For much of the last 3 years, there was no steady, reliable first baseman, no consistent SS, no consistent RF and no consistent third baseman. For at least even the first year, the LF was an inconsistent performer. That's more than half of the everyday lineup composed of question marks. Talk all you want about licking people up but the reality is that for just about the entirety of the last three years the Pirates' everyday starting lineup was flawed leading to extremely tepid offensive production which prevented them winning a championship even though they had great pitching. As for the guys locked up that you list, the jury's still out on Harrison, a career utilityman, and Kang-they may be flash in the pans. Contrary to what you suggest, what Nutsack built is a house of cards particularly given the state of the pitching staff-it's a complete mess. The only other relevant thing to add is that Nutsack locks up players before their track record actually suggests they deserve a long term deal so that he can lock players up on the cheap-see Jose Tabata. Locking players up in of itself doesn't mean squat.