Not a Fan of Doumit's Contract
The Post-Gazette poll shows an overwhelming support of the signing of Ryan Doumit to a long term contract. I am certainly a fan of having signed Doumit to a long term deal. But I am by no means a fan of the contract.
With the way the salary is broken out (Doumit will make 2.5 times [...]
Pirates close to extension with Doumit
Deal to cover three years, with a team option for a fourth. That fourth year would be Doumit’s first of free agency.
Update (10:00 PM): Dejan has updated his post to reflect that the Pirates will actually have options for each of the first two years of Doumit’s free agency. That makes this a very [...]
Dock Ellis Dead at Age 63
Woke up to this news this morning: Dock Ellis has passed away from a liver ailment. How sad.
Amid all the hype about his no-hitter on LSD, people will overlook that Ellis was a very good pitcher. But at the same time more than a bit of an enigma. What could he have done had he [...]
Pirates Amassing a History of White Flag Hurlers
For reasons I can’t begin to comprehend, my thoughts turned toward Ryan Vogelsong recently. I remembered how Vogelsong had such a great Spring Training in 2004 (26-1/3 IP and a 2.05 ERA). There was talk of him being a solid member of the rotation. It all fell apart and soon enough he was mopping up. [...]
Read more2009 Chone projections
Sean Smith released the 2009 CHONE offensive projections at his new website today. Be sure to take a look at the Pirates’ page. Here are just a few notes.
CHONE sees Ryan Doumit (.281/.343/.461) regressing a bit from last season. Nate McLouth (.274/.352/.461) and Adam LaRoche (.264/.340/.468) see a decrease in their power [...]
Doumit, McLouth and the broadcasting booth
Dejan reports that the Pirates are nearing a long-term deal with Ryan Doumit, while talks with Nate McLouth have slowed to the point that his agent referred to them as “close to dead.” I have mentioned before that I feel much more comfortable giving a multi-year contract to McLouth than Doumit, so I would have [...]
Read moreIf the Pirates kept Bay and built through free agency
In Dejan’s Q&A today, someone questioned why the Pirates do not take advantage of the current market, in which prospects are arguably overvalued while free agents are undervalued. In the subsequent discussion, Dejan endorsed the idea that the Pirates should have held onto Jason Bay and tried to build a competitive team in 2009. [...]
Read moreMichaels signs with Astros
We got some good news today, as the Astros have signed Jason Michaels to a one year, $750,000 deal. I was concerned that the Pirates might seriously be considering bringing him back, but it doesn’t appear that they had any real interest. Michaels had some huge hits for us last season, but he [...]
Read moreIs Adam LaRoche less valuable because of his dramatic splits?
The Pirates offered arbitration to seven players before last night’s deadline, retaining their rights. Nate McLouth, Adam LaRoche, Ryan Doumit, Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, John Grabow and Tyler Yates will each remain under team control. Reliever Denny Bautista was not offered a contract, making him a free agent.
In this morning’s post on the [...]
Pirates finalize deal with Vazquez
The Pirates officially signed utility infielder Ramon Vazquez today. The deal is worth $4 million over two years. This is a nice signing for the Pirates, as it gives them a cheap bench option that can play adequate defense all over the infield. Vazquez likely won’t match the solid offensive numbers he posted last [...]
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