Pittsburgh Pirates News: The Bucs At The Winter Meetings
By Larry Snyder
The Winter Meetings of Major League Baseball are under way at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront and it is time for the Pittsburgh Pirates to possible make some moves to improve the roster.
General manager Neal Huntington added two new voices to aid him that belong to former major league manager Grady Little, who comes on board as a senior adviser, and former Pirate first baseman Kevin Young as a special assistant.
Little, 64, has been away from the game since being released following the 2007 season by the Dodgers after directing Los Angeles to an 82-80 record.
Young, 45, spent 11 years of his 12-year career with the Jolly Roger crew. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Michigan native hit .259 with 136 home runs and 583 RBIs between 1992-1995 and 1997-2003.
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The Bucs added another arm on Monday when they claimed right-hander Josh Lindblom off waivers from the Oakland A’s, while outrighting righty Angel Luis Sanchez to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.
Lindblom, who will turn 28 in June, spent most of the 2014 campaign with Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento. He put up a 4-3 record with a 5.79 ERA over 16 starts/17 appearances. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Indiana native made only one start for the Athletics, giving up two runs in 4 2/3 innings on April 2 against the Cleveland Indians. The Pirates’ 40-man roster is now at 39.
It has been said that the Pittsburgh front office has rolled up their sleeves and are prepared to work the meetings. What should they be concentrating on? Also, what is the view from the press box over the last two seasons of Burgh Ball? Here is what some of the others across the internet are saying.
Bucs Dugout – David Manel looks at the numbers of the Bucs’ turnaround the last two seasons and attributes part of the change to forcing opposing hitters to hit ground balls into creatively positioned defensive alignments.
From Forbes To Federal – The guys went up and down the roster in putting together their Winter Meeting Primer.
Pirate Prospects – Tim Williams looks at the reports saying it could come down to how many years is any team willing to go on a deal with pitcher Francisco Liriano.
Rumbunter – Gregory Philson wants the Bucs to remove all doubt and prove to everyone that they are serious about wanting to go on a playoff run by re-signing Liriano.
WHYGAVS – Pat Lackey feels that neither Liriano or Edinson Volquez will be back in 2015. He thinks that Brandon McCarthy, Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy, Justin Masterson or Brandon Morrow could be possible options as replacements.
Perhaps by the end of week, we will have a better idea on who will be in the dugout at PNC Park this summer.