This is sort of funny. Some Pittsburgh players briefly transformed their clubhouse into the First Church of the Pirates by lighting a candle (literally) for their dearly departed Nate McLouth. Points to them for channeling their anger into a moderately clever gesture.
Honestly, I can’t blame them for being angry. McLouth sure seemed like an ideal player for this inept franchise. He is young, he was a leader for a largely directionless team, and he is locked up for several years at a hella cheap price—surely important for a team of modest means like the Pirates. Now, I realize the impulse to stockpile prospects. I really do. However, this move recalls a trade a few years back, when the Pirates pretty much gave away another player who appeared poised for a breakout year. Cubs fans know how that ended. The very next year, Aramis Ramirez crossed both the 35-homer and 100-RBI plateaus while hitting over .300, and while commanding a salary far below what that production would cost on the open market.
Obviously, Ramirez would have eventually gotten too expensive for Pittsburgh. However, in the meantime, you’d think that young, inexpensive, productive talent is just what the Pirates want. And you’d think, if/when they traded him, that they’d want something of value in return. Clearly, you’d be wrong on both counts. There is a point where prospect becomes reality, a point where cost catches up with production, a point where good timing can net you a bargain, and a point where the future is now. If you can find the sweet spot where all these intersect, then you can succeed on the cheap in baseball. That’s what the Marlins did until they went off the deep end and became a self-parody. That what the Rays did last year. The Pirates, on the other hand, seem to operate under the premise that young is not young enough and cheap is never cheap enough. That gets you nowhere fast, especially when any prospect who does pan out is immediately traded for yet more prospects.
Truthfully, I want the Pirates to do well, except when they play us. It’s gotten to the point where I feel bad for them. Plus, probably because of their perennial doormat status, they are much less hateable than every other NL Central team. So each notch they climb in the standings is a notch that someone like the Brewers or Cardinals or Astros will fall.
So it’s nice to see them approaching this throw-in-the-towel trade with a little spunk instead of their usual resignation. I hope they take that spunk and turn it into a reasonably productive season.
