My State of the Pittsburgh Pirates: Yes, I would love to see Russell Martin re-sign with the Pirates. I think his leadership has been invaluable to this franchise and the fact that he was so good offensively in 2014 was just gravy. If the Pirates can get Martin to sign a reasonable offer BEFORE testing the open market (3-years, $45m?), then they have a chance to retain him. If he gets to the point where teams are throwing offers at him, the Pirates are out of it. Basically, ti comes down to Martins decision. If he TRULY wants to stay in Pittsburgh, he is going to take a fair market deal from the Pirates without even visiting another city. Once he is out there, the Dodgers, Angels, maybe even the Cubs or Red Sox, are going to offer him a ridiculous 4-year, 17/m per deal similar to what the Yankees unloaded on McCann last winter. Martin is going to be 31-years old in 2015 and catchers traditionally hit the wall very rapidly after they turn 30. It is MY opinion that the Pirates should offer Martin a 3-year, $45m deal on the first day of free agency. No 4th year, unless it can be a team option (unlikely). The Dodgers are going to go hard after him and they will happily offer a 4-year deal for maybe $17-18 per season. If that happens, the Pirates should simply thank Russ for his contributions in Pittsburgh and walk away. The 2015 Pirates already have the best OF in baseball (Cutch, Marte, Polanco/Synder) all locked up through at least 2018. They have a solid, intact infield minus 1st base. Harrison at 3B Mercer at SS, Walker at 2B is playoff-caliber. They have the 2013 NL home run champ in limbo - does Alvarez put in the work and become the 1B solution? Pitching staff - if Liriano and Volquez both depart, and Morton misses (as expected) all of spring training plus April/May 2015, the Pirates will need to find starting pitching. This is where they excel (at least until Ray Searage starts getting consideration for MLB managerial openings). Cole is your #1. Worley/Locke your #2/#3. Brandon Cumpton, Stolmy Pimentel all in the mix from the 2014 roster. Jameson Taillon should be back and ready to debut in Bradenton post-surgery. Nick Kingham will get plenty of chances to show he could be the #5 starter in Pittsburgh. Joely Rodriguez, Adrian Sampson, Tyler Glasnow, Clay Holmes should all start the year in Indianapolis. Potential quality mid-range free agent starters the Pirates could look to bring in on their budget: Jason Hammel, Kyle Kendrick, Justin Masterson, Brandon McCarthy, Ryan Vogelsong. If Liriano or Volquez stays, all the better. Bullpen - Melancon returns as your closer. Watson/Wilson/Hughes/Holdzkom/Axford return as your bulk. Pimental/Gomez are wildcards - potential long-relief, starters, or trade bait. A few free agent arms to keep tabs on - Andrew Bailey, Jesse Crain, Jason Frasor, Luke Gregorson, Joe Thatcher - all are solid veterans who should be affordable options. Bench - Upgrading here should be a priority. Chris Stewart should be gone, depending on what happens with Martin of course. Barmes is a free agent and should be let go. Tabata should be trade bait, he is out of a job with Snyder in Pittsburgh. Andrew Lambo should have a spot on the club. Ike Davis/Gaby Sanchez are both under contract for 2015, both will be dependent on other factors. A few ideas to improve the Pirates - Michael Cuddyer for 1B (free agent), Mark Ellis for MI Utility (free agent), Elimio Bonifacio as UTIL (free agent). I could see a trade for a 1B if Pedro doesnt seem to be working out there. Cleveland will be shopping C/1B Carlos Santana, a 28-year old power hitting 1B option. Oft-talked about Texas Rangers 1B Mitch Moreland is also still in play, trade-wise. Red Sox 1B Mike Napoli will be a free agent in 2016, so perhaps the Sox look to move him now that several of their young stars seem ready to move up in 2015. Oh well, just my take on the Buccos. Thanks for reading this loooong read!
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 22:30:29 +0000
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