3-20-22 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter
Before I get started here, I don’t mean Ben Cherington and crew. They decided in 2020 the path they were taking this team on and knew right then they were about to tick a whole hell of a lot of you off. Before COVID happened they assumed they’d lose most of their gate revenue and certainly knew the vast majority of you would just parrot the utter crap floated by 70% of the media and fake media alike.
It doesn’t have to be like this, the team could spend more money along the path to put lipstick on the pig but you can’t tell a GM to execute his plan, his way, then tell him how to do it.
What puzzles me most is simply this, we knew what they were doing, many of us endorsed it, so why are we so surprised to see it? Why did we get to the point where the first wave of talent brought in or developed was just about ready to come up to suddenly believe the plan isn’t working?
I call it rebuild fatigue.
It comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s an out of frustration call for all the kids to just come up here indiscriminately. Ready or not cause ‘they can’t possibly be worse’. Sound familiar? I’m guilty of this one myself. For instance, I think Mason Martin needs work, but I also think if given a typical workload at first base he could hit 20-25 homeruns, he’d just strikeout a ton and his OBA would suck. Still it’s hard to watch Oneil Cruz golf a homerun out in Spring Training and talk yourself into believing it’s ok he’s swinging at stuff like that routinely.
The payroll being low is a focus for most media, and I get it, it’s certainly critically low. I just wrote yesterday where I could see them spending more and why it does or doesn’t make sense at a given position. I just can’t get up in arms about it, especially when I’m watching much of that next wave play this Spring and actively getting excited to watch them start making their way to PNC this year.
I mean, this is what I said would happen WAY back in 2020. I said back then that by 2022 we’d be starting to see some of the fruit of this rebuild make it’s way to the league and by 2023 we’d see even more ushering in a competitive team. Now, if I was ok with this as a plan in 2020, excited about it even, and I’m literally watching it come to fruition, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to be big mad about it now.
I’ve watched people who were right there with me fall away and now yell about this whole thing not working. All I can really say right now is, NOW you’re upset? Last year I got it, didn’t even say anything about it. There was no help coming. In fact if you ask me, last year was when the Pirates should have spent to make the team more bearable to watch. But now with so much talent right on the doorstep, man no, I’m good. Let me see the kids, unimpeded.
When Oneil Cruz is ready, I’m sorry, the selfish fan in me wants Kevin Newman being who he has to beat. When Jack Suwinski is ready to make a jump, I’m happy to have the landing strip well lit.
Spend money, fine, do it smart if you do, but as I’ve been calling for a plan just like this since like 2017, I’m not really going to call mercy when I’m about to see it start to work.
They’ll have to add to take this thing over the edge, either in 2023 or 2024, that’s just fact. There are no guarantees they will. I can say, this franchise has been in position to “try” once since Bob Nutting has been here as owner, and in that instance, the window from 2012-2015, they spent. Maybe not enough to get it done, but they spent. If this thing works, and they spend again, it’s the best chance we as Pirates fans have.
In no way is this a defence of Nutting, it’s more of a reality check. The plan is the plan, and what many want done right now would be like driving to Virginia Beach and then deciding you’d rather fly the rest of the way to the Outer Banks. Had they spent last year as I suggested, you’d just be making the trip in a nicer vehicle.
Look, you fan however you like. I’m not here to tell you you’re wrong and I’m right. This is my way, but do look up every once in a while to allow yourself to see your Cutch and Walker come up, because they very much so will, and I fear some of you are setting yourselves up to miss it after waiting patiently right when the fun starts.
You’ll like this team more by the end of 2022 than the beginning. I first wrote this line in 2020, and it’s no less true today than it was when I wrote it.
I mean, look, they don’t spend like the teams you envy. But they did spend (at least for them) when the window happened. It’s the ONE window Bob has overseen. I’m not sure why we question if he’ll do it again this time. Maybe just because he’s untrustworthy. Maybe it’s because between failed rebuilds and stunted windows coupled with his punchable face there just isn’t a way to see through it. Most likely it’s because on top of all that we just spent 3 months bitching about money and payroll in this league and it’s clear (as it should have been) the league didn’t fix their issues.
Point is, the talent is coming, and that was the reason for all of what we’ve seen since Starling Marte was moved. If they win, trust me you won’t care how much it cost. MLB reality dictates without it costing they won’t win. Both things can be true.
Inside The Bucs Basement 
People just like to complain, and patience and perspective can be difficult when all the mainstream (whether local or national) talks about little beyond the relatively few superstars and fast risers. I’m sure the largely ineffectual CBA negotiations contribute to people’s sourness too. They got increasingly impatient with NH in 2011 and 2012, after all.
I would’ve preferred to see them sign more legitimate players the last two seasons for flipping purposes, as well as potential mentoring or guidance. Boras is a tool, but plenty of agents understand the opportunity to get more PAs or innings for a player on a rebuilding team, with plans to get flipped to a contender in July. Adam Duvall was a reasonable target, and he worked out great. Maybe they were in on guys like that, maybe not–usually GMs don’t say.
But that has not caused me to complain instead of enjoy possibly having Vladimir Guerrero Sr., except at SS instead of RF.
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Its all a lie. I’ve seen this song and dance from these clowns and career felon owner who has been embezzling billions from MLB, taxpayers and fans and all this talent is all bs. They have had “great talent” before and they get here and they stink. Do the names Keller and Polanco and too many others ring a bell ? This franchise is doomed to stink for eternity. It’ll be more of the same as it has been, just reshuffling the deck chairs
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