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2016 Pirates thread

these losses are getting worse. One strike away from a win and the grenade went off. Last night's loss puts a stamp on the season. See ya in 2017!
 
For once I actually agreed with that fat *** blow hard Maddenn when he said you only get what you pay for. They (Nutting) did a nice job building a core foundation, but nothing to augment that foundation and put them over the top. Being cheap = no championships.
 
swal75 said:
There no way we'd get Yelich for Cutch at this point. Yelichs signed for cheap thru 2022. Probably makes sense to keep Cutch for 2017 and hope that he rebounds. If we're having another mediocre season he could be traded around the all star break to make room for a hopefully ready Austin Meadows. Cutch has gotta get out of CF as well. His defense there is really bad and has been trending downward for 3 seasons. He should be in either RF or LF with Marte in center. Would be nice if Polanco could actually put together a full season next year as well.
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Miami needs names to put butts in seats

I agree on the OF switch, though I think the numbers lied to Hurdle and moving Cutch in 4 steps has hurt.
 
I think the Bucs hung around longer than mgmt expected. It seems like 2016 was a throw away year getting ready for 2017. There was no emphasis on putting a strong team on the field. In everyone they lost to free agency, trades and retiring, the team is considerably worse across the board. They got lucky with Freese and Joyce being contributors. The pitching is horrid. No bullpen and they traded their #1 closer. They had no intentions on competing this year. Nutting needs to start spending some of that cash he saved from Walker, Lariano, Malancon and Burnett.
 
thesteelcity said:
I think the Bucs hung around longer than mgmt expected. It seems like 2016 was a throw away year getting ready for 2017. There was no emphasis on putting a strong team on the field. In everyone they lost to free agency, trades and retiring, the team is considerably worse across the board. They got lucky with Freese and Joyce being contributors. The pitching is horrid. No bullpen and they traded their #1 closer. They had no intentions on competing this year. Nutting needs to start spending some of that cash he saved from Walker, Lariano, Malancon and Burnett.
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This was the attitude it seemed going into the season. Pretty ridiculous when there was a solid core in place to at least contend for a playoff berth. Never throw away an opportunity.
 
hook said:
For once I actually agreed with that fat *** blow hard Maddenn when he said you only get what you pay for. They (Nutting) did a nice job building a core foundation, but nothing to augment that foundation and put them over the top. Being cheap = no championships.
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The problem with that assessment is much of that core foundation (McCutchen, Cole, Liriano) did not perform up to expectations in 2016, or anywhere close to them. It would be like Bryant, Arrieta and Lester having unexpectedly bad years for the Cubs.

It's kind of amazing the Pirates stayed in it for as long as they did, given the years their three top stars have had.

The talent was there to make a run this year, IMO, but it just did not perform, and some of the blame for that may have to fall at the feet of Hurdle.

With that being said, this was not intended to be a "throw away" year; however, there was clearly an emphasis on getting the likes of Bell, Taillon, and Glasnow valuable experience, so they would be prepared to make meaningful contributions to a 2017 run.

I still think they could contend for the division next year, if McCutchen and Cole rebound.

Cole and Taillon would be a pretty legit top of the rotation, with Glasnow being a wild card. With the likes of McCutchen, Marte, Polanco, Kang and Bell, the potential is their for an imposing lineup, though Kang could be in jail by next spring, for all we know.
 
with the moves they made or haven't made, competing in 2016 wasn't a priority for this organization. Getting the younger guys ready for 2017, to me, in some way is a "throw away". Ben and the Steelers compete for the SB every year and they make it well-known that is their goal. It's clear that the Pirates were hoping to sneak into a WC spot, but that would have been a disaster with the squad they have right now. They traded their #1 closer and a top starter, so again, what was their intention? Preparing for 2017. That's fine, but there is still a lot of work to do to get to the Cards and Cubs level. Is Nutting willing to spend some money? I'm not holding my breath. They have been just competitive to gain the fan's interest, but there is no #1 starter or #1 bat. To actually win the division, they need to bring in some power and a few strong arms. I just don't see it. Volglesong? Come on, man! Locke? Ha!!
 
sign Nova NOW! They locked up Freese, so they can overpay a little to secure Nova. If he goes to FA like Haap, kiss him goodbye.
 
Think it is time to change thread to 2017 pirates
 
Turn Out the Lights, Party's over!
 
Anyone know when 2017 tickets go on sale? Would like to grab my dad tickets to the Yankees series in April
 
3.5 games out with 11 to play. They'll need to go 9-2 to really have a chance. The Cards are actually within reach, as we have 3 games with them. The others will need to continue to stumble. It's a long shot, but it was a long shot 5 years ago when Atlanta and Boston collapsed, and coughed up big leads the final week, so I won't write them off until they're dead.
 
yep, tough to believe they are really in still in the race.

maybe the pressure came off and they just started playing better.....maybe Bell and Frazier plus everyone but Vogelsong pitching well has made a difference.....Hurdle's Colorado team wom like 16 in a row to end a season.

possible, but improbable.
 
When you consider the performance of the starting rotation at the beginning of the year (Cole, Liriano, Niese, Locke, Nicasio) it's kind of
a miracle that they have any shot at all.
 
78-83 after they got blasted by the Cards yesterday. Oh well....Hopefully they can right the ship in 2017......
 
21STEELERS21 said:
When you consider the performance of the starting rotation at the beginning of the year (Cole, Liriano, Niese, Locke, Nicasio) it's kind of
a miracle that they have any shot at all.
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Pitching was this teams downfall
 
Starting pitching seems to be lead problem going into next year. Not signing Happ and the Niese & Liriano trades were rather big blunders.
Happ was 20 game winner and Liriano pitched pretty good after the trade toToronto. They have Cole, Taillon & Kuhl going into next year,
Glasnow needs more time at Indy. In a perfect world Kingman and Glasnow are ready by June 2017.
 
After watching the wild card game last night I realized we were all better off that they didn't make it....

Would have just gotten "Bumgarnered" again.
 
str8liner said:
After watching the wild card game last night I realized we were all better off that they didn't make it....

Would have just gotten "Bumgarnered" again.
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More than likely
 
I watched a game where Liriano, Grilli, Happ and Martin all played for the Jays. I thought I was watching the Pirates.
 
Buster said:
I watched a game where Liriano, Grilli, Happ and Martin all played for the Jays. I thought I was watching the Pirates.
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Don't forget Joey Bats and Jesse Chavez.
 
Who didnt see this coming......

http://www.espn.com/blog/mlb/rumors...ly-to-sign-gerrit-cole-to-multiyear-extension

Gerrit Cole’s injury history could affect his future with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Rumor CentralRob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that there's "little chance the Pirates will sign Cole to a multiyear deal that would buy out some of his free-agent years," citing sources close to the Tribune-Review.

Cole, 26, is eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career this offseason, as his one-year, $541,000 deal with the Pirates expires. The right-hander is under team control through the 2019 season and is slated to become a free agent in 2020.

Biertempfel reports that neither general manager Neil Huntington or Scott Boras, Cole's agent, commented when asked if Cole would get an extension.

Cole made 21 starts this season, missing time with a right elbow injury. He was placed on the 60-day disabled list for that injury on Sept. 13, effectively ending his season.

Biertempfel writes that Cole's injury history "makes any big-money deal more of a gamble" for the Pirates, noting that Cole was also on the DL twice in 2014 due to shoulder fatigue and lat tightness. According to Biertempfel, the Pirates "are more inclined than most teams" to favor shorter-term deals with lower risk.

ESPN's Buster Olney interviewed Biertempfel about Cole's situation for the Sept. 23 edition of the "Baseball Tonight" podcast. Olney said he believes the Pirates "should at least consider trading" Cole this offseason, given the weak market for free-agent pitching.

Biertempfel said he gets a sense an effort will be made to keep the 2015 All-Star after talking with Cole, Boras and Pirates' front office personnel, but doesn't know if it will be successful, especially in the long run.

"I don’t see any opportunity for them to sign him up long-term so that he won’t give up those free-agent years," Biertempfel said.
 
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