Pirates deal Wilson, Snell to Seattle for Clement, prospects

[Rob]

The Pirates are trading players away who aren't going to be a part of their next contending team. In return, they are getting some very high ceiling youngsters who very well may be capable of turning them into a contending team.

 

C - Clement

1B - Pearce / Jones

2B - Young

SS - Cedeno

3B - LaRoche

LF - Tabata

CF - Hernandez

RF - McCutcheon

 

Provided that team has players hitting its ceiling, that is a lineup that could be very scary.

[Vanilla Ice]

The Pirates are trading players away who aren't going to be a part of their next contending team. In return, they are getting some very high ceiling youngsters who very well may be capable of turning them into a contending team.

 

C - Clement

1B - Pearce / Jones

2B - Young

SS - Cedeno

3B - LaRoche

LF - Tabata

CF - Hernandez

RF - McCutcheon

 

Provided that team has players hitting its ceiling, that is a lineup that could be very scary.

That's a really good defensive outfield and you still have Alvarez in the wings.

[Soul]

The Pirates are trading players away who aren't going to be a part of their next contending team. In return, they are getting some very high ceiling youngsters who very well may be capable of turning them into a contending team.

 

C - Clement

1B - Pearce / Jones

2B - Young

SS - Cedeno

3B - LaRoche

LF - Tabata

CF - Hernandez

RF - McCutcheon

 

Provided that team has players hitting its ceiling, that is a lineup that could be very scary.

That's a really good defensive outfield and you still have Alvarez in the wings.

 

Yes, but their history seems to suggest that if/when those players develop major league value, they will be traded too. In exchange for the next crop of youngsters.

[Schwarber Fan]

The Pirates are trading players away who aren't going to be a part of their next contending team. In return, they are getting some very high ceiling youngsters who very well may be capable of turning them into a contending team.

 

C - Clement

1B - Pearce / Jones

2B - Young

SS - Cedeno

3B - LaRoche

LF - Tabata

CF - Hernandez

RF - McCutcheon

 

Provided that team has players hitting its ceiling, that is a lineup that could be very scary.

That's a really good defensive outfield and you still have Alvarez in the wings.

 

Yes, but their history seems to suggest that if/when those players develop major league value, they will be traded too. In exchange for the next crop of youngsters.

 

Exactly... see: Aramis Ramirez, Jason Bay, Nyjer Morgan

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Eventually, they might get lucky and have a bunch of them have breakout years in the bigs at the same time and get one year of contention before they trade them all the next year.

 

It's their best shot given payroll constraints.

[Jake]

The Pirates are trading players away who aren't going to be a part of their next contending team. In return, they are getting some very high ceiling youngsters who very well may be capable of turning them into a contending team.

 

C - Clement

1B - Pearce / Jones

2B - Young

SS - Cedeno

3B - LaRoche

LF - Tabata

CF - Hernandez

RF - McCutcheon

 

Provided that team has players hitting its ceiling, that is a lineup that could be very scary.

That's a really good defensive outfield and you still have Alvarez in the wings.

 

Yes, but their history seems to suggest that if/when those players develop major league value, they will be traded too. In exchange for the next crop of youngsters.

 

In a sense, yes. But, not always. The whole point is to have a continuous cycle of talent coming through the system, and filling the missing pieces through trades of veterans. The reality is, when Frank & Neal took over, there was next to nothing in the system. If you look at all that we've gotten back in these trades, you'll see that players on different levels were acquired. All of these trades, with the exception of the Myjer Morgan trade, made us deeper. That trade was trading an extra CF for a corner Outfielder, which we need more of.

 

I could write more, but I think you all see the picture. There's still a long way to go for us. And, when it comes time, management needs to step up with the money and keep key people when we start winning. But, 1 1/2 years ago we were a marginal team with an outside shot of .500 and few minor leagueres of substance. Now we're a .300 team, but with a semi decently stocked system. Now we wait and see.

[Jake]

The Pirates are trading players away who aren't going to be a part of their next contending team. In return, they are getting some very high ceiling youngsters who very well may be capable of turning them into a contending team.

 

C - Clement

1B - Pearce / Jones

2B - Young

SS - Cedeno

3B - LaRoche

LF - Tabata

CF - Hernandez

RF - McCutcheon

 

Provided that team has players hitting its ceiling, that is a lineup that could be very scary.

That's a really good defensive outfield and you still have Alvarez in the wings.

 

Yes, but their history seems to suggest that if/when those players develop major league value, they will be traded too. In exchange for the next crop of youngsters.

 

Exactly... see: Aramis Ramirez, Jason Bay, Nyjer Morgan

Funny you put all three together. All three were traded for different reasons.

[Schwarber Fan]

The Pirates are trading players away who aren't going to be a part of their next contending team. In return, they are getting some very high ceiling youngsters who very well may be capable of turning them into a contending team.

 

C - Clement

1B - Pearce / Jones

2B - Young

SS - Cedeno

3B - LaRoche

LF - Tabata

CF - Hernandez

RF - McCutcheon

 

Provided that team has players hitting its ceiling, that is a lineup that could be very scary.

That's a really good defensive outfield and you still have Alvarez in the wings.

 

Yes, but their history seems to suggest that if/when those players develop major league value, they will be traded too. In exchange for the next crop of youngsters.

 

Exactly... see: Aramis Ramirez, Jason Bay, Nyjer Morgan

Funny you put all three together. All three were traded for different reasons.

 

All the same, all three were relatively young (maybe not Bay as much) one time prospects that were traded away as soon as they developed trade value.

[jersey cubs fan]

It can be a never ending cycle if you combine poor drafting with wasted signings like Operation Shutdown and trading for horrible contracts like Morris. But if this time they actually commit to going with the youth and staying away from worthless veterans, they could make it work.

[bukie]

The truth of the matter is the Pirates' organization has to be run differently from the Cubs' organization. They can't afford to keep players long-term with the hopes of adding on later. They have to know they'll have a minimum of inexpensive contributions at the major league level before they can even consider being in "buyer" territory.

 

At the end of the last regime in Pittsburgh, both the major league squad and the minor league system were abysmal. Prior to that point, trades weren't made to improve the system, they were made primarily to dump salary.

 

Here's the way I see the three trades mentioned, from Pittsburgh's perspective:

 

- Aramis Ramirez - People easily forget how bad Aramis was for the Pirates in 2002. In fact, there was an article out there somewhere indicating that Ramirez's 2002 was the worst statistical year ever for a cleanup hitter. Yes, he was playing hurt, but management wasn't willing to let that go, with what they were paying him. As a result, Aramis was very disinterested in playing for Pittsburgh and gave little effort. That, combined with the injury and the cost, was more than enough to convince Pittsburgh to dump him for what at the time were considered to be decent to good Cubs prospects (Hill, Bruback) and a stopgap 3B (Hernandez).

 

- Jason Bay - Bay was a year away from free agency, and the Pirates were more than a year away from contention. Rather than get nothing for him, they got what many considered to be a good package of prospects from the Red Sox.

 

- Nyjer Morgan - Really, the Nyjer Morgan trade was likely a case of selling high on a productive OF to improve the system. The real question here is why Washington did the deal.

[Rob]

The Pirates are trading players away who aren't going to be a part of their next contending team. In return, they are getting some very high ceiling youngsters who very well may be capable of turning them into a contending team.

 

C - Clement

1B - Pearce / Jones

2B - Young

SS - Cedeno

3B - LaRoche

LF - Tabata

CF - Hernandez

RF - McCutcheon

 

Provided that team has players hitting its ceiling, that is a lineup that could be very scary.

That's a really good defensive outfield and you still have Alvarez in the wings.

 

I knew I was forgetting a few people... Alvarez and Milledge both could make their way into that lineup pretty easily.

[Vanilla Ice]

I am a huge fan of what Pittsburgh has done this season. The reality is that none of these players were going to help the Pirates when they were finally good again (with the possible exception of McLouth), but they have a very deep OF in the minors. They could be really good in a few years