Throw clueless GM Littlefield off Pirates' sinking ship
2a. If this doesn't work, do not go the quick-fix route here with a used-up free agent like Trot Nixon, regardless of the borderline-tangible intangibles he brings to the clubhouse. He's basically Burnitz with a few more hard-won creases in his forehead.
2b. J.D. Drew would be a perfect fit here. I'm just sayin', is all.
3. I don't have the slightest idea whether Tracy wields much influence in the Pittsburgh corridors of power. From a few hundred miles away, however, it appears that much of what made the team's second half of 2006 a relative success (37-35 after the All-Star break) can be traced directly to the skipper: the decision to elevate Capps into a prominent bullpen role, his patience with the Gang of Four when they stumbled out of the gate, his season-long patronage of Paulino, etc. When Tracy talks, the Pirates' executive hierarchy oughta listen. He's the right manager for this potpourri of marginal talent.
4. Don't pick up Shawn Chacon's 2007 option. Please. Any random Triple-A guy will do the same shameful job, and at 1/8 the cost. That's not an exaggeration: Chacon will likely make $3 million or so in arbitration; the major-league minimum for whatever halftard would assume his place in the rotation will be $380,000. It's difficult to imagine that former top prospect Sean Burnett, ostensibly in one piece after his elbow and shoulder went kablammo a few seasons back, could be any worse than Chacon. Hell, it's difficult to imagine that a tennis ball machine could be any worse.
Odds of becoming the next Detroit Tigers: Almost nil, owing to Littlefield's continued presence on this planet. In the January before his 2005 breakout season, I interviewed Bay about a bunch of Pirates-related stuff. He mostly stuck to the script -– we've got a young team, it's a great bunch of guys, blah blah blah -- but an interesting moment passed when we discussed the upcoming season.
Asked about then manager Lloyd McClendon's strengths as a skipper, he noted how well McClendon worked with young players. When I wondered why, then, the Pirates were so keen on signing fork-in-back retreads like Santiago, Bay mumbled something about "veteran leadership." His words said one thing; the look on his face said, "Yeah, I'm screwed." That a budding star exhibited considerably more enthusiasm when talking about his fantasy football team (Matt Hasselbeck had done quite well by him in 2004) than when discussing his real-world team ... well, that tells you everything you need to know about toiling away for the Pirates of Pittsburgh.
