.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Love to see signings like this, maybe he can beat out Jose in ST and Hernandez's wasted AB's will go to someone that actually deserves them(Doumit?). *prays*

[browntown653]

Perhaps they're going to hang on to him now.

...and I'm wrong.

[brewersfan19]

I saw in the rumor central section on ESPN.com that the Pirates are intersted in Tony Armas, Jr. I have to give the Pirates credit this off-season. They are at least trying to better their team by making offers to FA's and thru trades! The attempts are not always successful and/or top-tier players. But they are sniffing around to improve their club, and that is the first step in getting better, IMO!!! Nice job Pirates!

[Witlon]

Our signings have been limited to Cuban defectors, 6th infielders and 5th outfielders this year, which is probably for the best. At least we're not overpaying for washed up pieces of shit like Randa and Burnitz. Armas' injury problems are just too much for me to overlook, and I highly doubt we'll get him either.

Remember, we were also intrested in Ohka, Nixon, Lawrence and pretty much every other free agent pitcher and outfielder available this year. I wouldn't hold my breath.

[brewersfan19]

well my point was that they were at least trying, it just frustrates me when my team does nothing to improve their ball club. Like the Brewers have done in the past, especially when Bud was our owner!

[Witlon]

The Pirates and Freddy Sanchez are close to avoiding arbitration with a two-year deal.

The Pirates kept saying they'd only do one-year deals with their arbitration-eligible players, but after they couldn't make any progress on a one-year deal with Sanchez, they tried something different. Sanchez asked for $3.1 million and was offered $2.15 million in his first year of arbitration. There was no indication how much the two-year deal would be worth, but $6.5 million-$7 million would seem to be about right. Sanchez won't be eligible for free agency until after 2009. Jan. 25 - 3:35 am et
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Best news of the offseason, gotta give Freddy the money after his awesome season last year. Now, hopefully he can put another one together, and I'm optomistic for once.

[Dr.Funk]

Pirates agreed to terms with outfielder Jody Gerut on a one-year, $850,000 contract.

Gerut takes a $25,000 pay cut after missing all of last season with knee issues, but he can make $140,000 in performance bonuses: $15,000 each for 200 and 250 plate appearances, $20,00 for 350 plate appearances, $25,000 each for 400 and 500 plate appearances and $40,000 for 550 plate appearances.

[Witlon]

Gerut will probably compete with Luis Matos for the 5th outfielder job behind Nady, Bay, McLouth and Duffy. Kinda intresting what happens to Jose Bautista(backup at 3B? Split time with Jack and Castillo?).

I prefer Matos, especially since he has a MLC instead of the 850K.

Thanks for the news, Dr. Funk.

[DravenX]

While stung by some of the criticism leveled against him for calling out Jose Castillo, Jack Wilson said he doesn't regret his comments. "Look, I'm harder on myself than anyone," he said. "I'm coming off a bad season. But that doesn't mean I didn't show up at the yard. And you know what? I think we have five or six leaders on this team, and I feel like I've been around long enough at shortstop to be the leader of Jose Castillo. It's my job to break in the second baseman. And it's so frustrating to watch him not be the player that I know he can be."
He's definitely going about it better now. Saying "Freddy Sanchez is my second baseman" and that "Castillo's got to show me something" came off as very arrogant (yeah, we know a thing or two about that). That we've been rather critical of Wilson from time to time stems in large part from our opinion that he's miscast as a No. 2 hitter. Of course, it's not his fault that Lloyd McClendon and Jim Tracy have put him there anyway. He's expected back in that spot this year, regardless of whether Castillo or Jose Bautista wins the open job in the infield.

Source: RotoWorld

[Witlon]

Heh, amen Rotoworld. I read that yesterday and was thinking the exact same thing. How about you put up some numbers with the bat before you talk, Jack?

[brewersfan19]

Yikes, I like Jack, but he is not Bret Farve here calling out a teammate. Not enough of a reputation and prestige there to do that. Hope there is no friction in Pittsburgh's locker room this year, could make for a long(er) season!