Dejan Kovacevic:Greetings from San Francisco. Takes a lot to keep me from bouncing about this city, by far my favorite stop on the tour, but it's raining buckets out there (as opposed to raining runs, as it did yesterday in the fourth inning), and it's cold, too.
There is supposed to be a letup later tonight, though, so the game might only have a delay.
We'll get started in a couple minutes ...Dave:Dejan, I love SF too! If you get the chance (and aren't working in the afternoon), I highly recommend Anchor Steam's brewery tour.Dejan Kovacevic:Gotten a lot of tips from readers in the past 24 hours. Always the case when coming here. Which is neat, but I feel like I know this city as well as any that we visit. I'll be heading today up to Market Street and Union Square, then to the ballpark. Tomorrow, more ambitious.
On to baseball ...CityOfChampions:Any chance the Pirates go with just 4 starters for the majority of the year? Or is that unrealistic?Dejan Kovacevic:Very unrealistic, and no, they will not. Remember that Zach Duke and Paul Maholm each has given the team 30-plus starts for a while now, and that's a very tough trend to continue.
Actually, I've been a little surprised -- for that reason alone -- that they're pressing those two this early by wiping out the fifth starter. But be very, very sure that both Duke and Maholm are happy about it. Duke made an unsolicited point of saying so the other night in Phoenix.Amos_P_Swanson:Has Bob Nutting or Frank Coonelly been at any of the Pirate games yet?Dejan Kovacevic:Yes, they were at the opening series. In fact, I've never known Coonelly to miss a home game unless he was out of town on business. He makes a couple trips, too.Ralph:The PG stated the other day I believe that the Pirates received $36 million in revenue sharing and our payroll is $36 million. SO why doesn't ownership spend any of the other money they get from ticket sales, and all other sources of revenue?Dejan Kovacevic:Go to our site and type in some of those keywords into a search engine. You'll turn up a two-part series I did in early December about the team's finances that gets into that type of detail. The short version: It costs a team -- all 30 teams -- roughly $60 million-$65 million to operate a franchise completely independent of 40-man roster payroll.Marc Graham:Any displeasure coming from the front office over Penn, Taschner, D. McCutchen?Dejan Kovacevic:One would certainly think so. Daniel McCutchen is a lock to get sent down today, Penn has been an unmitigated disaster from the moment the Pirates acquired him, and Taschner ... well, he entered in a bad spot yesterday and still ended up giving the team some innings and struck out five. Teams don't readily discard lefties who get strikeouts.Ralph:Has management said anything on Andy Laroche's recent struggles at the plate or the notion to go with Young at 3rd the other day?Dejan Kovacevic:It's early for everyone, good and bad, so the answer is no. LaRoche is the third baseman, John Russell reiterated yesterday. They just wanted to spell him yesterday. And Young, obviously, has been good at the plate.
The guy who has impressed me -- and you have to look past the .227 average to see it -- is Aki Iwamura. Terrific approach, and nearly every ball he hits has been with authority. Teammates are glowing about him.
Still not sure about his defense.JAL:With Hanrahan coming up and DMac going down will they wait until they need a 5th starter again to make a roster move or are you hearing anything about moving someone like Penn and bringing up another reliever before that?Dejan Kovacevic:I would anticipate that move being made on or right before April 24, the next time they need a fifth starter. No need to rush it. Let someone in Indianapolis show something to earn it.
As far as releasing Penn ... wow, I can't imagine they haven't at least considered it.Amos_P_Swanson:Enjoyed your piece on Miguel Sano in late training camp. Where is he starting his minor league career and at what position? Any idea who is the most to blame for him not being signed?Dejan Kovacevic:The Twins told me that day their plan is to send Sano back to the Dominican Summer League. They just wanted to have him around in spring training to get a closer look at him.
Blame can be spread all around for Sano, as I've written many times. Ultimately, in my view, the Pirates made a greater priority of not wanting to bid against themselves than of simply getting the player their baseball people desperately wanted.
I've written it before: Not every signing can be a steal. Sometimes, you just have to get the player.Sean:does something like yesterday's 13 run inning tend to have a carryover effect to the next day's game, or even beyond? Once could that affecting a young team like the Pirates for several days, and that is obviously not a good thingDejan Kovacevic:Ross Ohlendorf certainly hopes not.
No, I wouldn't think so. It's cold here, and the ballpark is big, and the pitchers are different, and the Giants are not as good a hitting team. That's a pretty good set of stunting mechanisms right there.Alex Giesbrecht:It's not like anyone is going to mistaken them, but why don't Daniel and Andrew McCutchen have their first name initials on the backs of their uniforms, like Craig and Jack Wilson used to?Dejan Kovacevic:Not sure. The LaRoches didn't use initials or their full first names, either.Sean:I'm curious what Pirates blogs you find informative useful. I know you've linked to WHYGAVS before, any others?Dejan Kovacevic:If you mean private Pirates blogs -- and I assume you do -- I don't have a lot of free time, obviously, but I do check out Pat Lackey's Van Slyke blog that you mention as well as Charlie Wilmoth's Bucs Dugout, most regularly. They go at things differently, and I enjoy both perspectives. There are others, too.Fat Jimmy:DK, I agree with your impressions of Aki, except on one point: he seems REALLY slow...especially as a baserunner. Even the DBacks announcers pointed out that "only one guy in the stadium couldn't advance" on the McCutchen single yesterday. I've noticed that a lot. Is his knee bothering him?Dejan Kovacevic:Well, he does have that sore left ankle right now, which the Arizona announcers might not have known. I did print that the last couple days. It was impressive that Iwamura played at all, actually. He even stole a base.
So, no, it's not the knee, at least not in this case.Bob:Any chance you think we'll maybe see 30 HR from Lastings this year? If we do and if Garret keeps it up, we might just win a few more ball games. (Not to be overly optimistic, just wondering.)Dejan Kovacevic:Wow, that's asking an awful lot. I would think the Pirates would be delighted with 20.
I just don't see a home run swing from Milledge. Do you?
I see a line-drive, hammer-the-ball-into-the-gaps swing where, every once in a while, it will end up over the fence. Especially now that he is focusing so much on the opposite field.gunner:can you please tell john russell to check with this blog before experimenting. he needs to play the first string until they drop. with 1 bench player in the lineup at a time..Dejan Kovacevic:I'll be sure to pass that along!PirateApologist:Do you expect that Raynor will ever get a start?Dejan Kovacevic:Not if Gunner has his way.Matt:Do you think Veal has worked his way ahead of Kevin Hart for the last starter position?Dejan Kovacevic:No, I do not. The Pirates want to have Veal get full comfortable in a starting role, and that will mean a good amount of time in Class AAA, from what I understand. He had a good first start, but it was one start.
I would think that depth chart -- at least as related to an April 24 callup -- remains contingent on how Kevin Hart does. Management would love to see him get it together, and soon.JHaugJr:Is Lincoln on the same basic calendar as Alvarez, i.e., get past Super Two day, then make a call?Dejan Kovacevic:Yes. So are all players who have never played in the majors, such as Jose Tabata.
Lincoln has bigger concerns than a callup date right now, after his first outing went poorly.Gillen4:The comments from the Brewers prez that you noted this morning seemed like a nice public dig at the Pirates. Any thoughts if that was done on purpose? Is there actual animosity between the franchises as there had been on the field in the last couple of years?Dejan Kovacevic:I never have heard of animosity at the front-office level, and I know a couple of the Brewers' people. I guess it depends on how you read it. I took it as Mark Attanasio -- who's the owner, by the way -- as pointing out the distance his team has put between the Pirates in terms of public perception, especially as it relates to spending.
If the Pirates are to get shots like that from around baseball, they should be very much expected. It was the Pirates' decision -- not anyone else's -- to enter 2010 with the lowest active payroll in the majors. They had to know they would hear about it.indianafanatic:Which do you think will happen first. jones to first and Tabata in right or Alvarez to 3rdDejan Kovacevic:Nothing that Jeff Clement has done so far should be dissuading anyone that he has a future there. Not saying he's the answer. Just saying he hasn't done anything discouraging yet, and he has to be considered -- for now -- part of the future picture.
Given Neal Huntington's wish to maximize value at corner positions, I'd be very, very surprised if Alvarez were moved off third base. At least initially.JohnT:Is both Steve Pearce and Neil Walker on their last option? Its nice to see both hitting better, maybe its because the pressure is moe on Tabata and Alvarez. Its also going to be tougher for either to crack the bench dont you think?Dejan Kovacevic:Yes, they are on their last options, but remember than an option lasts a full year, if that's what you're getting at. They could come up, and the Pirates could still option them back in 2010.
And no, there are not many positions tough to crack. If someone shows they're ready, there is room.WaylonFan:Saw a lot of negative press on McLouth in the Spring and Morton does look very good at times - do the Pirates feel pretty good about that deal at this point in time?Dejan Kovacevic:It wasn't negative press on McLouth so much as it was McLouth, in the most factual sense, having a terrible spring. That' not negative. That's just what it is.
As far as the trade, as much fun as it is for people like you and me to compare and contrast them, by and large, baseball people don't do that. When they trade someone away, they're not wishing a pox upon their house. Huntington very genuinely liked McLouth as a player and person, and I'm sure he's not hoping he fails in Atlanta.
Baseball people see a trade as a good one if the guy they get does well, plain and simple.Bill:Are you sure Neil Walker is on his last option? From what I can see he's only used 2 now.Dejan Kovacevic:Yes, you're right. Just checked it on my file. Walker has one more after this.
Live chat and all.Pedro Martinez:I want to the pitch for the pirates they need a 5th starter do you think they would sign me?Dejan Kovacevic:Sorry, Pedro, I've heard you'd much rather wait until later in the year and join a contender. Can't fool me.Pirate Dave C:Is it too soon to label the Gorzo-Grabow trade a bust?Dejan Kovacevic:Yes, it is too soon. But if the grading were done today, it would be a robust F-minus, especially considering the Pirates wanted Grabow to stay to the point of hoping to get him back if he hit free agency.Red Hot Ed Ott:It seems to me that the Coonley/Huntingdon plan is only as good as the scout's ability to evaluate talent. Can you tell me what the perception is around the league of the Pirate's scouting department?Dejan Kovacevic:It is probably right to separate the plan from the execution when discussing what the Pirates are trying to achieve.
The plan itself is very popular among people around baseball, especially as it has related to the draft. But the execution to date, particularly the higher-profile trades, has not been.
That comes down to evaluating talent. It always does. But it also could include having a mindset of always trying to hit a home run rather than settling for singles and doubles once in a while. What I mean by that is high-risk pitching acquisitions that seem to be the Pirates' target most of the time. They prioritize arms over actual pitching.
Doing that when picking up people like Hayden Penn or, as a positive example for a while there, Tyler Yates, that's fine. But making trades for them is dangerous.Dejan Kovacevic:(Yes, I know Yates came in a trade, but it was a minor one.)
A couple more today, since there are so many of you here.Fat Jimmy:Do you regret scheduling this chat to overlap with the Georgia DA's press conference?Dejan Kovacevic:Hey, you're here, right?
Actually, I'm so far removed -- literally -- from stuff like that, you wouldn't believe it.Mason:Dejean, if you had to predict a season in which we can anticipate a winning season, when would it be?Dejan Kovacevic:I won't do that until I see firm evidence that the Pirates someday will spend up to the level of their peers. I'm not saying they need to go to $70 million or $80 million right away. And I'm certainly not saying they'd need to hit a certain payroll figure in order to win. There is tons of evidence to show it can be done at low cost.
But I see the Sano and Tanner Scheppers examples as, in some ways, more negative than the actual major-league payroll. The Pirates offered both players contracts, and they fell short on both counts.
Scheppers, for all his risk with the injury, is getting comparisons that I hear akin to ... OK, I'll spare you that one. Let's just see how he does.dave:any truth to the on again off again rumors that the Bucs will be sold?Dejan Kovacevic:It's not a matter of rumor, Dave. This is a fact: A billionaire, Mark Cuban, was outright rejected. Another man who is about to buy the Texas Rangers, Chuck Greenberg, was rejected. Then, billionaire Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux were outright ignored.
That's not much of a way to set up a sale, is it?No. 9:Jeff Karstens as a long reliever has to look pretty good right now.Dejan Kovacevic:You would think so. Whatever Karstens' other shortcomings, he'll give you strikes and a steady arm. He might even be the best fifth-starter option.Gillen4:Heard any reports on Alvarez other than the homers? He obviously has 3 of them, but they are his only hits and he's at .176 so far.Dejan Kovacevic:I am told that Alvarez still has work to do at the Class AAA level. Legitimate work. He's going to hit home runs, but there are other facets he needs to shore up before coming to Pittsburgh.
And I was told that after those three home runs.
One more today.Matt:Since the Pirates are known to take on low risk/high reward guys, ala Lastings Milledge, what reasoning do they have for not pursuing a former teamate of Milledge's in Elijah Dukes? I think there is a lot of potential there.Dejan Kovacevic:The Pirates don't see a need in the outfield, with Tabata on the way. Never heard Dukes' name mentioned.
OK, for real, one more ...Brian D.:I am not a very big fan of Ronny Cedeno, but his work thus far was been pretty good. How do the Pirates view shortstop? Do they see Ronny as holding it for a few years? Or, considering they don't have a strong prospect at the position are they looking to potentially acquire one at some point via draft or trade?Dejan Kovacevic:Cedeno has been ... OK. He has fared well at the plate in the early going, though not at all in terms of patience. And his defense has been erratic.
That latter thing is a killer for a shortstop. It's not about how often you get on ESPN but, rather, how often you make the plays you need to make. In Jack Wilson, Pittsburghers saw someone do both for a decade. (Though his bat was below major-league average for the position.)
Cedeno might have been going for a little flash with that glove flip yesterday, and it cost him. But that's not the bigger concern with him. It's miscues like the balls right at him, plays he should -- and probably can -- make in his sleep.
Beyond Cedeno, the Pirates insist Chase d'Arnaud is a prospect who could stay at short. We will see.
Thanks for showing up. Now, get over to Ben's news conference.