This division looks like a weak hot mess of nothing this year. I've caught about 5 minutes of baseball so far this year as the idea of watching my Pirates play has fallen far down the list.
Sounds like you guys are non too enthused with watching your Cards as well. [Reply]
Originally Posted by scho63:
This division looks like a weak hot mess of nothing this year. I've caught about 5 minutes of baseball so far this year as the idea of watching my Pirates play has fallen far down the list.
Sounds like you guys are non too enthused with watching your Cards as well.
Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball:
Get rid of them all and start fresh...from Matheny and Mabry all the way to Dan and the Uman
They're starting to make some aggressive moves. If Broxton is DFA'd when Tui is eligible to return from his minor league stint, you'll know they are starting to recognize the seriousness of the situation.
The problem is that Martinez gets a start and promptly does something stupid like the above clip.
The cavalry isn't much better. It just isn't a good team.
They need to get Lynn on the block soonish. And see if you can get a nice return for Leake as he's rehabbed his value (I know about the NTC but money gets that waived). Oh may still have a little value but the Nats seem pretty content with Glover at this point so you're not getting closer returns for him.
They've been banking on the weak NL getting them into the post-season the last 2 years and ignoring the fact that they're about get lapped by some of those same weak clubs. The Braves, Padres, Reds, Brewers, Phillies and even the Pirates have better farms than we do. Most of those squads also have better young players on their present rosters than we do.
And that's not even speaking to teams like the Dodgers that are better than us NOW and have more talent behind them. Or the Cubs, who are suffering a hangover right now but could move Happ for Archer and get a nice little boost. Besides, next year they'll still be young and will have rebounded...presuming that doesn't happen this year.
The Cardinals have no direction right now and with a stupid manager and a risk-averse GM, it seems unlikely that they're going to rebuild rather they'll just continue to spin wheels and hope they get lucky. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Frazod:
Hard to believe we're just a couple of years past three of these squads having 100 win seasons.
The Pirates are just such a bummer of a story for their fans. That was a genuinely good team but at the time, the Cardinals were just a little bit better. And then, as the Cardinals started to age out, the Cubs overtook the Pirates.
The Pirates window ended up getting blocked at both ends. It was just miserable timing on their part. Had they been a little quicker and struck in that 2006-2010 window, they might have found a nice soft landing. Or had they been able to keep the wheels on another season or two, they might be ready to make a move this year.
But in the end, that run is almost certainly fizzled out and they're going to have to hope the farm is as good as advertised and that Polanco/Marte take another step in their development. Polanco has to be especially frustrating because this looked like a year where he became the .800+ OPS, 20/20, 5-tool player that many believed he could be but instead it looks like it may be a year lost.
And Marte's probably the player he's going to be at this point; at 28 it's probably past time to expect that power surge. Finally, McCutchen just cratered 2-3 years sooner than any normal growth curve would've predicted.
Yeah, it would suck to be a Pirates fan right now. The Cards at least got a pennant in the last 5 years before they spun off the rails but the Pirates didn't even win a playoff series, IIRC. [Reply]
