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Pirates Thinking About Moving McLouth From Center
Top prospect Andrew McCutchen should be ready next season, which could force the Pirates to move McLouth elsewhere. "The best way to answer that, given our ballpark, is that the best scenario is to have two center fielders," General Manager Neal Huntington said. "We need one to patrol left, one to patrol center. If we can get corner production from one, that's good. If we can get that from both, that's ideal. But we feel like we need to have two athletic outfielders who can run the ball down." That means McLouth would likely move to either left or right, providing Pittsburgh with an intimidating defensive pairing in the outfield. Pittsburgh Pirates Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Pirates Release Scathing Statement On Alvarez SituationThe Pittsburgh Pirates released the following statement on Wednesday. "At the Pirates? request, the Office of the Commissioner today placed Pedro Alvarez on Major League Baseball?s Restricted List. The Pirates were forced to request that Pedro be placed on the Restricted List because we were informed by his agent, Scott Boras, that Pedro will not sign the contract to which he agreed on August 15." "Boras further informed us that Pedro will not report to the Club unless we renegotiate his contract and agree to pay him more than the $6 million signing bonus to which he agreed." ?The Major League Rules provide that a player who refuses to sign a Uniform Player Contract to which he has agreed and report to the signing Club shall, upon a report of the signing Club, be placed on the Restricted List until he signs a contract reflecting the terms to which he has agreed. Such a player may not sign a contract with or play for any other Club. While demanding that we renegotiate his contract and pay Pedro more than the $6 million signing bonus to which Pedro agreed, Mr. Boras has contended that the contract we reached with Pedro was consummated after the August 15 deadline. This claim was not raised on the evening of the 15th when we informed Mr. Boras that Major League Baseball had confirmed that the contract was submitted in a timely fashion. Mr. Boras asserted this claim several days later, after all of the draft signings had become publicized." ?The Pirates are confident that the contract reached with Pedro Alvarez was agreed to and submitted to Major League Baseball in a timely fashion and properly accepted by Major League Baseball. In fact, the contract between the Kansas City Royals and Eric Hosmer, another Boras client, was submitted to the Office of the Commissioner after our contract with Pedro was submitted. Mr. Boras is apparently satisfied with the $6 million bonus that he secured for Mr. Hosmer and has not challenged the validity of that contract. Mr. Boras has been informed that if he pursues a claim that our contract with Pedro was not timely he puts Eric Hosmer?s contract with Kansas City in jeopardy." ?The Office of the Commissioner has assured us that we have a valid contract with Pedro and that it will vigorously defend any claim to the contrary. Despite our disappointment, we continue to believe in Pedro Alvarez the person and the baseball player and remain excited to add Pedro to our system. We will sit down with Pedro and his family as soon as Mr. Boras? claim is rejected to chart a new and much more productive start to Pedro?s career with the Pittsburgh Pirates.? Pittsburgh Pirates Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Pirates Acquire Diaz From JaysThe Pirates today acquired catcher Robinzon Diaz from the Toronto Blue Jays as the player to be named in the August 21 deal that sent infielder Jose Bautista to the Jays. The 24-year-old right-handed hitting backstop has hit .285 (57-for-200) with 11 doubles, four home runs and 26 RBI in 57 minor league games this season. He also appeared in one game with Toronto as the designated hitter and went hitless in four at bats at Tampa Bay on April 23. Diaz began the 2008 season with Triple-A Syracuse and has spent a majority of the season with the Chiefs. He was on the disabled list with a right ankle sprain from May 3 through July 16 and hit .386 (17-for-44) while playing 15 games on a rehab assignment with the GCL Blue Jays from June 27 through July 16. Robinzon was reinstated from the D.L. and was assigned to Class-A Dunedin, where he hit .320 (8-for-25) in six games before re-joining Syracuse on July 24. The Dominican Republic native was originally signed by Toronto as a non-drafted free agent on November 19, 2000. He captured the Appalachian League batting title with a .374 average in 2003 and was named to the league's postseason All-Star team as a catcher. A year later, Diaz was selected to the midseason and postseason All-Star teams in the South Atlantic League while batting .287 with 20 doubles and 42 RBI in 105 games with Charleston (WV). He was also selected to participate for the World team at the 2004 MLB All-Star Futures Game. Diaz spent the entire 2005 campaign with Dunedin and was selected to the Florida State League's midseason and postseason All-Star teams. He ranked tenth in the league with a .294 batting average and posted a career-high 65 RBI in 100 games that season. In 2006, Diaz spent his second straight full season with Dunedin and was named to both the mid and postseason All-Star teams for the second consecutive year after hitting .306 with 21 doubles, three home runs and 44 RBI in 104 games. His .306 average ranked fourth in the Florida State League. In 640 career minor league games, Diaz has batted .304, going 740-for-2431 with a 135 doubles, 17 home runs, and 327 RBI. Diaz has been assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Pirates Aug 2008 Archive
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Nate McLouth has been one of the best defensive centerfielders in all of baseball this season, but the Pirates are reportedly thinking about moving him to make room for one of their top prospects, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.