7:31am: Pittsburgh is also talking with Derrek Lee, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter), though the first baseman has other suitors.
D-Lee came to the Pirates in a July trade, and while injuries limited him to just 113 plate appearances in with the Buccos, he absolutely mashed back within the familiar confines of the NL Central. Lee hit .337/.398/.584 and teed off on seven homers. The market for Lee has been pretty quiet thus far.
1:06am: The Pirates may add an outfielder this winter, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter), and they're interesed in reuniting with old friend Nate McLouth.
After a solid 2007 with the Buccos in which he hit .258/.351/.459, McLouth exploded in 2008 by hitting .276/.356/.497. He joined the 20-20 club that season, belting 26 big flies and swiping 23 bags while also leading the Senior Circuit with 46 doubles. That season led the Pirates to sign him to a three-year, $15.75MM extension, but he was traded to the Braves less than four months later for Gorkys Hernandez, Jeff Locke, and Charlie Morton.
After hitting .229/.335/.364 and battling hamstring and oblique injuries over two and a half seasons with the Braves, McLouth would cost only a fraction of the $6.5MM salary he earned in 2011. With Jose Tabata, Andrew McCutchen, Alex Presley, and Garrett Jones all in the outfield mix in Pittsburgh, McLouth would likely have to return in a reduced role.
i could swear we was terrible this year… well if you got the money burn it.
Nate McLouth…really Pirates? Nate McLouth?
Thanks, Pirates for false advertising.
Im speechless. Except for that, and that, and that, and that….
McLouth & the Orioles- make sense to anybody else? 4th OF, left handed bat, can back up CF?
Anybody?
Actually you are right. O’s have already hinted they are going for him if you read between the lines (want player who can backup center field and potentially platoon at LF).
Makes a helluva lot more sense that Johnny Damon
I don’t know a ton about the Pirates situation, but I’ve mostly approved of Huntington’s moves the past couple years. I suspect the Bucs won’t be a punchline much longer. I hope they won’t. I’ve always dug them for some reason as a second team.
I could see McLouth bouncing back from his last two seasons and returning to form. The Giants should give him a shot.
the pirates have way to many people in the outfield that play like mclouth but better. we dont more of the same.
Yeah, they have a surplus of outfielders that have hit 20 HR’s in the MLB….
If we get Nate McClouth as a replacement for Garrett Jones I’m thrilled. Nate is going to be 30 and has hit here before. Alex Presley and Jose Tabata should be the corners to start.
People should understand that, as much as McLouth’s 2008 was a flash in the pan, he’d likely represent an upgrade on Garrett Jones in a backup corner outfield spot. As long as it’s for 3M or less, I’d take him back.
I don’t know why people are upset with the idea of McLouth he would cost next to nothing and he did have back to back seasons with an OPS north of .800. I am not saying he is still that good but he probably would be a bargain on a minor league deal.
I was having a great morning. Until I read this…
in my opinion hes a nice upgrade over xavior paul as that lefty hitting, defensive replacement type of player getting some starts here and there
Didn’t think of him in that light. Then again, the Pirates prefer minimum wage bench warmers. Good pickup for the bench and insurance for the fragile Tabata. If this happens can a move to first for Jones be far behind?
Thanks for nothing, McLousy.
– The Braves
7:31am: Pittsburgh is also talking with Derrek Lee according to SI’s Jon Heyman though the first baseman has other suitors.
Who Jon Who? Who are those other suitors? He stunk for the O’s, although his defense was good, it did nothing to win games though. He played a million times better once traded to the Pirates. As far as I am concerned the Pirates can have him! Let Derrek Lee eat cake!
In all fairness to D-Lee, he came into a much more difficult division and played against unfamiliar pitching.
I’m sure that his resurgence with the Pirates was due in part to familiarity with the league & division, and part getting out of the AL East.
I am not sure what happened with Nate McClouth when he left Pittsburgh for Atlanta, but the Braves paid a steep price for his acquisition. When he left the Pirates, there was a huge outpouring of disgust among the fan-base for trading a reasonably priced, hard-nosed, gritty player for a group of prospects. He was a legitimate all-star for the Bucs, and if he can return to be a fraction of the player that he was previously, then this low risk signing could become a tremendous move for the ballclub. It is definitely an improvement over Brandon Wood, or Xavier Paul, as the first bat off the bench.
Meh. I think the Pirates have better options internally than McLouth. I’d rather let Gorkys Hernandez get a shot at a backup outfield role than waste money on McLouth. He’s been outperforming McLouth at the AAA level the past couple of years anyway. Starling Marte could get a mid-season call-up as well if he starts out hot at AAA this year.
Whenever the Pirates signed him to an extension they said he’d be part of the future, I think they are just trying to fulfill that prophecy
I’m surprised that McLouth and the Pirates are talking at all. McLouth burned a few bridges after the trade that sent him to the Braves, commenting about the (lack of) quality of the Pirates’ eye exams; Pirates prez Frank Coonelly was reportedly very upset by McLouth’s comments. But then, the Pirates now have a different manager, (mostly) different coaches, and a different medical/training staff, so who knows?
I know that it’s not an either/or choice, but I’d much rather have Derrek Lee back than Nate McLouth.
It is true he said some unfavorable things but it is a business and honestly I think Nate knows how popular he was here and the Pirates do too. I don’t foresee them offering more than a minor league deal and if that is the case who could really be upset if he accepts?
Must be nice to be a Marlins fan.
Sincerely,
Pittsburgh