Comments on: Pittsburgh Pirates 2012 Off-Season Contract Issues and Projections

By: Richard Haft

Richard Haft — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:49:00 +0000

I am not a sport journalist, but I cannot fathom how someone can sit there and hear that Karstens will be non tendered, or Barajas might be brought back without some severe questions for Hurdle and/or the front office.

I am sick of the excuse making for the economics of this team and the rationalizations. The focus of any article should be who are the best 25 guys they can get period. National articles have repeatedly pointed out that they are not the smallest market in the country. Paying a dependable pitcher 4 or 5 million is not alot of money in 2012 MLB dollars. I don’t care if Hanrahan was to make 20 million dollars next year, its not my money. If he is the best closer on the team, pay him what he is worth. Or trade him. If they have him walk like Doumit did last year, they should be held accountable. All I saw last year was Doumit cost too much. So what? What does that have to do with anything from a fan perspective? Seven million for a good hitting catcher is the going rate.

If a guy leaves for free agency and a team makes a good faith offer, then that is a legitimate excuse. Not paying guys options they agreed to or getting rid of guys because they may make market rate in arbitration may be “reasons” for the team itself to let someone go, but everyone else should be asking them some hard questions about their commitment to winning.

By: Skinny Merlino

Skinny Merlino — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:24:00 +0000

Ill shoot myself if fat rod comes back

By: ElGaupo77

ElGaupo77 — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:53:00 +0000

With Karstens, Hanrahan and Morton getting offered the numbers listed it’s approximately $28M for everyone. We have another $27M guaranteed with Cutch, Tabata, AJ, Barmes and Wandy. Add $5-7M for the league min guys and there’s $60M+. I wish that $60M wasn’t such a threshold. It would be nice to hold onto Karstens and Hanrahan AND acquire/sign a $10M piece.

By: burgh_fan

burgh_fan — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 12:54:00 +0000

Just to be fair in the 2nd half (post All Star Break) Barajas received 160 PA to McKenry’s 156. Should it have been in favor of McKenry instead and heavily so? Yes. But the way you say that above makes it sound like Barajas was the no doubt clear #1 catcher when in actuality time was split basically evenly.

By: VRR Cards

VRR Cards — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 15:58:00 +0000

If you need WAR to determine if a pitcher is good or not he probably isn’t.

By: Bryan Graham

Bryan Graham — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 06:55:00 +0000

If only I could believe that if Barajas in brought back he would be a backup. Obviously the Pirates don’t feel that McHenry is capable or Barajas already would have been the backup.

By: Tom

Tom — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 01:02:00 +0000

Barajas is not suspect, that is very generous adjective; he terrible. 6 of 93 runners caught…pitiful. Must be replaced. Bucs can’t bring him back, he offers no benefit to winning. We still haven’t heard a good reason Hurdle started him over Fort in the 2nd half.

By: Lee Young

Lee Young — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 12:10:00 +0000

No wonder I don’t ‘get’ all this WAR stuff….3 different ones? Makes my head spin…..lol

I’m old school…I didn’t need WAR to know that Bob Veale and Vern Law were good pitchers.

By: Tim Williams

Tim Williams — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 03:02:00 +0000

Baseball Reference bases their pitching WAR on actual results. FanGraphs bases it on FIP.

I prefer BRef WAR if you’re reviewing a season and what actually happened. But if you’re looking at what kind of player a pitcher can be in the future, I think the FanGraphs approach is best.

By: RandyLinville

RandyLinville — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 02:50:00 +0000

Karstens WAR numbers are interesting. You used the Fangraphs data. Baseball-reference.com has him at 2.3 WAR in 2011 and just 0.6 in 2012. Any idea why there is such a big discrepancy between the two types of WAR calculations? I’m guessing but am open to suggestion that the baseball-reference calculation places an emphasis on innings?

Also, if Karstens and Hanrahan are gone and if Morton never returns from the injury, the Pirates enter 2013 with Tabata, Harrison, Locke, Morris and DCutch plus the minor leaguers left from the roster overhaul of 2008-09. Hopefully something of value can be had in a deal for Hanrahan. Even if Karstens, Hanrahan and Morton all stay with the Pirates, the value NH got in return is still subpar. How people defend those trades as being okay boggles me.