We’ll start with the Penguins, who were not big players in the free-agent market, but they did make some solid decisions. In retrospect it’s clear that the BEST decision was to let Jaromir Jagr go elsewhere – we’ll talk more about Jagr as the season draws near, but suffice it to say that I have lost all respect for him. Jagr was quoted as saying he wanted to finish his career as a Penguin, that he owed so much to Mario, and that if Lemieux offered him a spot, Jagr would ‘play for the minimum’. Unfortunately, he lied – after attempting to use the Pens and Red Wings to jack up his price, Jagr signed with the Flyers. I say good riddance – let Philly deal with him.
The Pens used the savings to retain Tyler Kennedy, who stepped up in a big way last spring with Crosby and Malkin out. TK is never going to be a star, but he’s a high-energy guy who will likely score 15-20 goals and contribute on the penalty kill. Pittsburgh also signed talented winger Steve Sullivan, who has been productive when healthy – he’s had to deal with a lot of injuries, but at $1.5 million it’s a low-risk move. They parted ways with Mike Rupp and Max Talbot, and while Talbot in particular will be missed, I think the Pens did the right thing. Max did indeed score the winning goal in the 2009 Finals, and he’s much-beloved in the ‘Burgh, but the simple fact is he scored only eight goals last year, only 10 over the past two years, and only 52 in 388 career games – players who can produce those numbers are a dime a dozen in the minor leagues. For $1 million per year, I think his ‘intangibles’ were worth keeping – but at $9 mil over five years (what he got from Philly), I wish him well elsewhere.
The Pens drafted defense heavily, and their top prospects are on defense, leading me to wonder if they will make another ‘defense-for-offense’ trade at some point this year. Much will depend on how the young D-men look in training camp – but don’t be surprised to see some moves during the season. Overall the Pens more or less stood pat, expecting the return of Crosby and Malkin to be all they need – and, I believe, rightly so.
My colleague Chris Morelli briefly commented on the Steelers earlier this week, so I won’t spend much time on them – but while I agree with the principle of free speech and believe that Mendenhall and Harrison were within their constitutional rights to speak their minds, I also believe that the Steelers are becoming today’s version of the ‘70’s Raiders – a gang of thugs, rebels, and undesirables. I think that ANY employee should be careful when criticizing his/her boss, especially in a public setting, and I think that there’s no excuse for ANYONE to be driving drunk, and that Mr. Morelli’s easy dismissal of Ward’s alleged crime doesn’t do justice to the severity of the act.
Frankly, the Steelers are developing quite a reputation around the city and around the league for their belligerent behavior, crude remarks, and general lack of respect for anyone’s view other than their own. That’s admirable on the field, when the ‘us against the world’ attitude can rally the troops – but in the real world, these guys need to realize that a.) The NFL logo doesn’t act as a shield to put them above the law, or above the standards of decent behavior; b.) The harsh glare of the spotlight will follow you everywhere as long as you’re an active player – and in many cases, long after retirement.
Look, I’m not for putting athletes on a pedestal – they are human like the rest of us, they will make mistakes of all shapes and sizes, just like everyone else. That’s fine – but this attitude that seems more and more prevalent – that the big, bad Steelers can pop off their mouths and act any way they want, with limited or no consequences, needs to be dealt with.
On to the Pirates – as of Wednesday afternoon they were 51-44, and it’s no fluke – their team ERA is over a half-run better than any other team in the division. Their offense has been below-average, but their superior pitching and defense has kept them in virtually every game. However, there are some serious areas of need, which if not addressed threaten to derail this team before the end of the season. Here are the positions I feel need to be addressed:
3B: I’ve heard a lot of talk about NOT bringing up Pedro Alvarez, citing the good ‘chemistry’ on the team. Let’s nip that in the bud right now – name the last LOSING team that talked about how wonderful their chemistry was? I can’t recall it ever happening. Winning breeds chemistry, not the other way around. Furthermore, chemistry is not by any means a necessity – look at the 70’s Yankees, the infamous “Bronx Zoo” that had players fighting, the manager and the owner constantly bickering – yet they won because they were TALENTED. The simple facts are that Alvarez’ replacements are terrible. Josh Harrison is batting .266, but his on-base % is a terrible .274 and he’s slugging only .309! Brandon Wood is a little better – his low .224 average is offset by five HRs and 15 walks, but he’s still a below-average player. Yes, Alvarez got off to a slow start, and even without his injury he needed to go down – but he’s been KILLING the ball in AAA, and in 2010 he had a .326 OBP and slugged .461, both numbers that would VASTLY improve this offense.
1B: Lyle Overbay has been a complete disaster – his ‘hot’ July has brought his average all the way up to .239, with almost no power and few walks (.309 OBP) – and his defense, thought to be a strength, has been shoddy as well. He needs to go ASAP, and if Garrett Jones cannot find some consistency then the answer might have to come via trade. I’ve heard talk of Carlos Pena, and he would be a massive upgrade here – but really, with a .669 OPS, it won’t be hard to find a player better than Overbay.
SS: I never thought I’d be missing Ronny Cedeno, but his defense has been sterling this season, and his offense has been passable for a SS. His current replacement, Chase d’Arnaud, has drawn a lot of praise but really has struggled – he’s made seven errors in three weeks of play, and he’s hitting .220 with no plate discipline or power. He’s shown flashes, I’ll concede that, but he’s not nearly ready to be a major league SS. Frankly, the move the Bucs ought to try to make is to trade for Jose Reyes – adding a bat like that would energize the entire offense. I’m sure that won’t happen, but opportunities like this are so rare that you HAVE to take a shot when you are in the hunt – and the Bucs can solidify their fan base by making a big splash in the next week.
C: Pittsburgh has found a player in Mike ‘Fort’ McKenry who can and should be their backup catcher for the next five years – he’s great defensively, can hit a little, and appears to work well with the staff – but there’s a reason the Red Sox gave him up for a song: he won’t ever hit enough to be a good regular. Ryan Doumit, when healthy, is among the top-hitting catchers in the game. Yes, I know, he’s never healthy, but if/when he comes back, he has to play regularly to maximize the value of his bat. There are no other upgrades available – catching is VERY scarce – but burying Doumit’s bat on the bench because of McKenry’s hustling attitude is self-defeating.
Bullpen: I am sure many of you ask, why address pitching? That’s the strength of the team!! Well, yes, but there are cracks in the armor – particularly in middle relief. Hanrahan might be the best closer in the league this year, and Veras and Resop have done a credible job as set-up men, but both have a good chance of regressing down the stretch – and there’s no dependable lefty in the ‘pen. Joe Beimel looks done to me, and Tony Watson is unproven and inconsistent. If they can find a top-flight lefty specialist that comes at a reasonable price, that would be a good addition.
There’s a LONG way to go, and I think the Bucs’ chances of winning the division are probably less than 25% – but that’s still the best chance they’ve had in 14 years, and regardless of the final standings this has been the most exciting, fun Pirate team to watch in a very long time. Enjoy them!
Our next column will come right after the MLB trading deadline, as the Eye will evaluate the deals made and project the impact of each deal on the playoff race.
Dave Glass can be reached at buggyracer@verizon.net.