Pittsburgh Pirates Live Up to Name, Rob Washington Nationals

by R.J. Anderson on Jun 30, 2009 3:45 PM EDT Comment 27 comments

Active day for Neal Huntington and company.

They send Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett to D.C. for Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan.

I'm not sure I understand this from the Nationals perspective. Yes, they need defense, but Morgan is basically Ryan Langerhans - a guy they just valued equal to that of Mike Morse - and they have about a dozen outfielders hanging around already. Burnett is nothing special. His 3.06 ERA is shiny out of a relief role, but his FIP is 4.5, his BABIP against is .218, and his strand rate is nearing 80%. Guess which way that ERA is going to go with the worst defense in the league behind him.

Milledge isn't much of a centerfielder, but he's nearly five years younger than Morgan and already an equal hitter. He comes with baggage and tools, whether he puts it all together or not is yet to be seen. As for Hanrahan, his ERA is an awful 7.71. Of course his BABIP is .451 and his strand rate is 62%. Yes, he's given up some liners this season, but his FIP is a solid 3.56, and his tRA 4.30. Hanrahan was going to become a smart buy-low for some team this July, as it turns out, the Pirates beat everyone to the punch.

Morgan is the better player now, but Hanrahan is miles better than Burnett, and Milledge's upside makes him for more appealing to a team not planning on competing this season. The Nationals had enough outfielders already to deal Milledge without getting one in return; throwing in Hanrahan to get an inferior pitcher in return is the glue on the cake.

Neal Huntington sold high and bought low here. It's hard to see a downside for the Pirates.

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ya beat me to the punch RJ

well done. Hanrahan for free really tips the scales. Sean Burnett was another great 1st round pick for the Buccos. Yeesh.

godfather of futureredbirds.net

by erik on Jun 30, 2009 4:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The Pirates may not be the best run small market team, but it seems like they seem to be getting it.

They will have a ways to go until they pass the Rays, Twins, A’s , Marlins, Indians and Brewers as small market contenders.

Jeff Zimmerman - Protecting the world from RBI's and Wins from my mom's guest house.

by Jeff Zimmerman (TucsonRoyal) on Jun 30, 2009 4:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Considering the rut they've been put in

I think Huntington and Co. have done just a crackerjack job. They had neither the payroll nor prospects coming in.

by Daniel Berlyn on Jun 30, 2009 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just am not sure which area of this chart his ability falls under right now

Jeff Zimmerman - Protecting the world from RBI's and Wins from my mom's guest house.

by Jeff Zimmerman (TucsonRoyal) on Jul 1, 2009 12:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

dude

Hannrhan was just getting lit up this year…it wasnt just “the bad team behind him”..i know I actually watch the Nats…

and Milledge is a piss poor defender and average hitter………………………………..he never was going to work in DC.

I think the Nats served themselves well in this trade.

by Carter S on Jun 30, 2009 4:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I've never watched an inning of baseball in my life.

Seriously. A baseball looks like a football, right?

by R.J. Anderson on Jun 30, 2009 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I disagree

Brad Ziegler had a scoreless inning streak. Brad Ziegler had not met BJ Upton.

by P Brady on Jun 30, 2009 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Unneccessary period man

is unneccessary.

How do you think the Nats won in this trade? They shouldn’t be focusing on winning now at all, especially when they could just absolutely tank to get Bryce Harper next year. As someone who “actually watches the Nats” you should know that better than anyone.
They have to have the worst front office in the entire league.

by Lum on Jun 30, 2009 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Neyer questioned both Milledge's character and his ability in his review of the trade

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/sweetspot/0-3-161/Bucs-add-Milledge—but-why-.html

He’s right that this might be Lasting’s last chance though.

by Dan Turkenkopf on Jun 30, 2009 5:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

he'll get plenty of chances so long as he tries.

That seems to be the issue, though.

by Daniel Berlyn on Jun 30, 2009 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, he's getting a bad rep everywhere he goes

And while his apparent talent keeps getting him chances, sooner or later he’s going to need to do something with that talent. Otherwise he might just go the way of Ruben Rivera (hopefully without the stolen memorabilia).

by Dan Turkenkopf on Jun 30, 2009 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here's a question

Let’s assume all these players age as expected and approach their ceiling. Who would be the big star on that, say, 2014 Pirates team? Pedro Alvarez has been striking out at a 40% rate in Double-A (after putting up a 28.8% mark in High-A), and the rest of their prospects have pretty low ceilings. I still think this team needs a miracle.

by Tommy Bennett on Jun 30, 2009 5:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

McCutchen

by Daniel Berlyn on Jun 30, 2009 7:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What's McCutchen's ceiling?

Are we talking Carlos Beltran level? Marquis Grissom? Somewhere in between?

by Dan Turkenkopf on Jun 30, 2009 8:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Borderline Superstar, methinks

Grissom would be a favorable comparison, but I wouldn’t stop there.

by Daniel Berlyn on Jul 1, 2009 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Alvarez

…has been in AA all of a week, right? Just checking…
-j

My blog: Basement-Dwellers.com

by JinAZ on Jun 30, 2009 9:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He also had a 13.2 walk rate and a .239 ISO in high A

Derosa.

by vivaelpujols on Jul 1, 2009 12:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I loved them getting Hanrahan from the Nats.

When it was just going to be Morgan for Milledge, I didn’t think much of it. Now, I love it for the Pirates.

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by Zach Sanders on Jun 30, 2009 8:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I really like the Hanrahan piece, too.

Although I’m pretty overrating it, considering he’s just an underperforming bullpen arm right now. Given that Nijer Morgan types aren’t too hard to find, this is a smart deal, even if it’s 70% likely Hanrahan and Milledge never do anything productive. Their ceilings are pretty darn high.

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by Sky Kalkman on Jun 30, 2009 10:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Trader Dan Style

Dan, if McCutcheon is Marquis Grissom, which I think might be a good comp, the Pirates will be very, very happy.

But Tommy, I have to agree that this team, both in the near-term and medium-term, are just absolutely brutal from top to bottom. I think Alvarez will figure it out, but I’m doubtful as to what his ceiling is—letting go of Aramis Ramirez looks worse every day. Additionally, their overdraft of Tony Sanchez leaves them without a single impact bat in the system outside of Alvarez for at least the next 2-3 years, so it should be at least that long until any progress can be discerned.

They should just change the classic P on their caps to F; obviously, F stands for FAIL.

by ProustianDisplay on Jun 30, 2009 9:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It's hard to image that letting go Aramis Ramirez could look worse than it did when they made the trade

But you’re right, it definitely does.

And I share your concern about their future. Most of their drafts recently have been horrendous. Even this year smelled of trying to save some money (although I have heard some good things I think).

I feel quite bad for the Pirates fans who have had to put up with such a poorly run team for so long. I hope that Huntington and Coonelly can pull them out of the tailspin, but I think it’ll be quite a few years away.

by Dan Turkenkopf on Jun 30, 2009 9:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This year's draft

I heard they were saving money for international signings. We’ll see soon enough…

by Tommy Bennett on Jul 1, 2009 8:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

they went with a lot of upside picks later in the draft

and really, Sanchez was one of the best position players available. No reason to go all out on one player in a weak draft, so I liked their strategy.

And really, they don’t have as godawful a team this year as in recent years.

by Daniel Berlyn on Jul 1, 2009 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You should def forward a copy of this to Jack Wilson, he seems to disagree.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/06/pirates-trade-reactions.html

by jakeruss on Jun 30, 2009 10:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This lineup would look okay.....

Andrew McCutchen, CF
Nate McLouth, RF
Jason Bay, LF
Aramis Ramirez, 3B
BJ Upton, 2B
Ryan Doumit, 1B
Matt Wieters, C
Jack Wilson, SS

But you can’t argue with Brian Bullington and Danny Moskos either.

by TheGreatAwakening on Jul 1, 2009 5:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I totally forgot that Upton used to be a MIF.

/shudders

OverTheMonster - ALLERGEN WARNING: May contain peanut butter.

by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Jul 1, 2009 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

In all seriousness....

I think the Morgan trade was one they had to do. At some point you have to take a shot at impact talent. On paper the trade was an easy green light- age 29 for 24, no power for power, etc. Morgan just will not ever produce much above replacement-level.

The things that make it a tough swallow are the human aspects- Nyjer is a leader, a hustler, a student of the game, a great interview, a fan favorite, a real gold glover (based on, you know, reality, not votes), and a dynamic leadoff hitter who bunts, steals, hits triples, and always flys around the paths and in the field. Even casual baseball fans accept by now that OBP is what wins in the one-hole rather than hollow speed, but it’s still fun to have a leadoff hitter as exciting as Morgan, (and it’s not like he’s that bad at the things that really matter). Milledge, by contrast, is everything that Morgan is not. Milledge plays with energy- when he feels like it. He isn’t coachable. He doesn’t take good angles in the field. He’s moody. He’s lazy. He’s stupid. He’s the anti-Nyjer. For all these reasons, this trade is as tough to swallow as a no-brainer can possibly be.

When Hunt and Coon got here they first needed to litter the system top to bottom with warm bodies possessing respectable, if not spectacular, baseball talent. They’ve done that, and now it’s time to sprinkle in some guys with significant upside. They’ve moved Bay, Nady, McLouth, and in return they’ve added more than enough number four starters (Morton, Ohlendorf), and corner players with no power (LaRoche, Moss). It’s time to roll the dice on upside, which Milledge has. And hopefully he will reach it, otherwise he will get booed like no athlete in Pittsburgh history.

The deal had to be made- it’s just too bad it had to be Morgan, who brings to the table the things that go a long way for a crummy franchise that’s simply trying to keep its fans interested while it builds towards contending. And he’d be a fun guy to have around if and when things get turned around- stealing the key bag or moving over the key runner in the 8th inning of PNC Park’s first playoff game. Who knows, maybe they can bring him back by then.

by TheGreatAwakening on Jul 1, 2009 5:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs