Is Jason Bay on the block? Can the Pirates get enough value for him?

Where They Are Coming From

The Pirates finished the 2007 season with a record of 68-94, last place in the NL Central division, and 17 games behind the first place Cubs. It was the Pirates 15th consecutive losing season, just one shy of the North American sports record of 16 losing seasons, set by the Phillies. There is every reason to believe that they will tie the record in 2008. There has been a shift in ownership of the team, and a new general manager, Neal Huntington, took over the reins of the team last September. Instead of wholesale change and a revamp of the roster, the new management regime began with an assessment of the entire organization. The first order of business was determined to be a restocking and rebuilding of the team’s player development and farm system. That translated into leaving most of the current roster intact for another season. The thinking is that the new player development team needs another year to assess the talent that it already has before making any drastic changes.

There are already several young players on the Major League club who are still developing and clearly under-performed last season, particularly among the pitching staff. Huntington would like to see how those players progress this season in the hope that they will form the core around which he can build the team back into a contender. Another reason the team did little so far is that their best bargaining chip, Jason Bay, had an off year last season, which greatly reduced his value in the trade market. By giving him a chance to bounce back in ‘08, the team hopes to acquire more talent in a trade with Bay next winter. Therefore, the 2008 team will end up looking an awful lot like the same bunch that walked off the field at the end of last season. The operative word being – awful.

Players Lost

• Declined option for Infielder Cesar Izturis and he opted for free agency


• Pitchers Tony Armas and Shawn Chacon, and 1B Brad Eldred filed for free agency


• First baseman Josh Phelps and Infielder Jose Castillo were released


• Traded Pitcher Salomon Torres to the Milwaukee Brewers

Players Added

• Claimed outfielder Kevin Thompson off waivers from the A’s


• Claimed pitcher Phil Dumatrait off waivers from the Reds


• Signed free agent Infielder Chris Gomez to a one-year contract


• Claimed infielder Josh Wilson off waivers from Tampa Bay


• Claimed pitcher Ty Taubenheim off waivers from Toronto


• Selected pitcher Evan Weeks from Tampa Bay in the Rule 5 draft


• Acquired pitchers Marino Salas and Kevin Roberts from the Brewers for Salomon Torres


• Claimed shortstop Ray Olmedo off waivers from Toronto

Moves Still to Come

If there is a shift in the trade market, and the team receives an incredible offer of prospects in return for Jason Bay, it is possible that GM Neil Huntington will pull the trigger on a deal. In all likelihood, the Pirates have finished making moves for the winter. They are not going to trade away any of their pitching, as they hope to retain the younger pitchers as the core around which they will build. They no longer have a surplus of talent in the outfield, having parted with Rajai Davis last season in a head-scratcher of a trade that brought pitcher Matt Morris to the team. So any other moves by the team this winter are likely to be along the lines of the moves they have already made. They have made a few waiver wire pickups, and signed other team’s detritus in the hopes of turning up a diamond in the rough for future use.

What to Watch in Spring Training

The Pirates do have several talented young pitchers that bear watching during the spring. Tom Gorzelanny, Ian Snell, Paul Maholm, and Zach Duke form the young nucleus of pitching that, along with old man Matt Morris, will have to show Pirates management that they are continuing to develop into the pitchers they have all shown the potential to be. Duke is returning from an injury plagued ’07 campaign, and will need to show that he can return to form. There are very few position battles expected outside of the bullpen, where Matt Capps will close, and Dámaso Marté and Franquelis Osoria will be the setup men. The other three or four bullpen spots are up for grabs, with 23 pitchers coming to Spring Training to be evaluated. Outfielder Chris Duffy returns to action, though he has likely lost the starting center fielder job to Nyjer Morgan. The rest of the field from last season is pretty much set to return intact, with any players that have been added this winter designated for bench and backup roles. The following players were signed to minor league deals and invited to Spring Training:

Pitchers - T.J. Beam, Adam Bernero, Sean Burnett, Hector Carrasco, Jesse Chavez, Elmer Dessens, Casey Fossum, Masumi Kuwata, Daniel Moskos, Brian Rogers, Marino Salas, Josh Sharpless, Josh Shortslef, Mike Thompson, and Jaret Wright

Catchers - Raul Chavez, Michel Hernandez, Carlos Maldonado, and Miguel Perez

Infielders – Luis Cruz, Jose Macias, Luis Rivas, Jorge Velandia, and Neil Walker

Outfielder – Andrew McCutchen