It's a new year, which means the merry band of annual "fans" that like to endlessly cry about the Pittsburgh Pirates payroll, are back out in full force.
Just splendid.
Despite there being plenty of time left to add to payroll, sign players, extend their own players, this perennial group of senseless PMS'ing males are ratcheting up their war cries against Bob Nutting and company.
As a now proud and often accused "apologist" over the years, it's always been my pleasure to throw out a ranting Blog Article once or twice a year on this subject. The most interesting aspect about this subject is that over the past 5 years, the whining has continued while the Pittsburgh Pirates have rebuilt to the point where they erased Major League's longest losing streaks and made the playoffs.
It's not good enough for these folks... STILL!
It's not about Wins and Loses, Success and Failure, it is about what Guesstimate Payroll figure that's released by a variety of sources. Since of course, the Pirates can only be successful with a large enough payroll to appease these people... well, except for that thing that happened in 2013 for the Pittsburgh Pirates - Success and Winning... let's ignore reality and go with the bong water sipping idiocy of mentally incapable.
Why are we hearing about it again? Why can't these people just be happy with the fact that despite all of their moaning and complaining about what they felt (and were completely wrong about), the Pirates managed to be successful despite a grand payroll? That payroll doesn't matter enough to really care about?
I think smoke just came out of a few people's ears with that last sentence.
Case in point was this umm.. Blog Post at Hidden Vigorish :facepalm:. We've got a guy complaining about Payroll and makes a pretty **** poor case for why anyone should really care. On top of that he types out the very thing that he can't seem to grasp in the first place ;
Quote:
"Some have not just defended the front office, but they’ve also taken an apathetic stance. Tim Williams of PiratesProspects.com says he doesn’t care about the payroll. I find that odd considering how he has often talked about how high revenue teams have used their advantages to spend their way into being championship contenders."
gregory1.jpgIt's right there for anyone that can read and comprehend. MLB is a joke of a league when it comes to economic disparity between low and high revenue teams. It's not changing and it's not going to change. After the last CBA, it's gotten worse for teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates who can't even use the Draft as building leverage against High revenue teams. The Pirates can't and won't make gains on other teams in terms of payroll. If they get $20 million more, the next team is making $20 million more. You're right back where you started. This is why Payroll doesn't matter. The Pirates can't spend lavishly on Free agents, won't ever be able to do so, therefore it's a waste of oxygen to complain about it. Teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates or Tampa Bay Rays cannot concern themselves with the Free Agent beauties and payroll. They need to be smart in the present and plan smart for the future. The Tampa Bay Rays haven't been a model franchise for success with small payrolls by spending a lot of money they don't have. They've done it by drafting well, making the right decisions, getting lucky and sticking to a well crafted plan no matter. This is what the Pittsburgh Pirates have done, are doing and will continue to do. We should applaud them, not bemoan them because Payroll figures aren't meeting a bunch of cry babies demands.
It's the middle of January. There's a couple of months left for the Pirates to add to payroll to begin with. Why are these people even wasting their time complaining now? The Pirates are trying to extend Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker. They still would like to sign A.J. Burnett. They are actively searching for a 1st Baseman. The Pirates could easily add $20 million on an extension of Pedro Alvarez, signing A.J. Burnett and acquiring salary through a trade for a 1B. The Pirates are doing what teams that have a budget do.. they aren't panicking. They aren't blowing what little they have in a knee jerk reactionary way. When the right deal comes, they will have the means to complete it. If it doesn't, then it wasn't mean to be. They aren't looking to sign players just because the money is there, they're looking for the right players and the right deal.
The Pirates Have a few needs that they are looking for. Management stressed vigorously through Public Q&A's and in private at PirateFest back in December that they are staying pat at RF. They want to see what Jose Tabata and Travis Snider have. They want to give Andrew Lambo a shot. Jose Tabata bated .282 last season and Travis Snider was batting .300 through April before the bone spurs in his foot about killed his season. They're both young and have upside. The Pirates made the Playoffs without a sexy RF option last year, so what's the panic? The Pirates don't want to block Gregory Polanco who is a year or 2 away from possibly transforming the Pirates OF into this amazing track of speed and batting. They've got more pitching options for the starting rotation than they have spots for and that's without factoring in Jameson Taillon who is a half of a season away from his possible MLB debut.
That leaves 1B.
There's not a lot of options. According to Neil Huntington when a group of us sat down and had a private conversation with him, he has contacted every team and agent with regards to active 1B. They're looking. They're negotiating. The Pirates best chance is through a Trade but it's going to take the right trade because they won't part with Polanco or Taillon. It takes talent to get talent. Anyone with a half of a brain cell that can control their own drool wouldn't give up those 2 for any 1B. Their goal is to find an improvement, not a Superstar, and for a team that was a little bit of Offense away from advancing to the next round of the Playoffs, improvement is all that they need.
So, my question for all of these ragging used tampons of life that have spent years and years being annual and predictable whiners is this.. Where the hell are they supposed to spend all of this money? If spending money made a difference the Chicago Cubs wouldn't be a bad baseball joke, so where's this certainty that large Payroll sums will make a difference? Last but not least.. why is it so difficult for people to enjoy the success of a young team on it's way up? If you're a true fan, save your complaining for cheering, because there's going to be plenty of that to come this year and down the road.