Earlier I posted the rundown of the 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen, noting all of the options available to the Pirates. If you could pick seven of the available options to make up the 2012 bullpen, who would you pick? Answer in the poll below:
[polldaddy poll=5594888]
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
Closer is an overrated position. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t important, and Hanrahan was far and away the best reliever on the team last year, and one of the best closers in baseball. That said I didn’t include him as one of my 7. I’d look long and hard to see if he could be a part of a trade for a good young CI/CO/C/SS. The Pirates can acquire a FA to fill that slot in the bullpen and either the FA or Meek can close. If they can’t find the right trade, keep him and trade him at the deadline. In either case he should not finish 2012 with the team.
I like that idea it would definitely have to be a prospect with potential to contribute at the major league level or one already doing that with the ability to continue to do so, I also wouldn’t mind if we were able to lock Hanrahan into a multi-year contract, and if possible to keep the yearly wages to somewhere between 4-6M.
“I’d look long and hard to see if he could be a part of a trade for a good young CI/CO/C/SS.”
Just an observation that your abbrevation there could phonetically be pronounced Psychosis.
I went with Hanrahan, Meek, Leroux, Veras, Resop, Watson, Grilli. I wouldn’t mind an upgrade over Grilli though.
1 end people talk how closer is completely an overrated stat then start talking how Hanny is so important at the backend of the bulllpen. I think towards the end of the season he showed his true colors and is much more valuable to this team in trade. Closers are like NFL running backs unless you have AP(Mariano Riviera) they are not worth the $ and someone will give you more than their worth.
I think K-Rod might be available and an 8th inning setup man should be a priority with this team.