I just saw that MLB Trade Rumors (via Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald) is reporting that the Bucs claimed Hayden Penn of waiver from the Marlins.  He's 25 and out of options.  He was always pretty highly regarded as a prospect from what I can remember, and last year put up a decent strike out rate in AAA.  I wonder what the Bucs' plan is for him.  Bullpen help perhaps?  Thoughts?  Ideas?  Comments?

(UPDATE: This is a FanPost and, I think, a very good one, but not all the opinions expressed herein necessarily reflect the views of the guy who runs Bucs Dugout. So be warned.)

I've been a Pirates fan since the day I was born.  My parents were from western Pennsylvania, and to this day the only good things my biological father has given me are my baseball glove, grandparents and an unabashed love of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  I'm one of the few people I know who would honestly rather listen to the Pirates lose than watch the Steelers win.

Shortly before I was born in 1977 my parents moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Being so much closer to Philadelphia, I've heard Harry Kalas do Phillies' broadcasts since I can remember. 

I can't begin to explain how honest and incredible a broadcaster Kalas was.  He loved the Phils, much like Myron Cope loved the Steelers, and just like Cope, Kalas always had a way of explaining situations without having to say things out loud. 

I remember a game just after I turned 21 (I know this because I was at a bar when it happened.)  The Phils were leading the Florida Marlins 6-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning.  The Marlins had runners on second and third with two outs.  The Phils intentionally walked a batter to load the bases to get to Preston Wilson, who was batting clean-up.  All the people at the bar were up in arms at the decicion. I heard "what idiot would walk a guy to load the bases for the clean-up hitter!?!" (Philly fans are idiots, by the way.) 

Harry Kalas' call was perfect and calm. "The Phils are gonna load the bases here in the ninth and face the free-swinging Preston Wilson."

So little said, yet so much said at the same time.  Preston Wilson struck out and the game was over.  I think Preston Wilson went on to set a new Major League record for strike outs in a season that year, actually.

I know ESPN has made a fairly big deal out of Kalas' passing, as they should, but I just wanted to share my own memory of Harry Kalas: Philadelphia's most intelligent Phanatic.

I saw that the Indians placed one-time blue chip prospect Andy Marte on waivers to make room for Salas from the Rays.  Marte is still only 25 and I think he's the kind of player the Pirates need to be looking for.  I don't know if he's still got the tools to be an impact player at the Major League level, but NH has to know better than anyone.  Do you think there's any way Marte ends up with the Bucs?

So I saw this photo on the PG (which is uncredited) and this is what I thought, in this specific order:

First I thought:  Wow, that Pedro Alvarez is a handsome dude.

Second I thought:  What kind of weird soccer shirt is that kid wearing? Is that a France jersey?

Third and last I thought to myself: What the hell? Is that kid in the middle sticking his finger up his butt!?!

Vote for Pedro!

Major League Baseball Trade Rumors has a series of write-ups about blocked prospects.  Right now they have a piece up detailing the Steve Pearce situation.  It's mostly stuff we already know and talk about all the time (blocked by LaRoche and behind Nady), but it's nice to see that other people notice.

There's a video up on the Post-Gazette about the first day of camp.  There were a couple of things I found interesting.

First, they show some drills that the catchers work through blocking balls in the dirt.  Ryan Doumit drops down, spreads out and the ball land 8 inches in front of him several times.  Ronnie Paulino does the same drill and he drops down and the ball bounces off him and flies away.  Paulino's the "good" defensive catcher, right?

Second, when the reporters are talking to Bay he says something like "You've heard it all a thousand times" in reference to the notion that the team has the pieces to compete.  His tone of voice makes him sound like he doesn't buy any of it.  He kind of sounds like a dick.

You can watch the video by clicking here.

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Poll

Which would you like to see most in PNC Park

20%

None of these hacks

8 votes

2%

Jeremy Affeldt

1 votes

2%

All of these hacks

1 votes

10%

BH Kim

4 votes

48%

Dallas McPherson

19 votes

15%

Corey Patterson

6 votes

39 votes | Poll has closed

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What are we getting?

I guess the Devil Rays are entertaining 2 options:

1. Take Brian Barton with the first pick.
   
2. Sell the pick to the Padres, who will take Brian Barton.

I'm going to try and keep up with this today.

UPDATE 2:19 PM by Charlie: Nice work here, Bryan and Vlad. The Bucs took reliever Evan Meek, a 24-year-old from Tampa Bay who posts good strikeout rates but has trouble with control. This is the sort of player I thought they'd take - someone who can potentially help the bullpen - although Meek himself wasn't on my radar. The Pirates released Jose Castillo to make room on the roster.

Don't shed any tears for Castillo - who the Pirates weren't going to take to arbitration anyway - or for Barton, who probably would've clogged up space on the roster without contributing much. The Bucs already have a bunch of outfielders, and Barton will be 26 early next season, so his AA numbers aren't really that impressive, and he didn't perform well in a small sample at AAA last year.

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Ken Rosenthal reported a few hours ago that the Reds have reached a preliminary agreement (4yrs/$46m) with free agent closer Francisco Cordero:

The deal, which is pending a physical, is the largest four-year contract ever given to a closer. It includes a club option for a fifth year that can bring the total value of the package to $57 million. That's crazy money to pay a 32 year old power pitching closer, in my opinion. I think when your third best starter is Homer Bailey then there are better ways to spend $46,000,000...

Yesterday the Bucs made a pair of moves, outrighting 10th string catcher Carlos Maldonado to the minors and acquiring starting pitcher Phil Dumatrait off waivers from the Reds.

Dumatrait is a 26 year old lefty who is a former first round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox.  You may remember him from his work this season when, during the first inning against the Brewers, he gave up back-to-back-to-back homers to Rickie Weeks, J. J. Hardy, and Ryan Braun.  Rotoworld seems to think that if he adjusts his arm angle he may be an effective reliever, but not much more.

Here are Dumatrait's statistics. As with the Kevin Thompson move, this is mostly just replacing a really bad journeyman player with one who's only slightly better. Dumatrait has never been used as a reliever and might have some smidgen of upside in that role, but given his minor league stats, I wouldn't bet on it. - Charlie

The Post-Gazette is reporting that the Pirates have acquired Cesar Izturis from the Chicago Cubs for a player to be named later. This move, in my mind, pretty much spells the end of Jack Wilson's career in Pittsburgh.

Izturis was an All-Star under Jim Tracy a few years ago in Los Angeles, so my guess is that he and Littlefield think there's still some gas left in the tank; he's only 27, so there ought to be...

The Post Gazette is reporting that the Pirates' first round selection Daniel Moskos has agreed to terms with the team.  The deal should be announced this afternoon.

I'm not getting terribly excited about this regardless.  Moskos is going to be broken  by the time he gets to the majors with those hideous mechanics anyway, so what should we really be excited about?

Poll

Who's the Pirates' first-half MVP?

0 votes | Poll has closed

So it occurred to me that so far this season the Buccos have had the following problems:

Superstar Lefty Adam LaRoche can not hit.
Freddy Sanchez has been injured in more ways that one.
Xavier Nady leads the team HR and RBI.

Imagine for a minute that Torres hadn't blown two saves that lead to 2 losses in the sweep by the Cards. What is to me the most amazing thing is that the Bucs are 9-10 and in 3rd place so far, and in far better shape than the $300,000,000 Cubs, who are in the basement.

Home opener at PNC Park in Pittsburgh today. Cold, cold, cold.

Braden Looper (0-1, 4.50) vs. Ian Snell (0-0, 3.00)

Here's the box. Chris Duffy returns to the leadoff position. Freddy Sanchez moves to third and the slumping Ronny Paulino, who has just five total bases in his first 23 at bats, moves down to seventh.

Here are some links while you wait for the game to start:

-P- Jim Tracy says some things. They all make sense. Bucs Dugout doesn't understand how this is possible.

-P- From the Onion, Jose Bautista was pretty proud of his double on opening night. (WTM: "Funny how the Pirates get more attention from The Onion than they do from ESPN.")

-P- Thanks to the Post-Gazette for the link today.

-P- Thoughts of RS has closely watched the Hickory Crawdads' series in Hagerstown.

Cincinnati #1 Aaron Harang vs. Pittsburgh #5 Tony Armas Jr.

Right now we're in the middle of the 4th and the Bucs have touched up Harangatang for 5 earned. Adam LaRoche has hit is first homer for the Bucs, a leadoff line drive to right center in the 4th.

Good evening, folks, and welcome to the 2007 MLB season...

I thought this was interesting: Upset at being sent to the minors, Cantu asked the Devil Rays to trade him. Do you think the Bucs are interested? They could probably get him for next to nothing.

The Bucs placed Freddy Sanchez on the 15 Day DL today. The move basically guarantees both Brad Eldred and Ryan Doumit will make the 25 man roster and break camp with the big club, as well as Humberto Cota.

This isn't really news, but I thought it was hilarious. If you haven't yet found or read The Brushback (www.thebrushback.com) you should check it out. It's a weekly sports satire site that is often very funny. This week, one of their side bar one-liners is this:

Jeff Francoeur Baffled
By Magic, Curving Ball

Pirates have informed Dan Kolb that he will not be placed on the 25 man roster, and has subsequently become a free agent as of today. If he had made the team he would have been owed $1.25m plus there were about $1.3m worth of incentives in the contract. Kolb pitched 9.3 innings this spring, posting an ERA of 2.89 ERA with 8H, 3K and 9BB. The release of Kolb more or less defines that Jonah Bayliss and John Wasdin will make the team, along with Salomon Torres, Matt Capps, Damaso Marte, Shawn Chacon and Juan Perez.

The Post-Gazette has a bunch of stuff up about the upcoming season, some optimistic, some pessimistic. It's worth a read and I encourage you to go there to do so.

Baseball Prospectus has their Hope and Faith series up today about how the Pirates can win the World Series. It's pretty cool, and basically just says that we need our pitchers to be amazing, Duffy to raise his OBP to .350, have LaRoche hit 40+ homers and have Jason Bay be Jason Bay. I guess it's possible...

Today the Bucs will send Tom Gorzellany to the hill today in Bradenton against the Twins. I don't know if we should read too much into this, but Jim Tracy's lineup is exactly the same as yesterday:
Duffy - CF
Wilson - SS
Paulino - C
LaRoche - 1B
Bay - LF
Eldred - RF
Bautista - 3B
Castillo - 2B
Pitcher Spot

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Update
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The Bucs have given both Jose Hernandez and Luis Matos unconditional releases today. Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit, Humberto Cota, Brad Eldred, Don Kelly and Jose Castillo are left fighting for five bench openings. This of course is contingent on whether or not Freddy Sanchez is placed on the DL or not. I'm a little bit surprised by the Bucs dropping Jose Hernandez, because I think we all know Jim Tracy loves him.

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Update on the Update
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From the PG:

Like Kovacevic said earlier, Brad Eldred has earned a spot on this team; he hit .311 with 6 homers, 13RBI and walked 11 times. Big Ups to my new favorite Pirate Don Kelly, the Mt. Lebanon High School and Point Park College graduate, on making his first major league club. You're the best thing to happen to the Pirates since Mike Benjamin's sideburns...

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Game Notes
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Tom Gozellany pitched pretty well after giving up a single run in each of the first 2 innings. He scattered 2 hits through the next 4 innings and struck out 8 batters showing good command. The Pirates only recorded 1 hit in the game before both teams had pretty much replaced all their starters in the 8th, when they scored 5 runs. Bucs win 5-3.

Tomorrow is the last game of the spring for the Buccos, again facing the Twins. I haven't seen any reports on who will pitch...

The Bucs tied with the Phillies 5-5. Shawn Chacon gave up back to back homers to Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell. Chris Duffy had a stolen base and Jason Bay drove in 3. Ryan Doumit made an awesome throw in the top of the 9th to get the super-speedy Michael Bourn trying to steal second base.

Dejan Kovacevich has a nice piece up previewing Pirates upcoming season listing 5 reasons to believe they can win and 5 reasons to believe they won't.

Can't remember if I posted this or not, but Baseball Prospectus has their preview up of the NL Central. Their projection system (PECOTA) has the Bucs finishing 5th, ahead of the Reds but posting a decent record of 76-86. They don't think Freddy Sanchez will come close to challenging for a batting title again and they note that if the pitching blossoms they might be better than projected. They aren't counting on that though and put the human prediction at 74-88. They put the Cubs winning the division, followed by the Brew Crew, Cards, and Astros. I happen to think that is insanity.

Marty McCleary has been cut from the roster.

As mentioned in the comment section of a previous post, ESPN has their Pirates preview up as well. I don't know who Phil Rogers is, but his reporting is very sloppy and, in some circumstances, flat-out wrong. First, this report was published today, and he lists Jose Castillo as the starting 3rd baseman. We all know that Jim Tracy named Jose BAUTISTA the starting 3rd baseman last week. Second, as hisjazziness pointed out, Zach Duke did NOT start the season hot and then cool off. The third thing is this line right here:

I do not disagree that Paulino was a surprise last season, but to simply suggest he's likely to "drop off" this season is ridiculous. I guess this Phil Rogers fella hasn't been paying any attention to spring training this year, because Ronnie Paulino is just knocking the cover off the ball. In 49 spring ABs, Ronnie is batting .490 with 4 homers, 15 RBI and a slugging percentage of .837. There is no indication that Paulino is going to "drop off." If there is any indication, it's that he's going to "light it up."

Yesterday the Batting Buccos brought down the lowly Boston Red Sox 3-2 in a spring rematch of the first World Series. Pirates' backstop Ronnie Paulino hit a 2-run homer in the first off former Pirate Tim Wakefield. Andrew McCutchen added an RBI single in the second inning and Brad Eldred was 0 for 2, but he drew 2 walks. Tony Armas had another decent outting allowing 2 runs and 5 hits through 5 and a third. John Wasdin, Dan Kolb and Juan Perez combined for 3 and a third of no-hit ball to finish the game.

An interesting piece of writing from a few days ago, Rany Jazayerli of Baseball Prospectus profiled what he deemed the worst contract a player ever signed. Tim Wakefield has a 1 year contract to pitch for the Red Sox with a perpetual option. He basically told them a few years ago that he wanted to spend the rest of his career in Boston, so they agreed to a 1 year deal with a $4m salary (plus some incentives) and every season until they feel he's no longer useful, they just push the button and he's signed. No contract buyout. No compensation.

Today the Bucs travel just down the road to Sarasota to take on the Cincinatti Reds. Zach Duke will make his final start of the spring against Aaron Harang.

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update:
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The Pirates lost to the Reds, 6-4. Zach Duke pitched well enough I suppose, although he gave up back to back homers to Adam Dunn and Edwin Encarnacion. Brad Eldred came in to play first base and was 1 for 1 with a double off the wall and another walk. Marty McCleary gave up 3 runs in 1 inning of work. Despite reports, Freddy Sanchez did not see any action.

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update:
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DUH! Freddy Sanchez played in a minor league game today and was 3 for 8. I should have thought of this earlier: If Sanchez sees any action in a Major League exhibition he can not be back-dated on the DL...

Updating a few news items from the last couple of days, the Post-Gazette' Dejan Kovacevic is reporting that NL Batting Champ Freddy Sanchez is set to try game action tomorrow in a minor league test and Masumi Kuwata will be out at least a month with his sprained ankle.

The Bucs optioned Josh Sharpless, Michael Ryan and Einar Diaz to the minors today, taking the roster down to 32. There are 2 spots in the bullpen for 2 righties and the competition is between Jonah Bayless, Dan Kolb, Marty McCleary and John Wasdin.

On a more local note, I have to say it's great having Mr. Kovacevic back in the mix after his well deserved break. I may not always agree with him, but I will always appreciate and respect his reporting.

Bucs were beaten badly in Bradenton by the Devil Rays yesterday, 12-4. A few notes from the game:
-Tom Gozelanny continued his awful spring by allowing 7 runs (five earned) in 5 innings of work.
-Brad Eldred went 0 for 4 with 3 strike outs and 6 left on base.
-Closer Salomon Torres was only able to retire 1 batter in the 9th, allowing 4 earned runs.

As Charlie reported, Freddy Sanchez will likely start the season on the DL.

Jim Tracy announced the Bucs starting rotation, and to no surprise it's Duke, Snell, Gorzelanny, Maholm and Armas. Thought this quote was interesting:

Last time I checked, the first inning was part of the game and counted...

Today the Bucs will take on the Blue Jays at McKechnie Field. Paul Maholm will make his third start of the spring against Blue Jays right-hander Josh Towers.

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Updates:
Yahoo has this to say - "Still unable to run the bases or make sharp cuts in the field, he [Freddy Sanchez] flew to Birmingham, Ala., to be evaluated and undergo a second MRI by orthopedic surgeon James Andrews."

The MRI showed nothing new as Dr. Andrews confirmed it is just a sprained knee ligament.

In this afternoon's action, the Bucs tied with the Blue Jays 2-2. Masumi Kuwata suffered a 3rd degree sprain of his right ankle when he accidentally collided with a third base umpire while backing up a throw to third base. Ryan Doumit hit a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game.

A couple of trades went through today. First, the Marlins sent pitching prospect Yusmeiro Petit to Arizona for Jorge Julio. Second, the Dodgers sent Elmer Dessens to the Brewers for Brady Clark. The trades make sense I guess, since the Marlins were looking at Taylor Tankersley as their closer, Dessens wasn't going to make the Dodgers team, and the Dodgers need a backup outfielder with Jason Repko on the shelf.

Sean Burnett was sent down yesterday after having an incredibly good spring, and it turns out he wasn't real happy about it.

Burnett tossed 11 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and no earned runs. The Bucs also sent down Shane Youman and Kevin Gryboski.

In case you missed it, the Bucs topped the Twinkies today, 13-7. Ian Snell got roughed up a little bit, allowing 4 earned runs in 5 innings of work, but still struck out 6. Brad Eldred, continuing his push to make the team out of camp was 3 for 4 with his 6th homerun of the spring, 3 batted in and a walk. Adam LaRoche also hit a homer in the game, his second of the spring.

Tomorrow the Bucs will try and stick it to the D-Rays at 1:05.

Yankees travel from Legends Field to battle the Bucs in Bradenton.

Here's an updated box score.

Chacon pitched a solid 3 innings, allowing 1 hit, none earned, no walks and 4 Ks. Two of the Ks though were the pitcher...

Bucs are down 1-0 after 5. Shane Youman is now on the hill.

Final score 3-2 Bucs. Another strong day at the plate for Paulino, as he goes 2 for 3 with one run driven in, raising his spring average to .514. Don't know how Castillo made the error, but it appears to have lead to the Yankees' run in the 8th...

PG's Paul Meyer reports that Tony Armas has improved his standing with the club and supported his claim to the fifth starter spot (or maybe fourth?).

Interesting note from the article:

Hopefully Freddy will be ready to go, but we'll see...

I don't have the time to do play by play today, but I did think I would post my observations throughout the game.

-The Bucs send Gorzelanny to the bump today to face Daisuke Matsuzaka. Gorzelanny gives up a pair of two out runs in the top of the first, and Dice-K gives up one run in the lower half. Duffy was hit in the back knee by a slow breaking ball to lead off, was moved over by Don Kelly (who is very tall and lanky). Paulino, batting in the three hole grounded out to short and Duffy advanced. LaRoche hit a single over the second baseman to score the run and Bay struck out.

-Gorzelanny's second was pretty smooth, 1-2-3. Matsuzaka batted third and probably shouldn't have bothered lifting a bat. He made no attempt to swing. Matsuzaka's 2nd inning went 1-2-3 also.

-Today's lineup is terrible. Duffy, Kelly, Paulino, LaRoche, Bay, Bautista, McLouth, Castillo. Why is Bay batting 5th ever? It seems like every announcer on Earth feels the Bucs would be much better off with Sanchez batting second and Bay third. Good thing Jim Tracy is smarter than EVERYONE ELSE ON THE PLANET.

-OH HEY! The game is on ESPN...

-Gorzelanny walks a pair in the third, but no runs score.

-The announcers are trying to explain the Gyroball and they've got it totally wrong. They're saying it's a change-up with screwball-like action, which to the best of my knowledge, is exactly what a circle change does.

-It took the ESPN announcers until the 5th inning to mention the 14 straight losing seasons.

-The Pirates have 1 freakin' hit through 5 and 2/3 innings and Dice-K has struck out 7. Now we'll have to listen to all the damn Chowdaheads talk nonsense about how he's going to win the Cy Young this year.

-Ronnie Paulino just crushed one over the left field wall.

-Jose Castillo just proved why he's not going to start at second base. 1 out, runner on 3rd. Infield in and Veritek grounds right to Castillo, who waits on the ball and then throws to the wrong side of the plate and the run scores easily. Sad. Orel Hershiser just said it perfectly, "Jose Castillo has a lazy approach to the game."

-Castillo just dove to grab a wild throw by Doumit trying to get a runner stealing second. Saved a run. That's the effort we're looking for, Jose.

-ALL RIGHT! It took until the bottom of the 7th to mention that they haven't had a winning season since Barry Bonds left! The Bucs lost 27 1-run games before the All-Star break, the most in Major League history...

-McCutchen hits an RBI double.

-If Bixler was cut as the AP reported, why is he playing short right now?