Wednesday, June 3, 2009

McLouth is gone, and so are the Pirates hopes

Remember this little tidbit when it comes to judging whether people are telling you the truth. Do their actions match their words. In the Pirates world, they do not, at least not this year.

When the Pirates dealt All-Star outfielder Nate McLouth, arguably their most consistent hitter, to the Atlanta Braves for three prospects Thursday, it went against what president Frank Coonelly and GM Neal Huntington had said about this season: that they were not writing off the year.

There is no attempt to win when you trade your best hitter. McLouth, only 27, hit .276 average last season with 26 homers and 94 RBI. He signed a three-year, $15.75 million deal in Feburary. This move is eerily similar to the ones last year, when the Pirates traded away Xavier Nady and Jason Bay. The season went down the drain after that.

Now that McLouth is gone, well, a record 17th-consecutive losing season is probably all but certain. The prospects the Pirates received for McLouth are, well, just that, prospects. Atlanta sent pitcher Charlie Morton, outfielder Gorkys Hernandez, and pitcher Jeff Locke to the Pirates. Who knows how good they will be. Locke and Hernandez are each 21 and Morton is 25. You will find out a few years from now.

Meanwhile, the Pirates will fill McLouth's spot with Andrew McCutchen, giving them one of the least powerful outfields in the majors.

If the Pirates are thinking about the future instead of the present, then make the move and tear up this team. Trade Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez and Adam LaRoche before the deadline and go from there.

Just be honest about it.

3 comments:

  1. I was born in 1960 and have been a Pirates fan since the Bob Prince era.. in fact I was at that Oldsmobile dealership on Murtland Ave. in 1971 when a Roberto Clemente was doing autographs.... we have suffered a lot since 1992 and to let a key part of our future go for three future prospects just shows me how much this ownership is not commited to winning I will never go to another game at PNC Park as long as the current ownership is in place. Dave W in Las Vegas

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rocco DeMaro is a big fan of this trade... He says it's the best trade since the one in 86 where we got Van Slyke and LaVallier (sp?)...

    ReplyDelete
  3. At one time the Pirates had maybe the best outfield in the league. What have they gotten in return?

    Heck, even if Andy Laroche pans out and plays well, he will be gone in a few years for Pedro Alvarez.

    ReplyDelete