The Pirates are going to have an interesting arbitration class this offseason. Several players — Garrett Jones, James McDonald, Neil Walker — could all stand to get pretty heavy pay raises, while pitchers Joel Hanrahan and Jeff Karstens, both third time eligible, could serve as off-season trade chips. The Pirates also have an option on veteran catcher Rod Barajas, who which could be exercised to return as their backup.
“You never want to go to arbitration cases, as we’ve shown in the past,” General Manager Neal Huntington said. “If we have to, we have to. But we much prefer to find an agreement, a middle ground before we get to that point in time. We’re going to have some natural payroll escalations with the organic growth of our players’ salary, which is a good thing. We’re going to explore all trade opportunities, free agent opportunities. How do we improve this club? How do we improve our overall standing as an organization?”
“We have a good number of guys eligible each of the last off-seasons. We’ve got some higher profile cases this year…We have a pretty good feel for where it’s going to fall. Now we get to hear the agents side of where it’s going to fall. And then you work diligently to find a middle ground.”
Options
— Rod Barajas had a down year offensively, hitting for a career worst .206 average over his 11 years in the Majors. Barajas did belt 11 home runs and play in 104 games for the Pirates this season, the most games played since 2009 with Toronto. The 37-year-old’s defense behind the plate was suspect, and he combined to catch just six of 93 base stealers. Barajas has a $3.5M option for the 2013 season. Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle said that during his exit interview with Barajas, the idea of returning as a backup was brought up.
“Is he a [No. 1 catcher]?,’ Hurdle said. “Or turn it into a two? Is there another one? Is it time for [Michael] McKenry to be a one? Is there another one out there? As you look at the crystal ball, and those conversations are candid. We had it with Rod as part of the exit interview. You got to make sure you have that conversation. Is the guy willing to go in with the mindset that, okay, I’m not the 100-120 game guy anymore. I might be the 60-80 game guy…I thought it was time to explore that with Rod. He wants to play, and I think he understands very well where he is at this point in time in his career.”
Arbitration Eligibles
First Time
— James McDonald had a tale of two seasons in 2012. In the first half, McDonald looked like a No. 1 pitcher, posting a 2.37 ERA over his first 17 starts before the All-Star break. He walked just 31 batters while striking out 100 over 110 innings with a .196 opposing batting average and an 0.97 WHIP. But McDonald’s struggles after the break spiraled for the right-hander as he went on to post a 7.52 ERA over his final 13 outings. McDonald made 12 starts and was moved into the bullpen to finish the season and get back on track.
— Neil Walker‘s season ended early due to a herniated disc in his low back, but the second basemen was on track for a career year for his hometown of Pittsburgh. Walker hit for a .280/.342/.426 line over 129 games in his fourth season in the Majors. Walker belted a career-high 14 home runs and drove in 69 RBIs this season. There has been nothing new on a long-term contract between Walker and the Pirates.
“Generally speaking, it is a part of our process,” Huntington said. “It is a part of our plan as evidence of some of the deals we’ve done so far. IF there is a fit to be had, we’ll certainly explore it.”
“In my opinion it hasn’t changed,” Walker said. “I’m going to go through arbitration this year and that’s kind of the way I have to look at it. I’m open to talks this off-season. If they want to talk in spring training or after the season, or in-between. I’m open to that.”
— Gaby Sanchez was acquired from Miami at the trade deadline and put up a .241/.323/.397 line over 50 games with the Pirates. Sanchez played mostly off the bench as a pinch-hitter or against an opposing tough lefty on the mound. Sanchez hit seven home runs on the season, four with the Pirates.
Second Time
— Charlie Morton had season-ending Tommy John surgery in June and is not expected to return until at least June of the 2013 season. Morton made nine starts this season with the Pirates before being injured. The right-hander posted a 4.65 ERA during that span.
— Garrett Jones could likely see the biggest jump in arbitration this year. Jones put together an impressive season for the Pirates after breaking spring training in part of a platoon at first base. Jones launched a career-high 27 long balls this season, earning him regular playing time. His previous high was 21 he hit in back-to-back seasons in 2009 and 2010 with the Pirates. Jones also tied his career-high in RBIs with 86.
— Chris Resop posted a 3.91 ERA over 73.2 innings in relief in his second season with the Pirates. Resop proved the bullpen with a variety of roles this year from multiple innings, to the late innings and coming in with runners on base.
Third Time
— Joel Hanrahan has put back-to-back All-Star seasons for the Pirates as the club’s closer. Hanrahan notched 36 saves (40 opportunities) this season, just four shy of his career-best mark of 40 (44 opportunities) last year. The righty posted a 2.47 ERA over 59.2 innings.
“I hope so,” Hanrahan said on if he will be with Pittsburgh next year. “I think all the guys in here like me. I still got one more year under control here and I’m going in the off-season planning on being a Pirate, and we’ll see what happens from there.”
— Jeff Karstens missed two months of the season due to a shoulder injury, then once again with a right hip flexor injury. Karstens was limited to just 90.2 frames with the Pirates this season. He was moved into the bullpen to finish out the season with the club decided to move a prospect into the rotation in September.
“Unfortunately at times, his body lets him down and it’s been various body parts,” Huntington said. “As of what we have to do with every player in the organization, we’ve got to do a thorough analysis and explore the fit on the team going forward, explore the role and how he fits in the big picture. Right now, it’s a bit early to talk about that publicly.”
Arbitration Number Predictions
by Kevin Creagh
