Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic
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Q: Welcome back, Dejan. Hope you had a great vacation.
I remember last year that Jason Bay's contract news seemed to come from out of the blue. I hope something similar is happening this year with Freddy Sanchez and Mike Gonzalez. Any word? Any reason to be optimistic?
Marda Hook of New York
KOVACEVIC: I do not get the impression the Pirates are planning any Bay-type of contract this offseason for any of their players, so I would not expect that, Marda.
But I also would remind -- as Dave Littlefield points out in the piece running in the newspaper today -- that the team still holds these players' rights through their arbitration years. In each case, that means 2009. The main reason a team tries to sign players like that is to avoid unsightly surprises through the arbitration process and, maybe, save some money. The Pirates apparently believe they are at little risk of that happening in these cases.
As for the vacation, yes, it was spectacular.
Whatever time I did not spend atrophying on the couch, I took long walks with the children, spent countless hours at favorite spots Downtown, made it to four or five hockey games, watched the full second season of "The Office" on DVD until my face hurt, listened to Richard Butler's fantastic debut solo album until the kids wanted to tear it out of the machine, and limited my involvement in baseball news to hearing an Onion-esque report that some team paid Gary Matthews Jr. $50 million for one swell season.
Anyway, it is good to be back.
The Q&A begins its daily cycle today, and it usually will have no more than one or two submissions. But there has been a bit of a gap since the last one, so we can go with a few extra today ...
Q: Hey, Dejan, welcome back. Here's to turkey leftovers til MLK Day.
I worry: $100 million to Carlos Lee, $136 million to Alfonso Soriano, $73 million to Aramis Ramirez. ... I know St. Louis and Houston have never been tight-walleted teams, and I shouldn't be terribly surprised at the Cubs (though that is still crazy money for two players), but the Pirates appear to be well on their way to slipping further into oblivion.
Is there anything going on other than "here's the big-name, old veteran we're signing to look like we're remotely keeping up with the Joneses?"
Nicolas Lewis of Bellevue
KOVACEVIC: If the Pirates are looking for that type of stopgap player again, they are keeping it quite the secret. Every indication I get is that they would prefer someone younger for the power hitter and starting pitcher, and that would have to come through a trade.
Now, that begs the obvious question: How do you get one or both of those if you will not give up a starting pitcher of your own, as Littlefield stressed in the Sunday piece?
Answer: You change your stance when you hear or see something you like.
Or you hope there is a team that needs a young second baseman (Jose Castillo) or catcher (Ryan Doumit).
As for the salaries, I kind of shrugged off the Houston and St. Louis deals. Neither is really raising payroll much and, in the Astros' case, they probably will end up simply diverting money they had been spending on Roger Clemens' half-season cameos. But the Cubs ... wow. It might just be a case of current ownership trying to make its franchise appear more valuable to potential buyers by what it places on the field, but what if those potential new owners have intelligent bookkeepers who worry about the impact of those contracts down the road?
Q: What the heck? Humberto Cota is not released and, instead, it's Carlos Maldonado! It's November, and the Pirates already are making me crazy.
Matt Ross of Homer City
KOVACEVIC: This is mostly a technicality, Matt, though it certainly does not look good on its surface.
Cota, who is first-time eligible for arbitration, will not be tendered a new contract. If and when the Pirates need a space on the now-full 40-man roster, Cota can be among those removed. In the meantime, the team can work to secure Maldonado to a minor-league contract, perhaps with a slight raise for time spent at the Class AAA level, in an attempt to keep him in the fold.
All of which raises the obvious question: Who will be the backup catcher? If it is going to be Ryan Doumit, then why is he playing first base every day in Mexico?
Q: What is the Pirates' take on Ryan Doumit now? It seems as though the kid has not yet lived up to the hopes the team had for him. Will he be shipped to another organization or is the team still high on this guy?
Brandon Swanson of Prague, Czech Republic
KOVACEVIC: The feeling I get is that Doumit is being groomed this offseason as the fail-safe for first base, should the team not land its coveted left-handed power bat. That, in and of itself, would indicate the Pirates have some semblance of confidence in Doumit.
If Doumit appears relegated to backup duty, in the field or behind the plate, do not be surprised to see him offered as trade bait. Catchers remain a much-desired commodity around the game, and young switch-hitters with some pop in the bat certainly are no exception.
Q: I've been hearing speculation that the Pirates are looking to deal Chris Duffy. If true, I really don't understand this move. He has shown he can be a legit leadoff hitter, and his speed and base stealing stats are excellent. Why on earth would they want to get rid of a young guy like him?
Christina Davis of Downtown, Pittsburgh
KOVACEVIC: Indications I get, Christina, are that the Pirates have every intention of opening 2007 with Duffy as their starting center fielder. The Marlins are in the market to acquire a player at that position, and Duffy's name surfaced, but there apparently was nothing to it on the Pittsburgh end.
Until tomorrow ...
First Published November 27, 2006 12:00 am
