The Pittsburgh Pirates have announced the signing of 1B/RF Corey Hart to a one-year deal. To make room on the 40-man roster, pitcher Preston Guilmet has been designated for assignment.
Hart is a name familiar to fans of the Pirates, as he spent his first nine seasons in the majors with the Milwaukee Brewers. He missed all of 2013 after needing surgery on both knees, one prior to the season and the other in June after he got hurt during rehab. In 2014, he played 68 games for the Seattle Mariners, hitting .203/.271/.319 in 232 at-bats. His missed time with both a knee injury and an injured left hamstring.
When healthy, Hart put up some strong numbers in Milwaukee, twice making the All-Star team. He had a .276/.334/.491 slash nine during his nine seasons with the Brewers. He hit a total of 87 homers from 2010-2012. Hart mostly played outfield during his career, but he has played 107 games at first base, and as a right-handed bat, the 32-year-old veteran will likely be a platoon at first base with Pedro Alvarez. Hart has a career .866 OPS against left-handed pitching.
Guilmet was purchased by the Pirates from the Baltimore Orioles right after the season ended. The 27-year-old right-hander has pitched 14 games in relief over the last two seasons, splitting his time between the Orioles and Cleveland Indians.
UPDATE 2:16 PM: Jon Heyman says that Hart will receive $2.5 M, plus $2.5 M in possible incentives.
Corey hart gets $2.5M from pirates, plus $2.5M in incentives
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 19, 2014
UPDATE 2:18 PM: Thoughts from Tim Williams…
This move seems like a big gamble, with a chance for a big upside if Hart works out. That’s a huge “if” though, since he has dealt with a ton of injuries the last few years, including missing all of 2013 after having surgery on both knees. He missed a month in 2014 with a knee contusion, another month with a hamstring strain, and missed some time early in the year and in Spring Training with back and forearm problems. So obviously there are some serious health issues here.
The upside to this move is that Hart has done well against lefties in his career, so if he gets back on track, he could be a strong platoon partner with Pedro Alvarez. He also has been good against right-handers, and while he’s not great in that category, he wouldn’t be bad as a full-time option if he was able to bounce back. But again, all of this comes with the huge disclaimer that he has dealt with a ton of health concerns the last few years, making it unlikely that the Pirates will be getting his prime production.
As far as being just a lefty platoon guy at first base, it’s possible that this limited role could keep Hart healthy enough to put up his old numbers. The Pirates have placed a big focus on keeping players healthy the last few years, with some very innovative ways to track fatigue. It’s possible that this could also help Hart rebound in Pittsburgh.
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.
Back when Hart was All star just think of the Brewers. Braun proven cheater! Hart, Weeks, Fielder Crack down on Roids & they all have sucked since then. I think I smell smoke.
Out of that group though Hart is the only real natural physical specimen, at 6 foot 6 and 230 pounds. Corey Hart is a giant compared to those other guys. Can’t see him needing anything to enhance his power.
Roids wasn’t all about power. Durability & recovery also a big part of it. Have you seen Prince Fielder.
Lol…
I’m really surprised to see all of the negative comments on this one. IMHO a great move, low risk and potentially high reward. Every season I’m impressed more and more with NH; now I hope the Yanks don’t steal him away.
Just got my Pirates Prospects guide ebook. getting ready to dive in 🙂
This is a strong replacement for Gabby….Finally NOT a liability if put in to face a lefty and they counter with a righty, and less money than it would have been to keep gabby. big win here, good use of that roster spot. More upside, more flexibility, better splits, less money
Meh, we’ll see what happens…that’s less then they’ll pay Tabata to patrol the AAA outfield.
But, when I see these deals, I wonder why there isn’t a team option involved. Something even on the high side like 1 year/$10M with a $500K buyout.
I thought the same thing about Volquez last year. I do like the signing because it isn’t any risk at all, you could cut him in SP without a thought with only 2.5 guaranteed but… why not get a “come back kid” option? Maybe this means Cory thinks he can play another few years and is gunning for that big last deal after a big comeback. But then, why sign with a team that has a set 1B, whose a home run champ? Hard to think no one else would pony up $2.5M to see what he could do.
I definitely agree with EV. 1/5 was nice, but I think he was probably desperate enough to sign for an option year. If it cost the team 500K to buy it out because he didn’t perform…so be it. If you can catch lightning-in-a-bottle…that’s alright too.
I’d much rather pay Hart 4M with an option than 2.5/2.5.
How does a guy who has basically missed 4 years (since roids was taken out) get 2.5. I have backed NH since he cleaned house, but this is a waste of money. If he makes it till June he’ll get hit with a 50 game ban.
Worthwhile gamble, IMO.
I sure didn’t see this coming. I am a little skeptical myself, but he is cheaper than he was last Winter, and all you can do is hope it works out.
I am not a Gaby fan, but I would still rather have him over someone whose legs are shot.
Even for just the RH 1b platoon/PH role, this is overpayment.
I don’t like this move, but as a Pirate fan, I have to hope that it works out.
I think it is the height of wishful thinking to think Hart has anything left. The bat speed may still be there, but power hitters need their pinions. Plus, the lack of mobility will make his defense awful. RF? Don’t make me laugh.
Is he a bounceback candidate? Sure, but Gaby had a down year, so why isn’t he one also? The Mariners saw enough of Hart to let him go. Not that I think Jack Z knows what he is doing, lol, but…. And, we can say our scouts know more than me, but didn’t those same scouts recommend Inge?
I know that this is an unpopular opinion, but it is the one I have. But, as I said above, I hope I am wrong.
Maybe it is the fact that he was a Brewer makes me ill??? 🙂 🙂 🙂 : )
Your bringing up Inge reminds me of the Pirates’ preference for established veterans on the bench because they have alot of MLB history to call upon when the go up to pinch hit after not playing for several games. Young guys performance really suffers when they sit. Maybe Corey Hart should better be seen as a RH pinch hitter, who might occasionally play in the field against better LHP. Before his addition the Pirates didn’t have a good RH bench player to pinch hit.
IMO, he is a plug-in player, playing a couple times a week should keep him upright, if he plays full time history shows he might not last long. If and that is a big if, Pedro does what he is capable of doing Hart won’t have to do to much. “If’s” surround most players and most teams, comes with the territory, I am sure Hart will take a physical, much Like Liriano had to do when he accidentally broke his arm.
Gabby Sanchez probably does not have Hart’s upside, but he could be a little better fielder and probably a little more expensive. I don’t see Hart or Alvarez being defensive 1st basemen, I thought they would go the defensive direction for a backup, instead they went for offense.
One thing about Gaby leaving is that we won’t have to put up with the misspelling of his name. 🙂
OF course, now we have to put up with Corey Hart references. That may be worsse. 🙂
Great move by Huntington. Hart will be no embarrassment as a hitter
out there when he’s forced to play everyday by an inevitable injury, and is quite capable of taking someone’s job away when he gets going.
Nice power & slugger addition to the team, something that was desperately needed.
This type of comment is exactly why I think a lot of folks would be salivating over Pedro Alvarez as a nice bounce back candidate if he currently played for another team.
Pedro IS a nice bounce back candidate, regardless. That’s a guarantee.
Let’s see what he actually can still do before it is ‘great’.
Thats the type of deal I want to see. Two years removed from a serious injury with one year to prove himself if he ever wants another contract. Plus he crushes the ball at PNC.
Can really fill some of the offensive void left by Martin.. Will be an effective platoon at 1st if he can overcome the 2 surgical knees , hamstring, back , and forearm that limited him to 67 games last year… at 32.
Upside is he may have saw Pittsburgh as a destination for the reputation of preventing/limiting DL stints. It is a limited role which can provide ample rest and often consecutive off days, and if that is enough to keep him healthy 2 years removed from knee surgery,he does destroy LH pitching… I have to say , he is not a better option than Gaby if he doesn’t get on the field .
I admit I have not researched his defense at 1st , I am sure someone here will be glad to enlighten me.
is Aki’s knee brace still at PNC…we may need that.
from what I have read he only played 1 season of 1st base after Fielder left MIL and he was pretty good
Holy Crap with all these posts it’s like we signed Nick Markakis! It’s Corey Danison Hart for the sake of everyone. I guarantee that Tabata will be the go to guy in the O by June.
nobody’s saying we just signed the next coming of Willie Stargell. But it’s yet another smart signing by NH. and if you look at his splits it has a chance of being a key move. Whether it works or not this was a great signing
If it doesn’t work, it’s a crappy signing. There are no points for trying.
I like it.
12 of 13 position player spots filled. Only spot that remains is who will be the final bench piece? I’m guessing it will be a defense first MIF Florimon or Sellers
my guess if florimon cuz the stats make his defense at SS look pretty great. But who knows.
From the looks of how this team is shaping up, I am hoping for Florimon to make the final bench spot if his defense is as advertised. We have some serious potential pop in this lineup. I just hope Hurdle doesn’t use the ‘Sunday Lineup’ and place him right after Stewart in the order. We can get by with him on days that Cervelli is catching.
A little off subject, but I am blown away by the extent of which several teams have revamped their lineups and rosters in the last 2-3 weeks. The Padres, Marlins, Braves, Dodgers, Rays, A’s have all made significant trades and have really turned over their rosters.
On paper, I like what the Padres have done – Myers can be a stud. If healthy, Kemp is still a very good player. Upton, Middlebrooks can both provide power and run production. And, they didn’t surrender too much of their pitching staff – which was pretty good. The Marlins have also done a nice job IMO – they may give the Nats a run for their money in 2015.
The elephant in the room is Myers can’t hit a slider.
Middlebrooks is not, in any way, a good baseball player. Listing him as a positive doesnt really bode well. Pads upgraded, but a lot of the “they can contend” crowd depends largely on Kemp being what he was a few years ago and Upton somehow not King a ton. Dont see SD as better than LAD, STL, PIT, WSH. At best, they would fight for a 2nd WC spot with MIA and SF, which i personally dont see. They got big names, but not really overall enough production to be playoff bound.
Oh no Lukas ! Jim Bowden saw Middlebrooks hit ball after ball into RFK upper deck a few years ago at the Futures Game, so he has to be a future star. He says he ” just can’t tell the back story ” on the air as to why he hasn’t developed in Boston……whatever that means.
Gonna be tough for him to keep backing that opinion if Middlebrooks hits like he has recently. Near .200 hitters dont make great “this guy has the stuff” articles.
One of Bowden’s best from last season was how badly the Pirates needed to spend some money and sign…..Kendrys Morales !
He wasnt alone on that one, more than a few fans saw that as an ok risk. Baffling.
Oh yeah. But this guy has enough experience and knowledge that he should have known better.
Middlebrooks was the least of their acquisitions. They have a good rotation and now have some hitting…I didn’t way they would win their division or win 95 games, but they have improved their team. They are now better than COL and ARI and who knows….SF has lost the heart and soul of their team – and they typically have bad seasons following their world series wins. They caught lightning in a bottle in October, but I don’t think they are as good as they played in the post season. We’ll see…
So now Pablo was the heart and sole, even tho those guys named Posey and Bumgarner are kinda good and kinda considered the backbone. You can overhype certain guys, but in the end SF will be a solid team along with LAD, forcing SDP to play a tough schedule overall. good team, lacking still.
If Pablo wasn’t the heart and soul, can we at least agree he was the stomach!!
OR simply a good player that had a hot playoffs, but was rather average over the entire season. They will miss him, but not at the level many assume.
I agree that Pads didn’t have to give up much but Kemp ? Failed his Physical for arthritis in his hips and Rays aren’t trading Myers who is under team control for 5 more years if they didn’t have serious concerns about him. 2014 was nothing near his 2013 ROY campaign . Rays are a smart franchise. It’s alarming that they went from thinking about an extension to dealing him away within 1 year
Myers was hurt last year – cannot compare 2014 to 2013 when he was hurt.
He had 12 more AB’s in 2013 than he did in 2014, His numbers dropped drastically before the injury
He was hurt most of the season, even when he was playing – his former manager said that….
He was also out of shape, and the organization didn’t like it.
Still. They would not let a player like that go with 5 years of control for a less than spectacular group of prospects if they did not have serious concerns. I think that you will find that Myers will be a good but not great player. Especially being right handed in that park
The Marlins won’t finish within 10 games of the Nats.
I disagree – Nats lost LaRoche and have yet to replace him adequately. I don’t think they have a closer yet either.
Marlins lost two of their best starting pitchers to injury last year – they will be back. They have a great bullpen, Stanton, etc. I like what they’ve done this off season.
If Jameson Taillon is questionable due to his recovery for the 2015 season, why does everyone just assume Fernandez ( or Matt Harvey ) will just walk out to the mound and resume throwing like they did before their surgeries ?
Because Harvey and Fernandez were already established at the MLB level.
That isn’t what I am talking about. Nobody just rolls off a rehab program for TJ and pitches like they were before the injury. Nobody. I am talking about the actual physical act of pitching, it doesn’t matter at what level. Comparing their levels isn’t the point at all. If you don’t understand that, there is nothing else I can tell you.
Leo – maybe I misunderstood, but I took your initial reply to RE to mean Taillon helping the Pirates, not Indy. All three will likely come back to full strength by season’s end, but Taillon doing so probably won’t be helping the big club unlike the other two.
Yes, you misunderstand also. What I meant was this without including Taillon : everybody acts like Harvey and Fernandez are just going to roll into ST, do a normal regimin and then contribute at their old level like nothing ever happened. Guess what ? It will take a medical miracle for that to happen. And if it is September till either is at peak, how much help is that ?
Haven’t replaced LaRoche?
Sure they have, Ryan Zimmerman, and he’ll probably be better than LaRoche will be next year.
Um. Ryan zimm is on his way to being a full time dh.. harper is full of potential but he’s not showing it in wash.. other then rendon I’m not seeing this far superior offense compared to what miami has to offer
plus they are losing Cabrera and Desmond i believe. Zimmerman is great but will not pitch like he did in 2014.. Also Roark will not do what he did in 2014. They are both set up to decline
Really, Ian Desmond is going somewhere? Must be news to him.
With that pitching and Stanton,Ozuna,Yelich,Gordon,Prado Somehow I find that hard to believe
I love what miami gas going for them.. would be cool to see them challenge the nats
Well, that really isnt a knock on MIA as much as showing how good WSH may very well be. Some great pitching and a solid offense in WSH. Apart from Stanton, MIA has a rather average offense overall. Stanton will carry them, but WSH has a pretty balanced offense.
LOL I don’t call an offense with those guys I listed as average. Ozuna and Yelich are a lot like Polanco and Marte as in they will get better and better and they are gifted players, They just got Prado ,Gordon and Morse
1B Morse
2B Gordon
SS Hechavarria
3B Prado/McGehee
OF Stanton,Ozuna,Yelich
Thats pretty solid
Yeah, no one said it wasnt solid. I said that WSH is just clearly better. I think even with those listed MIA gets closer to average than WSH. MIA has to seriously overperform to get near WSH, at no fault of their own talent.
The Nats should walk into 95 wins next season. Far superior rotation, bullpen, and lineup.
I think this should be a signing that evokes low expectations. Hart has had extensive injury problems his last two years, he’s going to be 33 when the season starts next year (if he makes the team instead of the DL, etc) and he was DFA ‘ed by the Mariners in October. After not playing at all in 2013 due to injuries, last year he had a .590 OPS overall including a .568 OPS against lefties. Is it true he doesn’t play good defense at 1st?? That would seem to be totally inconsistent with one of the team’s core philosophies. He was a good player as recently as 2012, but that may start looking like a long time ago in 2015…. Anything can happen, but I’m wondering whether by August 1 he will be on the 25 man roster for the Pirates (or if he should be).
As long as all that money isn’t guaranteed, he is worth the gamble. Likely will be feast or famine with this guy. Big guy – 6’6″ 230 – although I would have preferred giving the Blanks kid a shot, but whatever. Hart brings a lot of power potential and K potential. I’m not sure what he’s like defensively at first base – anyone familiar with his glove at first?
was kind of looking for a better glove for rh 1b platoon, but if hart can stay healthy and hit ,I guess I’M ok with this move.
Have to hope the Pirates know something optimistic about Hart’s health. Because the issue isn’t that he struggled to stay on the field of late, it is the cartilage in his knees had degraded.
Scariest part of Hart’s 2014 performance was that he struck out about as much as he has during his career, walked about as much as he has during his career, and posted batted ball distributions similar to that of the rest of his career.
He simply stopped hitting the ball with any authority, what so ever.
A power hitter is nothing without a strong base, and Hart’s legs may never recover fully.
I can still see Kirk Gibson hitting a home run to win a WS game for the Dodgers, then barely able to run the bases to touch home plate with his bad knee. There are various types of shots that are available today that can provide some relief. Hopefully Hart can still play.
His knees aren’t the same. Of all the mediocre RHH options for 1B, Kyle Blanks, John Mayberry, Gaby Sanchez, I’m sure I’m forgetting some, Hart concerns me the most. Quality of contact was greatly diminished, which was an expected result, given his condition.
But if you cannot take $2.5 million risk for what the 24th, 25th roster spot might as well pack it in.
That is the best way to look at this. If Hart shows up in SP with good knees and a great swing, the Pirates have the best option for RH 1B with the upside of a huge rebound year. If he shows up walking like Fred Sanford, you can wish him well and be out the cost of a backup SS. Six years ago we would be signing this guy to start for us (can you say Burnitz?)
Degraded cartilage does not sound good for his offense or his defense (see Bill Buckner re defense).
Team is set.
-BB
IMAGINE that concept, here with the PBC…”Team is set”.
Not since 1991 have I heard that.
Corey Hart career vs lefties .290 BA 362 OBP .504 SLG .866 OPS. Nuff said. this is a reasonable risk. plus he can hit RHP,unlike Gaby
Another reason why I like this deal. Hart has a ton of power to opposite fields.Close to half of his Hrs have been hit to CF -RCF. Which is a good thing for PNC park
Just put him in a wheelchair enclosed in a bubble and only roll him out when we need him and we’re good to go.
Given everyone wants RH power, I’m sorta surprised he was still available. I’m good with this. But please let’s not talk 5th OF. I don’t want to see that.
And Garrett Jones is a Yankee. If girls thought he was sexy in black & gold, wait till they see him in pinstripes, lol. Meanwhile, on MLB.tv, Rosenthal just called Eovaldi a “spare part”.
RF In PNC is one of the easiest to play in baseball. Corey Hart would be fine in RF as a 5th OF’er. .
no , I want him to stay healthy so I BAN him from running in the outfield.
But why would risk those knees anywhere but 1b?
it’s just an option. Which makes the entire team structure stronger.
RF is easier on the knees than first base.
Its a bad option, so why talk about it? If you are playing Hart in the OF going forward, you have a serious lack of depth or care about defense. No practical reason to put him in the OF with the depth we have in OF.
Wait, now everyone is OK with having a 1B-only short side platoon bat making over $2m?
The team already had that, and he was probably better than Hart at this point.
How so? Defensively better, but less flexible, horrid against righties (and lets face it no matter what he was going to get 30-40% of his pa’s against righties) less power, and didn’t even hit lefties well last year…..
If Gaby came back at 2.5 million, id be happy. I think, though i dont really understand, most people see higher upside for Hart with more risk of injury. When healthy, Hart is in fact a better option against LHP than Gaby.
Unfortunately, your last sentence is a complete shot in the dark at this point and basically defines whether this move will be good or a complete waste.
Mike Morse can’t stay on the field for more than a few weeks and got $16m guaranteed. Kendrys Morales got $17m guaranteed.
The fact that Hart could only command $2,5m should probably say something about what the league believes his legs are worth.
Dammit NMR, you just reminded me that this is the same team that forgot to give Aki Ikwamura a physical.
I look at it this way: with Gaby and Ike a platoon was absolutely necessary. With Pedro, Hart is more like an inexpensive insurance policy should they have to go to Lambo.
Actually, my first thought when you brought up other salaries and what GMs must think of Hart’s legs was, “With all the money being spent by so many teams on so-so players, Tabata must be blackballed by all of MLB.”
Well put perspective. . There went any optimism I had
I submit that we play Hart in LF 1 time this season, just as a joke to see every batter try hilariously hard to pull the ball each swing.
Can it really get any funnier than watching Travis Ishikawa in the World Series? Let’s test it out anyways.
Totally agree on the 5th OF part. I’d call up Tabatha before having Hart play there. 1b against lefties I have no problem with. Worth the risk in my opinion.
Nobody tell McCutchen that they just got Pedro a 1b platoon.. he might get angry
#jokes
I think Cutch understands that 1b should be better than last year.
I like it if they plan to limit his overall time and use him in a platoon role. Keep him healthy enough to hit against LHP and the few RHP that come with platooning and 2.5 guaranteed aint bad at all.
How’s his defense at first?
doesn’t look like it’s very good, but that’s okay if he hits
very interesting tweet from former Pirates Prospects writer, King James Christmas Santelli.
“Pedro Alvarez career: .307 OBP, 105 OPS+, 5.9 WAR
Corey Hart since 2010 (start of Alvarez’s career): .334 OBP, 121 OPS+, 7.6 WAR”
and that includes the missed 2013 and the bad 2014 for Hart!
Post steroid testing few guys have hit 87 HR in 3 yrs and Hart has done it. He had a .791 OPS last year in April before the other rash of injuries happened. Hopefully they can squeeze a healthy year out of him. 7 good years, 1 bad year and doesn’t turn 33 until late March. I like the Pirates’ chances of getting good value out of him.
So pedro’s worth less than 2.5m?
That’s not how it works.
Which means absolutely nothing considering the Corey Hart of 2010-2012 ain’t walking through the door any time soon.
I doubt the pre-2014 Pedro Is either quite honestly
regardless, i thought it was interesting and worth sharing.
“Walking through the door” Hell it sounds like this guy ain’t walking
anywhere period !! He’s a M.A.S.H. unit.
Corey Hart’s career numbers may be a product of playing in Milwaukee. His career Home OPS is .872. On the road, it is .751.
Hmm. That’s a pretty sizable diff.. Thanks for the research on that richard..
Well he’ll play there 9 times this year and 9 more in Cinci.
Does rigley compare to miller as well?
He was better at Miller, but his stuff outside of Miller is still overall solid against LHP. SSS abound, but near a .270 avg with a career 103 wRC+ that is largely dragged down by a 17 in 2009 that appears more outlier than rule. LD rate in the 20s nearly each healthy year. As always, keeping the guy healthy seems to be the key.
I like that he hit RHP and LHP equally as well away from Miller Park. .761 career road OPS vs. LHP. .747 vs. RHP. The Pirates won’t have to pinch hit for him every time a right-hander is brought into the game.
If healthy, he should help.
Situation – Late inning, LHP on the mound, Ike due up. Hurdle PHs Gaby. Opposing manager brings in righty reliever. With nobody left to play 1B, Hurdle lets Gaby hit resulting in a pop up, K, or GIDP. Hart’s ability to hit RHP should help.
welp, let’s hope he has a .872 OPS in Miller Park this year haha. #HouseOfHorrors
I’d be perfectly content with .751
Reading the article I was thinking .750 + OPS and I will be happy with him. I really like this signing, even if it is slightly risky. He’s worth burning 2.5 mil for.
Good point.
IF healthy, that that’s a big if, the versatility opens up other trade options, i.e. Snider
Hurdle loves Snider, so I doubt NH will trade him this off-season.
In fact, I’d be surprised if NH trades any position players before July. But I could see NH stirring the pot at the trade deadline in ’15… the current roster & payroll are well positioned for some wheeling & dealing as the season unfolds.
Corey sounds like some cars I bought as a teenager, lot of miles and a lot of repairs and I thought I could make them run like new. Hope the Pirates have better luck then I did.
Good analogy John, but the big difference is hopefully Pirates just plan on taking this car out for Sunday drives and a quick trip to the local market every other day. Whereas, I’m sure you were using your car to go cruisin for chicks on a nightly basis.
And other nefarious endeavors in those days. It’s legal in some states now, lol!
He has repairs that have been done, not needed. And his miles aren’t that high
This is a good move for a team like the Pirates. We can’t go out and get big time free agent. Hart has a lot of talent and has had a lot of success in the past. This is the kind of risks the Pirates must take and hope it pays off. He’s a veteran and coming at a pretty small monetary risk. If he performs and stays healthy he gets paid. So he has the incentives to do well
Totally agree, but the fact that he immediately got re-injured this season causes me concern. When I see what these other teams are spending it makes me sick for a lot of reasons. It is one reason why I think they should shoot Bud Selig not give
him 6 million a year pension. LA can pay Wilson 9.3 mill to play minor league ball and paid 32 mill completing a trade.
I like moves like these because this is a player with a lot of talent who has to be starved for success. You know he’s itching to get back to what he was. So you know he’s in great shape and can’t wait to play. He also sees a possible starting spot opening up in the near future if Pedro either fails or gets traded after the season. I hope this works out. We really have no right handed power who can hit in the middle of the order vs lefties although I think Marte will break out big time this year
The thing that is scary is that there is an enormous amount of trust being put into JHay right now. If he gets hurt or is ineffective what is the plan? to move Pedro to 3rd and have Hart be the full time 1b option? That doesn’t quite sit well with me at this point. That’s a big gamble for a playoff team IMO.
I would suppose it would depend on what they think of lambo/snider at 1b/ and whether pedro is over the yips.. Rodriguez would likely see an increase in playing time
I love this move as a Pirate fan. This gives us a platoon mate for Alvarez and gives us another outfield option. 5th OF behind Marte,McCutchen,Polanco,and Snider
and Sean Rodriguez can also play in the outfield.
Yet another under the radar sneak attack move brought to us by the master of sneaky great moves NH. A healthy corey hart is at the very least a potent bench bat with the potential to be a very good regular. Heck after all there are no bad one year deals.
I thought that NH was stupid. Sarcasm intended here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56HSPQHSqEE
Rec’d jay ! Great take.
Some memories are better left alone, thanks soooo very much jay for bringing this one back from the grave.(sarcasm intended as well as the lol)
LMFAO
Can we please get a night game promotion of free Corey Hart sunglasses from the Pirates promotions department?
didn’t realize it’s make the video all big like that.
oh well.
Let’s hope at least one of his knees is healthy now. Could be a super nice signing. A Gaby Sanchez who can play RF and not be awful vs righties. sign me up for that upside for 2.5-5 mil.
If healthy, excuse me, IF HEALTHY, he’s a potentially key component to lineup.
Nice. I like this. If he stays healthy.. It’s a nice platoon with Alvarez at 1st. Gives right handed power to put in the middle of the lineup vs lefties
We should start a pool on when his first visit to the dl is if he makes it out of spring training of course.
risk you have to take. He’s not going to be an everyday starter. Better than having nothing to back up Alvarez. He has been a good hitter
Wow!
It must be a major league deal if they had to clear a roster spot. I hope it isn’t too much in guaranteed money