Two trades: A final wrap…
Now that I can take a breath, figured we could revisit Tuesday’s happenings here one more time. Here are links to all the stories written about the deal…
- Pirates trade Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett to the Nationals for Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan. Here it is from the Pirates’ view and from the Nationals’ perspective.
- Pirates trade Eric Hinkse to the Yankees for two Minor League players. Here’s that deal as viewed by the Bucs and by the Yanks.
- And then of course, there is player reaction
I’ve read a lot of mixed reactions from Pirates fans — some obviously sad to see Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett go, others intrigued by the potential upside in Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan. Natiionally, the Pirates are largely being identified as the winners in the deal, though of course that will require Milledge and/or Hanrahan reaching their upside.
By Gosh, It's Langosch 
– I don’t care HOW WELL Milledge and Hanrahan do… the Pirates organization is devistating their fans left and right! From McLouth to Morgan… nobody’s saying that their trades are “awful” or “stupid,” – but CONFUSING… absolutely. What’s the point of trading great players for GOOD ones? Especially if you’re trading for the same positions!! ‘Let’s trade a great fielder who hits well for a great fielder who hits well.’ It’s rediculous – because all it’s REALLY doing, is leaving you with nothing more then the Pirates LOGO to love. How can you have a favorite player on this team if they’re constantly injecting you with a ‘shock and disbelief’ needle? I’m shaking my head in disgust this time around… Read more from me here: JQuist.mlblogs.com
potential up side? what are u drinking? millage is a problem why do u think the mets gave up on him and ther nats too?all we got was a problem child!i cant wait o see hikm take one of his trantrums fans have u seen what bradly is doing in chicago? well thats what we will be seeeing here! i wonder if rusell has the guts tio tell this guy to go home of he pulls one of his stunts i bet not cause it seems have the time he him self doesnt seem to know what he is doing.
hey jen ! you whats sad is this– the nats sure pulled on eover ole neilthey got a great team player we got nothing
Many people are upset about Morgan leaving. When the season started most people were commenting how ridiculous it was that Morgan was given the starting job. Ah, the pendulum of emotions for fans. Morgan is a decent player, but not great. He’s probably a .260 hitter when it’s all said and done with very limited power. He has great speed, but at 28 he still hasn’t quite figured out how to use it effectively (18 of 28 in SB attempts is not a good percentage). I’m actually fine giving Garrett Jones a shot in left field over Morgan anyway. I do agree about Milledge being a problem child. He’s much younger than Morgan though, perhaps he can mature. His upside is much higher than Morgan’s. My real disappointment was on the pitching side. Burnett had finally battled his way into the majors and established himself and now he’s gone for a guy with a 7 ERA. I’m kind of ambivalent on the trade as a whole. I never saw Morgan as a long term piece.
This is the last straw. I have been a Pirates fan since 1958 but no longer. I thought when Littlefield left there would be an end to stupid trades, but it is just more of the same. The way Nate was traded stunk. We had a great thing going with McCutchen and Nyger and screwed that up. Who’s next-Jack, Freddy,?? For their sakes, I hope they can end up with a team that has real baseball management and not just bean-counters running the show. They said trading Nate wasn’t about money-BULL! It’s all about money. Well, I will NEVER again set foot in PNC Park, so it won’t be my money. LOL!
Pittsburgh Baseball. Trading players for prospects since 1992!!!
I have been a fan since 1955 and have seen it ebb and flow over the years. I am just sick about this. The ownership obviously keeps doing this and doesn’t care about the fans at all. They can put all the spin the want on this – the bottom line is changing ownership – period – end of story.
On the contrary to comments so far, I have seen the current management team add a ton of talent into the system from top to bottom in about 2 years time…. a very difficult feat considering how depleted the whole organization was. It is exciting to watch these players develop and move up. This team was also fun to watch this year despite appearing to target a 17th consecutive losing season.
It is hard to watch good people leave like McLouth and Morgan and Bay and Nady, but it is so clear that Littlefield’s trades bankrupted the system while Huntington’s are enriching it. If Huntington just wanted a .500 team he could give it to you today, but he is aiming much higher.
Nothing is a given, but Coonelly and Huntington have a plan, and they are following this plan consistently. I feel I can be proud to be a Pirates fan for the first time since 1992.
Raise the Jolly Roger!
I would have to agree with the previous comment. I find myself paying more attention to the talent that is coming rather than what has been traded away.
After the initial sting of the McLouth trade, Andrew McCutchen has been exciting to watch. I have no problem with the Morgan trade. We traded him for youth and potential. We got a head case, but needed one to replace Snell. On the other hand, trading Burnett is confusing. I believe he has become a solid reliever.
So far it appears to me that Coonelly and Huntington have been right more than wrong with their decisions. There will be more tough trades coming. Wilson, Sanchez and Laroche are prime trade candidates for prospects as the trade deadline approaches.
By Craig1969
I have been a big fan of the Pirates since the 70’s, but I am quite dismayed with the whole organization. The administration needs to take some advice from the Rooney family and Mario Lemieux on how to build a winning franchise. I was in the 5th grade when we last won a World Series. Build on what you have to then develop an interest for better prospects in the future. McCutchen, McClouth, and Morgan would have been an outstanding outfield. That threesome was a good foundation to build upon. Finally, I want to thank Jack Wilson for his dedication to his teammates and the Pirates organization!! We aren’t a family!
How many pieces do we have in place for this “championship calliber team” Huntington speaks of? The trades are confusing to me. Using the Bay trade as the beginning of the Huntington era the Pirates are playing .402 ball (54-80). Huntington has no time table and Nutting has imposed a 52M cap on payroll. Will Nutting spend more? Chances are probably not. He’s hoping for a Tampa Bay miracle. Where has this so called plan actually worked before? P.S. The Penguins won a Stanley Cup with a cap of 56M. Nutting has no cap and won’t spend that much plus Nutting gets luxury tax money the Pen’s don’t get.
You guys are giving these players too much hype. Nate McLouth is a slightly above average player who was an all-star soley because he was a Pirate. He is batting around .261 this year which is close to Adam LaRoche and everybody hates him! Morgan was barely an average major league player and we got a guy that has a chance to be a star…Bay was the only guy we lost who is doing anything for his new team. This was a good trade for us and has the potential to be a great one. I am sick of rebuilding too but that is the only way we have a chance of being good again based on our salary.
I’m not sure if I’ve said this before… but I believe the Bucs may have lost me on these recent trades. I’ve been loyal-die-hard since my 1st Buc memory in the fall classic of 1960… and at the ripe age of 50 the past 16 years have taken their toll. Now… new management wants to grow a core from within the organization, yet they trade away what could have been an outfield of McLouth, McCutcheon, and Morgan… not a ball would have found the gap past that defense and the top of our lineup would have been on base consistently putting pressure on opposing pitchers. Hook those young-underpaid-hungry baseball players with homegrown Steve Pearce (1B), Neil Walker (3B), Doumit (C), with Sanchez (2B), and the veteran glue of Wilson (SS) and you’ve got a team… not to mention we could have unloaded the Laroche twins for a pitcher or two… and… to top it all off we trade the gutsiest pitcher on the team (Burnett) for someone that has to prove he can consistently get outs. This management drives me nutz.