Why can't the Pirates ever make a free-agent splash?
Why can't they ever keep their good players?
If these aren't the two most commonly asked questions about baseball in Pittsburgh, then I must be new in town.
Doesn't matter how the subject arises. Doesn't matter the context or tone. The next stop on the board blows right by Go, doesn't collect $200, and slides right onto Bob Nutting's miserly ways. And payroll. And how every good player they've had the past three decades, as well as all those the next three decades, will wind up in the Bronx. And how no one will ever set foot inside PNC Park again until there's big money spent on a big name or two or five.
Oh, so I'm not new here?
Didn't think so. But just in case, here's the single dumbest thing anyone will see on social media all week:
100% yes. Because who cares if Nutting saves money? What’s it to you? At least Cincy tries. Gets big names. Attracts people to games.
— Rob (@rsp2418) January 19, 2021
That's not a photoshop. That's real.
There are people, presumably capable of walking and breathing at the same time, who think like this.
They'd be satisfied, maybe even celebrate, if the Pirates would ever just pony up one winter for their own Mike Moustakas or Nick Castellanos. Because they'd win the headlines. They'd win the talk shows. They'd win the Internet. They'd win ... about as much as the Reds have.
They'd be further satisfied, maybe even celebrate, if the Pirates would ever just pony up for their own Joey Votto. You know, to keep their good players. Votto will be 38 this summer. In 2012, the Reds signed him to a 10-year, $225 million extension. He'll make $25 million each of the next three seasons, then another $20 million in 2024, when he'll be 41. And he'll win ... about as much as the Reds have in his tenure.
But gee whiz, at least they "tried" or "showed everyone they're serious," or all that other claptrap.
Want to know who's really trying?
Yeah, the Rays. For the clear reason that they're pursuing a championship the only way a low-revenue team can pursue it in North America's lone remaining non-salary-cap sport: Build from within, stockpile the minor-league system as if three elite talents are needed at each position, spend a few extra bucks when it matters most, then recycle religiously to maximize the chances.
Oh, and be as smart or smarter than anyone else along the way. That one's kind of important, too.
Ben Cherington's most significant trade yet came Monday night when he sent Joe Musgrove to the Padres for five prospects, including one from the Mets. And it might wind up being terrible. We're talking about baseball prospects here, and there's nothing less certain in professional sports. All five could be busts, and Cherington himself could be one, too. He hasn't been on the job nearly long enough for me to feel sure otherwise.
But the approach?
Man, it's taken too damned long to reach this stage. And by that, I'm talking the entirety of this century.
When the Pirates moved into PNC Park, fantasizing about some ridiculous revenue stream that was never possible, they began passing around mega-million contracts to everyone in sight, even Derek Bell and Pat Meares. And by the time the bills came due amid nine-figure debt, Kevin McClatchy was forced to salary-dump Aramis Ramirez in maybe the most embarrassing transaction in the city's sports history.
What they should've done before moving to their beautiful new stadium -- 'New Pirates Generation' and all -- was to build up their system.
When Dave Littlefield took over from Cam Bonifay, although Littlefield and his staff did well to draft Andrew McCutchen, almost all of his focus was on mediocre moves aimed at the big-league product that week or that day, and he allowed the minors and the whole feeder system to reach near-collapse. Then traded for Matt Morris, which should never be omitted from any paragraph describing Littlefield's tenure.
What he should've done is build up the system.
When Neal Huntington took over for Littlefield, his first major steps were to trade Jason Bay and Xavier Nady ... for a whole lot of 4-A nothing. Meaning Class AAA players who were close to Pittsburgh and, as a result, would come with less risk. You know, the same thing he'd get for Gerrit Cole. And over his time, his drafts were a disaster despite record-level spending.
What he should've done, presuming he was ever capable, is build up the system.
Well, here we are. Cherington was hired by Nutting, principally because of his background in building up Boston's system enough to win the Red Sox a World Series, as well as his additional, similar work in Toronto. That was made clear to me the day we first shook hands, then again countless times in the weeks that followed, right through an unhappy Starling Marte being dealt to the Diamondbacks for two 19-year-olds and an international bonus allotment that allowed Cherington to grab a top outfield prospect from Australia.
Since then, you've seen it yourself: Almost every transaction has brought a prospect, or two, or now five.
It's no longer a subtext for the Pirates, either. This is now a full-on ... eh, I can't call it a rebuild because it was never built in the first place!
It's a build!
And, at least from the approach standpoint, it's an inspired start.
"To win in Pittsburgh," as Cherington spoke on a call with Pittsburgh reporters Tuesday, "you've got to be able to build a talent base that's going to help us win here. I'm excited about the players we've been able to add."
He should be. He just walked through the door, and he's already accounted for six of the system's top 10 prospects, per MLB Pipeline. And he's acquired the Nos. 6, 8, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 30 prospects this offseason alone, and that list doesn't even include the $2.35 million international free-agent signing over the weekend of Shalin Polanco, a 16-year-old outfielder from the Dominican.
With this trade Monday, Cherington parlayed a maddening, mostly middling starting pitcher in Musgrove -- 4.23 ERA, 58 starts over three seasons -- into three prospects from the Padres' top 20, another who was a sixth-round pick in 2019, and the Mets' No. 14 prospect. Center fielder Hudson Head, the centerpiece from San Diego, is immediately the Pirates' No. 6 prospect. Alex Stumpf has the breakdown of all five.
I asked Cherington if, in his dealings with the Padres, he had a choice between quality/quantity -- meaning lower volume than five prospects -- to try to gauge if he holds one or the other as a priority. He flatly responded that there were "all kinds' of discussions" but that ultimately he chose "the package that was the best value to us."
Good. That's how it's done.
It won't achieve anything anytime soon. It could take two or three years before anyone's making an impact here. But if they're developed properly -- we still have no idea if Cherington's made enough changes there or if his people will be any better than Kyle Stark's -- and if they mature as individuals, it'll create a competition at every level, from the Dominican to Altoona to Indianapolis.
That hasn't happened in a Pittsburgh system since the late 1980s.
As for the semantics that seem to have so many stuck, Cherington said, "I’ve seen a lot of different words used to define what we’re trying to do. To be honest, the words matter less to me than what we’re doing. We’re looking to add talent. That’s it.”
Everyone's out of patience. I get that.
Everyone hates the owner. I get that, too. Nutting's done himself few favors along the way, including in the setting of a firm course.
Everyone doubts that the process will be supported if/when the youth cavalry does arrive. I very much get that, as well. Nutting will deserve every bit of criticism he ever hears for the post-2015 fiasco in which he failed to push for more starting pitching after a 98-win season and the losses of A.J. Burnett and J.A. Happ. No matter who blew the transactions that followed, Nutting needed to step in there and didn't.
But hey, that was then, and this is now.
I believe Cherington and Travis Williams that they'll be authorized to spend when it's needed, just as I believe them that they didn't leave outstanding positions with other organizations to come here and be Nutting's Muppets. Both of them have winning pedigrees, Cherington with the Red Sox and Williams with the Penguins, and I've got no cause to doubt that they came here with an objective of winning.
This might not work. But for once, it won't be because it was the wrong way.