Pirates Offseason Outlook

Well, the World Series has ended and it's time to look at possible additions and changes to the Pirates. I write this being not so confident in the team after failure to do anything with management after a second collapse and the whole Hoka Hey incident but it might ignite a fire under Huntington to be more aggressive. So here are players I believe the Pirates should try and get this offseason.

In House Moves:

Keep management

If they haven't done anything by now, nothing is gonna happen.

Exercise option on Pedro Alvarez

No brainier here.

Go to Arbitration with Walker, Sanchez, Jones, Resop, JMac

Also no brainers.

Non-Tender Charlie Morton and Jeff Karstens

Morton is too injury prone and who knows after Tommy John surgery to eat up $2 million in salary. Karstens may surprise some people but with the young guys on the rise and a relatively strong market, I think he goes.

Trade Joel Hanrahan

This will shock a lot of people but it really shouldn't. It's an obvious move that the Pirates must make. Hanrahan pitches 1 inning in 3/4, at the most, during the season and he will attract at least $7 million in arbitration. Is that worth it when almost anyone can close a game? Absolutely not. Closers are overrated and a trade of the Hammer could fill a lot of offensive holes on this team.

Free Agency (these are options, not predictions):

Mike Napoli:

The Rangers catcher is most likely heading back to Texas but if they get caught up in Hamilton and pitching, a team could swoop in and steal him. He's hit at least 20 HRs 8 straight years and if the Pirates pony up he'd be a huge force in the middle of the lineup.

David Ross:

Ross is a Pirate killer but he's available this year. He'd like to go back to Atlanta but you never know. He'd provide a lot of defense and leadership behind the plate and is a perfect platoon mate for The Fort.

Russell Martin:

The Yankees have a lot to worry about this offseason and they will ultimately let Martin go. He'd be perfect to platoon with The Fort too, but is injury prone.

Bunch of Old Catchers:

If we don't get any of those 3, there's a lot of garbage after that that includes Rod Barajas.

Stephen Drew:

Drew's option was recently declined and we need a SS. He'll cost money in a weak SS crop but could add some offense that's been missing for years in that spot but only if the price is right.

Marco Scutaro:

He's perfect for the Pirates but in all likelihood the Giants are keeping him. If not, he and Barmes would be a great one two punch and would make Clint very expendable.

Jeff Keppinger:

Very serviceable player that hits lefties really well. Could be a great utility man and could play some SS.

Melky Cabrera:

Melky was fantastic last year, roids or not. The Giants proved that they certainly don't need him and he's a big risk. With both corner OF jobs up for grabs, I think it could be wise for the Pirates to take a chance on him.

Don Kelly:

Pittsburgh native that can give the Pirates leadership after being to 2 World Series. The ultimate utility man could be a good bench upgrade.

Edwin Jackson:

Pirates went after him last year but he decided to sign in Washington. He's available again and I'm sure many will be interested but it's worth a shot as Jackson is in his prime and pitching well. Would give the Pirates a nice big 3 in their rotation.

Francisco Liriano:

Liriano is the ultimate risk. Will you get the one who has taken multiple no hitters deep into games, or do you get the one who had an ERA over 6 two years ago? He's a lefty that the Pirates could really use but it's such a big risk I'm not sure it's worth taking. Then again, if he struggles, he could go to the pen and a young guy could step up. Who knows here

Brandon McCarthy:

This is a move the Pirates will most likely make. A good pitcher with big potential but is often injured. This is Erik Bedard 2.0. McCarthy would certainly be welcomed after finishing with an ERA below 3 this year but on a deal very similar to Bedard.

Jeremy Guthrie:

Guthrie did terrible last year in the first half but was lights out after he was traded to Kansas City. He reminds me of an experienced Jeff Karstens and if we could get him cheap, it'd be worth it.

Joe Saunders:

Another lefty we were in on at the deadline. Saunders could be a serviceable starter for a year until the younger guys develop.

Roberto Hernandez:

You may know him as Fausto Carmona. After all the trouble he got in he tried to pitch for the Indians but got injured. I doubt the Indians pick up his option and he's still young and only a few years removed from Cy Young consideration so it'd be a fantastic move to sign him.

Jason Grilli:

We know what Grilli is, and we need him back in a Pirates uniform but it's gonna take a lot. If the price gets outrageous though, we should let him walk.

Jose Valverde:

He really hurt his value this playoffs. He's available but other teams will be interested. The Pirates should come in with a short term deal with a lower base salary but a lot of incentives. This could be your Hammer replacement.

Kyle Farnsworth:

The hard throwing righty has always been solid as a reliever. I could see the 37 year old signing with a team like the Pirates to try and continue as a top reliever on his team and be on a competitive team.

LaTroy Hawkins:

See above. Same deal here with Hawkins and both he and Farnsworth have closer experience.

Mike Gonzalez:

The Pirates really missed another lefty to go along with Watson in the pen and I think we could have a Pirate reunion with Gonzalez. Also has closing experience.

Ryan Madson:

The Reds would've been closer last year. Madson is a shut down reliever but after Tommy John surgery that cost him the year, he's back. A lot of teams will be concerned but the Pirates should do an incentives based deal and see if they can snag him.

Juan Carlos Oviedo:

You may know HIM as Leo Nunez. Same situation as Hernandez. The former Marlins closer would be another great chance to take and see if he can be a late inning reliever that we still need to find.

Crapshoot of other Relievers:

This is the route I expect. We always seem to sign bums that end up dominating out of the pen so we'll see if we go that route again.

Trades (again options, not predictions):

Ervin Santana or Dan Haren:

The Angels rotation is too crowded, both guys have hefty options this year, and the financial woes are starting to kick in. If we could add one of these 2 to the rotation and get the Angels to eat some money, we could be looking at another AJ Burnett situation. These two are also better than most of the market.

An Arizona Outfielder:

Arizona really has a surplus of outfielders even after the Chris Young trade. They're already wheeling and dealing and we were the biggest pursuers of Justin Upton in July. They have Jason Kubel too and I'd be extremely happy with either one. If the Pirates could shell out prospects for one of them and maybe pull in a third team, possibly for Hanrahan, I could definitely see the Pirates making a move like this during the winter meetings.

Shin-Soo Choo:

We were in on him until the very end last year. The price was Starling Marte and that was way too high but now, knowing they won't be bringing him back, the Pirates may be able to get Choo for a lower price knowing he'll only be here 1 year until he hits the open market in 2014,

What the Pirates should do

I'm not gonna sugar coat it and I'm going to get straight to the point. After 2 straight collapses something has to change. The Pirates should fire Clint Hurdle, Neal Huntington, his crony Kyle Stark, and yes even Frank Coonley. I will elaborate on why I think all should be fired and even give possible replacements for Hurdle.

Frank Coonley

Let's start off with the big gun. Frank Coonley has done a fine job with taking over this team and building it up. The problem is that the building process is over. It's time to start the maintenance of the the newly built team and he does not seem to understand that. Add into that the fact that he's letting Neal Huntington and Kyle Stark put prospects through Navy Seal training (not knowingly, but should know) and his off the field drinking problems and I see him as a liability. Don't forget either that he just announced that jobs were safe when Nutting hasn't decided. That's a trust issue. Unfortunately, don't expect this to happen. Coonley is still Nuttings's right hand man and I can't see him firing Coonley because it's too smart of a move for Nutting.

Neal Huntington

I'm sorry but Neal is unfit for this job. He is very good at building up an organization. He's just way too conservative to GM a winning team. He's too attached to the prospects (much like Tim Williams is at Pirates Prospects) he has and he won't do what is right because he's too afraid of screwing up. As a GM you need to know when to part with your treasures when it helps your team and not your reputation. He doesn't have the balls to do something that makes him unpopular even if it is better for the team. Huntington needs to be on a team where expectations are low and no matter what he does he can't be criticized. That's why he was successful in Cleveland and now here. If I were the Pirates I would relieve him of his duties and hire an assistant GM from a team where winning is always a priority or a big market so they can handle the pressure (like LA, St. Louis, etc). This would also mean the end to crony Kyle Stark who is even more conservative than Huntington. The Navy Seal training doesn't help either. I put the this at a 50-50 shot.

Clint Hurdle

This is the most obvious. Clint Hurdle lost this team down the stretch. It's obvious. And the dopey lineups he sent out while we were still in the race just shows he basically gave up too. Not to mention the unbelievably stupid calls he made in games this year that also cost us several games. When is enough enough? When does clubhouse leadership stop outweighing on the field stupidity. I say "the buck stops here!" and Clint Hurdle will be gone. Bob Nutting vowed that changes would be made and if you're looking for a main cause, it has to be Clint Hurdle. Odds on this I have to say are 70-30. Nutting needs to do something and this is most obvious solution that will appease fans unless there is another collapse.

Bonus! Options for new manager if Hurdle is laid off

Terry Francona- He's the perfect fit. Good clubhouse guy, great in game manager too. The move to a smaller market would avoid the Red Sox disaster too. Will take a lot of money though.

Sandy Alomar Jr.- If the Indians hire Francona, Alomar is the next best pick. He's young, experienced bench coach, and he knows the ins and outs. Could be the next Ventura.

Jim Riggleman- did a good job with the Nats and I thought was unfairly let go. I'd be wary though as he could be the next Hurdle...

Luis Silverio- Pirates man through and through. Has respect with the team and I just have a feeling he could be make the right decisions on the field as he does well at first already.

Brian Giles- WOAH! The former Pirate would have instant respect as a former player through these tough times. Teams seen to be doing this more and more now and it seems to be working so, why not try? Also considered putting Jason Kendall and Jack Wilson on this list...