How many times have we all read or heard this one: “The Pirates are a small market team. They can’t compete for top free agents. They have to trade every good player on the roster before he reaches free agency. They don’t have the leverage to command top prospects in trades because everyone knows they have to trade players.”
We read or heard it again this week. The Pirates traded an All-Star starter who was 2nd in the league in batting and received in return 3 prospects whom Baseball America classified as “non-core” prospects. Then they traded Tyler Anderson for two prospects who aren’t ranked in the Mariners’ top 30 prospects after an earlier trade for three Phillies non top 50 prospects fell through.
Now for the truth: Here are the smallest market teams in MLB according to Bleacher Reports:
1. Kansas City Royals.
2. Oakland A’s.
3. Tampa Bay Rays.
4. Milwaukee Brewers.
5. San Diego Padres.
Let’s temporarily stop there. What do all of those teams except the Royals have in common? They are all in the playoff races. Not only this year, but for most or all of the last half decade. They might not sign the biggest salaried free agents, but the Brewers and the Padres both sign solid free agents. These teams trade for solid major leaguers and when they get prospects they get good ones. The Padres got Fernando Tatis Jr. In a trade with the White Sox. The Rays got Austin Meadows, Tyler Glasnow and Shane Baz, who is expected to start the first game of the Olympics, for Chris Archer. (Pirate defenders claim that at the time of the trade, Archer was one of the best pitchers in baseball; as ESPN points out he was a very good pitcher through 2014; in 2015 and half of 2016 he was among the worst 15% of the starting pitchers in baseball.)
Let’s go in with the next five smallest markets:
6. Cincinnati Reds.
7. Baltimore Orioles.
8. Seattle Mariners.
9. Pittsburgh Pirates.
10. Cleveland Indians.
The Orioles may have been almost as bad as the Pirates this half decade. But, the Indians have been in the playoffs and are in contention for a wildcard spot this year. So are the Mariners at 8 games over .500, who became the latest team to fleece the Pirates in a trade (which title will last until the Pirates make their next trade). The Reds have gone back and forth between contending and looking like a red-hatted version of the Pirates. They also traded for Trevor Bauer last year.
The Cardinals are only 3 spots above the Pirates at #13. Has anyone read a story that the Cardinals can’t be competitive because they are a small market team? In recent years, they have traded for perennial All-Stars Paul Goldschmidt and Nelson Arrenado.
This is the bottom line: The Pirates aren’t one of the worst teams in baseball because they are a small market team. They are one of the worst teams in baseball because of ownership who doesn’t care and management which is incompetent. Let’s give Cherington a chance, you might say. Let’s look at his first draft, I answer. Remember Nick Gonzales? He is 23 years old and playing in A ball with a bunch of 18 and 19 year olds. He is batting a robust .248 with no power. He is a shorter version of Cole Tucker without the frizzy hair. He is following in the footsteps of Tucker, Travis Swaggert and the non-forgettable Will Craig, who now has taken his talent to Japan where he can teach them how to not get that elusive third out when playing 1B with the ball in your hand, 3 feet from the bag with the batter running back to home.
Small market team is an excuse losers use. It’s what Nutting uses — and the incompetent Pittsburgh media bite into it hook, line and sinker. You should not.
We read or heard it again this week. The Pirates traded an All-Star starter who was 2nd in the league in batting and received in return 3 prospects whom Baseball America classified as “non-core” prospects. Then they traded Tyler Anderson for two prospects who aren’t ranked in the Mariners’ top 30 prospects after an earlier trade for three Phillies non top 50 prospects fell through.
Now for the truth: Here are the smallest market teams in MLB according to Bleacher Reports:
1. Kansas City Royals.
2. Oakland A’s.
3. Tampa Bay Rays.
4. Milwaukee Brewers.
5. San Diego Padres.
Let’s temporarily stop there. What do all of those teams except the Royals have in common? They are all in the playoff races. Not only this year, but for most or all of the last half decade. They might not sign the biggest salaried free agents, but the Brewers and the Padres both sign solid free agents. These teams trade for solid major leaguers and when they get prospects they get good ones. The Padres got Fernando Tatis Jr. In a trade with the White Sox. The Rays got Austin Meadows, Tyler Glasnow and Shane Baz, who is expected to start the first game of the Olympics, for Chris Archer. (Pirate defenders claim that at the time of the trade, Archer was one of the best pitchers in baseball; as ESPN points out he was a very good pitcher through 2014; in 2015 and half of 2016 he was among the worst 15% of the starting pitchers in baseball.)
Let’s go in with the next five smallest markets:
6. Cincinnati Reds.
7. Baltimore Orioles.
8. Seattle Mariners.
9. Pittsburgh Pirates.
10. Cleveland Indians.
The Orioles may have been almost as bad as the Pirates this half decade. But, the Indians have been in the playoffs and are in contention for a wildcard spot this year. So are the Mariners at 8 games over .500, who became the latest team to fleece the Pirates in a trade (which title will last until the Pirates make their next trade). The Reds have gone back and forth between contending and looking like a red-hatted version of the Pirates. They also traded for Trevor Bauer last year.
The Cardinals are only 3 spots above the Pirates at #13. Has anyone read a story that the Cardinals can’t be competitive because they are a small market team? In recent years, they have traded for perennial All-Stars Paul Goldschmidt and Nelson Arrenado.
This is the bottom line: The Pirates aren’t one of the worst teams in baseball because they are a small market team. They are one of the worst teams in baseball because of ownership who doesn’t care and management which is incompetent. Let’s give Cherington a chance, you might say. Let’s look at his first draft, I answer. Remember Nick Gonzales? He is 23 years old and playing in A ball with a bunch of 18 and 19 year olds. He is batting a robust .248 with no power. He is a shorter version of Cole Tucker without the frizzy hair. He is following in the footsteps of Tucker, Travis Swaggert and the non-forgettable Will Craig, who now has taken his talent to Japan where he can teach them how to not get that elusive third out when playing 1B with the ball in your hand, 3 feet from the bag with the batter running back to home.
Small market team is an excuse losers use. It’s what Nutting uses — and the incompetent Pittsburgh media bite into it hook, line and sinker. You should not.
