Pittsburgh Pirates Notebook: Bucs Cut Ties With Cedeno, Others
By Matt Shetler
There is a lot to cover in this week’s edition of my Bucco Notebook, so let’s get right into the first post World Series News and Notes.
– The Bucs today declined to pick up the options on Paul Maholm, Ryan Doumit, Chris Snyder, and Ronny Cedeno. While cutting ties with Maholm, Doumit, and Snyder comes at no surprise, declining Cedeno’s option is a bit of a shocker.
While there was a chance Cedeno wouldn’t have been the everyday shortstop in 2012, with a club friendly option of just a little over $2 million, Cedeno made sense for the Pirates. Now the question becomes of what the Bucs will do for a shortstop next season.
Chase d’Arnaud seems like the only logical option, but while I think he could become a decent major league ballplayer, committing to him at this time could be a big mistake. General Manager Neal Huntington will have to be aggressive in the offseason attempting to find Cedeno’s replacement.
– In addition to those four, the Pirates made some minor moves by outrighting Brian Burres, Aaron Thompson, Brandon Wood, Kevin Hart, and Steve Pearce to the minor leagues in order to create space on the 40-man roster. Wood and Pearce were arbitration eligible for the first time, so instead of tendering wither guy, the Bucs cut them loose. all of these guys can elect to become free agents or sign a minor league deal with the Bucs.
I was never a Pearce fan so this is a cause for celebration, but I was hoping they would have found a way to keep Wood even though he would have likely been squeezed out by the numbers. He could have served as a nice bench player that offered up a little bit of pop next season.
– Speaking of arbitration, here’s a look at the other Bucs up for arbitration and what to expect.
Joel Hanrahan, Evan Meek, Jeff Karstens, and Charlie Morton are all no-brainers and will all be tendered.
Garrett Jones isn’t a given, but it’s more than likely he is tendered. He had a decent season and if the Pirates aren’t in on Derrick Lee may unfortunately have to give Jones a look at first base.
Jason Grilli. I was a fan of what he did since coming aboard and would hope the club brings him back.
Chris Resop. Despite some up-an-down late season performances Resop turned in a solid season and should be a good bet to return.
Jose Veras. Only one will likely return between Resop and Veras. When he’s pitching well Veras has filthy stuff, possibly some of the best stuff on the team. Yet comparing the two, Resop was likely a tad bit more reliable over the course of the season, so Veras may have become the odd man out.
Ross Ohlendorf should be an absolute lock to be non-tendered. If not it will be dumbfounding.
– The Pirates now have two unrestricted free agents in Derrick Lee and Ryan Ludwick. It’s a lock that Ludwick will be allowed to walk, but it will be interesting to see the Bucs approach with Lee. I’d love to see them hold onto him, but I’m not holding my breath.
– Finally, if not Lee then who could the Bucs take a run at to play first base? Jones and rookie Matt Hague will get looks, but if they decide to upgrade outside of the organization, don’t look for the Pirates to approach any top-tier free agents. They will though take a look at some second and third tier guys.
That list could include the likes of James Loney and Casey Kotchman. After Albert Puljos and Prince Fielder, this season’s first base class gets real thin, real quick.
Last Week’s Pirates Notebook: Gerrit Cole Shining in AFL
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