Post by Pirates GM on May 23, 2007 15:44:29 GMT -5
Growing Pains Expected in Pittsburgh
A month ago, you could say that this Pirates team was on the verge of becoming a contender. With an offense carried by Jason Bay, one of the best OFers in the game, and Freddy Sanchez, one of the best contact hitters in the game, the Pirates seemed destined for greatness. It wasn't all about offense however. With Zach Duke, Ian Snell, Paul Maholm, Tom Gorzelanny, and Sean Burnett, their rotation was nothing to turn your nose up at. It seemed like the only thing the Pirates needed was time. Time for the young stars to grow.
Former Pirates slugger Jason Bay
However, that was then, and this is now. The Pirates have been overhauled, and the new GM is taking them in a new direction. "We felt that by the time our young guns were ready to compete at their highest level, our offensive stars like Bay, Sanchez, Wilson, LaRoche, and Nady would no longer be perfoming at their best. So, we decided to reset with a new offense that could grow in stride with our pitching."
New Pirates ace Rich Harden
In what was one of, if not the biggest trade of the offseason, the Pirates shipped Bay, Sanchez, Wilson, LaRoche, Maholm, and Shawn Chacon to Oakland for young fireballer Rich Harden, 2B Mark Ellis, and top prospects Cody Johnson(OF) and Daric Barton(1B). "Well, acquiring another pitcher was not something that was in our plans originally. We felt that we had a great young pitching core, and that our offense was what needed to be retooled. However, we just could not pass up the opportunity to acquire a guy like Harden, who is only 25 years old, and already a top 10, possibly even top 5 or 6 pitcher in the league. He has had great success the past few seasons and will provide excellent advice for our young pitching staff."
Even while shipping most of their offense to Oakland, the Pirates have still been able to able to acquire some valuable offensive players. So, while they may not be as competitive now as they were a month ago, the Pirates are confident that in 2-3 years, they will be one of the top teams in the league, with the best rotation in baseball.
PNC Park... One of the best stadiums in baseball
