NewsInbox: No reunion likely for traded Bucs
MLB.com's Langosch answers fans' questions
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com
10/19/09 9:30 PM ET
Apparently, I underestimated how many questions would pour into my inbox this past week. Thanks for all the submissions. If I wasn't able to get to your question this week (which was the case for most of you), don't worry about resending it. I've kept all sorts of extras to answer in the upcoming weeks.
Do you think the Pirates will try to sign any of their traded players as free agents this winter, especially John Grabow or Jack Wilson?
-- Fran P., Overland Park, Kan.
When I asked GM Neal Huntington about the possibility of signing players that had been dealt away, he said that no door would be closed. Huntington's stance was that management will explore all players available this offseason, including those who have played here before.
Now, just because the Pirates are willing to explore bringing back recently traded players doesn't mean it's likely any players will actually return, so don't get too excited. Grabow and the Cubs seem to be mutually interested in the lefty reliever staying in Chicago. The Mariners haven't ruled out exercising Wilson's option for 2010, though the more likely scenario is that the two sides rework that option and come to some sort of new agreement. And Freddy Sanchez told a San Francisco newspaper in September that the door was likely closed on a return to the Pirates.
By the sounds of all that, I'm not guessing there are going to be any reunions in Pittsburgh.
I just read about the logjam at the corner infield positions. It seems to me, though, that the real need is with the starting pitching. We have eight guys who could be No. 4 starters, but no No. 1, 2 or 3 starters. What top free-agent pitchers are available next year? Signing a No. 1 or 2 would bring some excitement to Pirates fans.
-- Mike C., Latrobe, Pa.
Rather than give you a list of the bigger name free-agent starters and get your hopes up, I'll tell you now not to expect the Pirates to make a run at starting pitching this offseason. Do the Pirates have a defined "ace" going into 2010? No, I don't think they do. But I also don't think you can say that they don't have anything better than a No. 4 starter type.
Team management feels that Ross Ohlendorf, Zach Duke and Paul Maholm can anchor down the top of the rotation, with Charlie Morton likely filling that No. 4 slot. Then you've got a handful of choices for the rotation's fifth spot. Is it the league's best rotation? Absolutely not. But it can potentially be a steady one, and one that will allow the Bucs to pursue bigger offseason needs over the next few months.
As evidenced in the final two months of the season, the Pirates desperately need some offensive help more than anything else. The team's offensive numbers after the All-Star break were dismal, and that's something that needs to be addressed for this team to be competitive. The bullpen is also an area that needs to be shored up, even more so than the starting rotation, in my opinion.
I do not understand some of the trades made this year. We know we have no middle infielders ready for the Majors. Is there something I am missing here? What is the makeup of the infield going to look like next year?
-- David P., Spring Lake, N.C.
You are correct in stating that when Sanchez and Wilson were dealt this summer, there were no internal options in the Pirates' system to fill those holes immediately. However, in the deal that sent Wilson to Seattle, the Pirates received shortstop Ronny Cedeno, who is lined up to be the team's starting shortstop next season. As attached as so many were to Wilson (and for good reason), it's hard to argue that the Pirates will be missing much with Wilson gone and Cedeno here. Wilson was a little better defensively, but Cedeno is much younger, less expensive and just as good with the bat.
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What the Pirates are going to do at second base is murkier. Delwyn Young made significant improvement there this year, but Pirates management has been mum when asked if Young made enough improvement to stick as an everyday second baseman. Andy LaRoche is a possibility if the Pirates go through with a position switch for the third baseman. And there's always the possibility that the Pirates will look externally this winter for help at the infield spot.
What is the status of Steve Pearce? Is he going to be back next year? Is he currently on one-year contract? I'm not sure.
-- Matt S., Seattle
Pearce remains under the team's control, so yes, he will be back next year unless the Pirates take him off the 40-man roster and risk losing him on waivers. Assuming Pearce does remain with the club, the Pirates will renew his contract for not far above the Major League minimum, which was $400,000 this year.
As for what Pearce's role on the team could be, your guess is as good as mine at this point. The Bucs gave him every opportunity to gain an upper hand for the job at first base, and Pearce didn't seize it. He showed flashes of offense, but not enough consistency for the team to hand him the job. In fact, he may be looking at a bench spot if the Pirates decide to put Garrett Jones at first and fill the right-field hole another way.
Hello, Jenifer. Thanks for what you do. I was wondering if you could give us an update on Gift Ngoepe? What are the organization's thoughts on him so far?
-- Charles, Elm City, N.C.
Ngoepe just finished his first full season in professional baseball, and the reports on him were encouraging. Ngoepe, 19, hit .238 with nine RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 47 games with the Gulf Coast League Pirates. Those numbers won't jump out at you, certainly, but consider that Ngoepe spent much of his first season just becoming acclimated to playing organized baseball in America. That may sound strange, but he came from a place where there was no defined strike zone. That explains why early on in the GCL, Ngoepe swung at almost everything that came his way.
That said, the Pirates are very high on Ngoepe's defensive abilities as a middle infielder. According to director of player development Kyle Stark, Ngoepe has a shot at joining the low Class A West Virginia club sometime during the '10 season.
Do you think pitching prospect Tim Alderson will be a significant part of the young Pirates team next year? And if not, when do you think he will be up?
-- Lucy S., San Diego
I think '10 is wishful thinking for Alderson -- who will turn 21 this offseason -- to make his Major League debut. It seems much more likely that, barring any sort of injury setback, of course, Alderson could be poised for his debut in Pittsburgh come '11.
Alderson will start the year either in Double-A or Triple-A and will likely stay in the Minors for another year of development. This is just a guess, but I'd say the likeliest path for Alderson next year would be a start in Double-A with a midseason promotion to Indianapolis. That would be exactly what pitching prospect Brad Lincoln did this year.
Can we get an update on the two pitchers the Bucs signed out of India?
-- Paul M., Fairview, Pa.
Dinesh Patel and Rinku Singh finished their first full season of professional baseball after spending the entire year with the GCL Pirates in Bradenton, Fla.
The right-handed throwing Patel made six appearances and allowed one earned run on five hits in 6 1/3 innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out four. Singh, a lefty, allowed eight earned runs in 12 1/3 innings. He allowed 14 hits, walked four and struck out eight. Though his numbers weren't as good as Patel's, Singh is still believed to be the more likely of the two to have a shot at moving up in the Minor League system.
Their seasons went about as good as could have been expected for two players who didn't know what baseball was before 2008. The two spent much of the year learning fundamentals and the intricacies of the game. Next year will be the year to watch and see if they can mature as pitchers. Keep in mind it is still an outside shot at best that either pitcher makes it to the Majors.
Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
