Pirates Off-Season Plan

He looks familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

I've given the Pirates, or I guess more directly the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a hard time so far this winter because nothing, and I mean nothing, has been going on with them. Almost like they aren't one of the 30 major-league teams. But honestly, it is a good idea that they've been quiet. With Bay, Nady, and Marte, I thought the Pirates were relatively close to being competitive. To me, they needed one big pitcher, maybe Ben Sheets, to really compete, but obviously, Neil Huntington didn't agree. He, therefore, traded the three for inexpensive, young players. Now, this has been done before in Pittsburgh, but then, the GM's always began giving big contracts to undeserving free-agents. It killed them. Huntington has a plan, and it's this:

1) Let the young guys play. Might as well. You traded for them, so you might as well see what they have. They have some promise on the team with McLouth, McCutcheon, Tabata, Doumit, Snell, Maholm, and Capps. If they can get some help from guys like Neil Walker, Luis Cruz, Jimmy Barthmaier, and Ross Ohlendorf and bounce-back years from Duke, Gorzelanny, and Snell (I think Snell will), then the Pirates can get back to being competitive.

2) Only sign "bargain" free-agents. This is really where the Pirates have failed. We can all make a nice, long list of what mistakes they have made. This offseason, there could be some bargains, but they shouldn't jump on a guy like Paul Byrd. That's just a waste of money. They should only offer contracts to guys that have seen their markets really dip, like Kyle Lohse last season.

3) Keep recruiting in Latin America. They are building a new academy in the Dominican Republic, and they need to get players from down there. Ignoring a whole labor market is a bad business strategy but one they've had for a while.

4) Trade veterans for younger players. The Pirates are in a good position here. They don't have to clear payroll, so they don't have to trade anyone like the Padres have to trade Peavy. They can probably also eat salary, which should give them better players in return. The Pirates just have to make sure they don't sell low. Grabow, Wilson, and Paulino could all bring back at least one good player in return, and Grabow and Wilson might even be able to bring back two or three. The Pirates have a good foundation, and these trades can only make it better.

I like Huntington's plan. It's a solid one, but the trick is sticking to it. Others have had it, but they have let media and fan pressure force them into free-agent signings and the need to contend this season without thinking of future seasons. That can't happen this time. But for the first time that I can remember, we actually believe Huntington.