Baseball Thread 5 - #5 George Brett Has a Story to Tell

Jeff Wilpon loves his toy and that he can play with it and fuck it up all he likes -- and nobody can do a thing about it. They have to watch him do it, and get to pay money so that he can do it.

As the great American Popeye said, I've had all I can stands, I can't stands no more.

 

I don't think I'm overstating it. For Bay, the Bucs received four prospects, none of whom made BA's top 100 -- so I agree with you on the Bay trade, they could have maybe fetched more, despite getting a starting third baseman and a guy to place in the rotation. But compare the Bay trade to McLouth, who fetched a top-60 BA prospect, and it looks a ton better on the surface.

McLouth was a good player, but again, I ask how many division titles did the Royals win with Dye, Damon and Beltran? The reason those Royals didn't win is because they lacked pitching, both in the rotation and in the bullpen. The Pirates are at least trying to address that issue in their own system and trying to correct that. Without that pitching, even had the Bucs traded no stars away the past 12 months, they would have been in the exact same spot as they are right now -- dead last in the NL Central. I think these trades are going to give the Bucs a shot, not just this season but down the line.

 

I don't disagree with the overall direction and I certainly don't think they have the pitching to win right now. They would be better with Bay and McLouth right now, but eventually the lack of pitching would have caught up with them.

But if you are going to deal guys like that, you have to make sure you get proper value or be willing to wait. I think they failed to do that in both cases.

 

We're just going have to agree to disagree on this one. But I think we can both agree that we're hoping these trades do pan out, because it sure would be nice to see the Bucs become a winner again.

 

Yes, we definitely have to agree to disagree. We do agree on the direction. It is just the executiion that we don't see the same way.

It would help if they would consistently take the best player available in the draft rather than the guy they think they can afford, too. Sure, they took Alvarez last year. Then they went right back to the penny-pinching draft method this year.

 

The Bucs will be winners today. I've seen enough of this game.

 

I hope you're right. With Maholm on the mound, I would think a five-run lead would be enough. Except this bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fourth has me nervous.

 

Care to revise that statement? Maholm just gave the last of that 5-0 lead back and he's still in trouble in the fifth.

 

I was actually OK with that method this year. After Strasburg, there were so few can't miss guys that maybe drafting to fill an organizational need wasn't such a bad thing. Plus, there's no sense in giving a ton of money to a guy who MIGHT be great down on the line. After Strasburg, there weren't a lot of Gordon Beckham's out there to pick lower in the first round. Didn't seem to be a lot of great college guys in the top 15, unlike last year when Matusz and Alvarez and Beckham and those guys were out there.

 

Not only that, but they did draft first-and second-round talent that dropped to later rounds with the idea of playing above-slot money with the money they saved by taking Sanchez at No. 4. Savvy plan, hope it works.

 

If there's a SS hitting around .240, you should've told Burlington to send him to KC immediately.

Glad to hear you and your boy had a blast I've got friends up that way... I'll have to partake at some point.

 

What the hell is going on here?