The Pittsburgh Pirates have officially announced the three-year contract for Francisco Liriano. The deal was agreed to three days ago and was just waiting on the physical. The 40-man roster is now full. The deal worth $39 M is the largest free agent deal in team history and will keep Liriano around through the 2017 season. The breakdown for yearly salary hasn’t been announced yet. We will post an update when it’s available.
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.
How about a rundown of all the possible 1st base variations? Keep Pedro, split with Pedro, trade Pedro and get (insert option), use Lambo +, trade so-and-so for Christian Walker, trade part of the farm for Goldschmidt, etc, etc.
Very happy this is done. John, are the 10 and 5 rules still in place? If so, won’t this apply to Liriano at the end of this contract, assuming he plays it out? I can’t remember the last 10 and 5 guy the Pirates have had. I think Tekulve almost got there, and it was a factor in him getting traded. It would have to be maybe Madlock then, assuming he had enough service time before he became a Pirate. I can then fantasize that Liriano won’t file for free agency, and will just continue to be a Pirate.
It would apply to him at the end of the contract, but he would have to sign again for it to matter
For the ill informed, the 5 and 10 rule dictates that an MLB player cannot be traded without his consent if he is with the same major league club for the last 5 consecutive years and has been an MLB player for 10 years. It’s Rule 9e found here:
Major League Constitution, the Professional Baseball Agreement, and the Major League Rules (2008 edition):
http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4451:major-league-baseball-rules-2008&Itemid=25
I was looking yesterday on ESPN for info on how well Mark Reynolds hits Frankie. The “Lefty Killer” is a mere 1-12 (.083). Of course it was a HR.
Perhaps the oddest Frankie fact: BJ Upton hits him for a .364/.900 clip.
If they were sure they were hanging onto Alvarez, I thought Reynolds would have been a good platoon partner for him, but the Cards moved a little faster than the Pirates are moving on this issue and they already have a proven 1st basemen.
I get crushed for defending giving Pedro another chance …Reynolds is like the RH version of what they make Pedro out to be… He has the same crushing power as Pedro , and I pensively admit , I still really dig the long ball. At least before he came unglued last season , Pedro had a hit a lot of big shots in big spots for us, notably down the stretch in 2012…
( And you must admit , when he is on a hot streak , there is no prettier,effortless LH swing today. .. He still has the hope to live up to his lineage , POP and the Cobra… Two big , beautiful and effortless lefty swings.
Since there doesn’t appear to be an available platoon option worth giving regular ABs to , I say go w a league min back-up, whoever that may be, Just RH hitting , and begin the year allowing Toro to play everyday. If it is an abject disaster by end of May , perhaps they can seek a more professional platoon option , ala Ike Davis last season…. Just hopefully RH , and effective…
I ‘ll hang up and listen…..
Dear caller: Yes your right, when he’s on he’s terrific. But therein lies the problem WHEN ON. He goes through his 5 or 6 games terror streak and then you don’t hear from him for a month. That’s just not good enough. A good indication of whether it’s just us fans being unreasonable or him not being good enough has been answered. they tried to trade him and no one wants him. No one. There’s no one willing to take a risk of being able to fix him. And it’s not like we’re talking mega bucs and a long term deal. theres usually one team that thinks, “we can fix that guy”. The Pirates do it with pitchers. But that not one team thinks he’s worth the risk is very telling.
Also , our prob is compounded by him sulking over not playing 3rd.. Maybe that frightened callers…
Is he for real.. Inside the diamond , he had the equivalent of a psychotic break from reality. And in real life or the baseball version , no one fully recovers.. Blass , Knobloch , Ankiel , … The list goes on … Guys who found a way to remain , did so thru some sort of adjustment..
So , yeah , Pedro , lets go back over to 3rd base, first stop on the way to crazy town…
You’re right.. Not as tho we had an inflated asking price.. The kid from Miami has a super live arm but he is a #5 .. and they have a log-jam of guys slotted ahead of him…. They said No thanks , we ll stick w G.I
I preferred Mayberry, but he signed with the Mets. JM could play both OF AND 1b.
I agree. Mayberry took 1yr $1.35 , I think… He could be a pinch hit expert , spell a corner OF , and spell Pedro… Until June when we give up on sending Perdo up vs LH pitching… and ease into the platoon then.
So even if a miracle occurs , Pedro hits lefties , play everyday , JM Jr is still a good minimum investment.
Now hopefully they will get the 1st base position fixed. Last year Huntington admitted he blew it as to how he handled first base, if he does nothing the rest of the off-season with 1st base, he will blow it again.