DK’s Daily Shot of Pirates: The ultimate Plan B
You look around at the various outlets and there are a bunch of them now that track payroll, projected payroll, estimated arbitration awards and that kind of thing. you'll find not identical figures but similar figures and those as of the Gregory Sto signing which became official yesterday have your favorite team projecting at the moment at 71 million. Good morning to you. Good Wednesday morning. I'm Dan Kvachovich of DK Pittsburgh Sports. This is Daily Shot of Pirates presented by our good friends over at the Northshore Tavern. Comes your way bright and early every weekday if you're into football andor hockey. I also offer daily shots of Steelers and Penguins in the same place that you found this. The payroll this past season was 87 million and that's the amount that's actually paid out. That's the only number that ends up counting. So 87US 71 is obviously 16 million which is nowhere near any kind of comfort level to be doing some unprecedented recordbreaking spend. And that lends some credibility to the reporting that I've shared with you that the team is actually probably going to end up in the mid 90s. And for anyone who still has a hard time with how this sort of thing works, meaning the reporting thing, this is stuff that you hear and then you share it. It's not my decision to make. So if they change their minds, that's on them. What I relay to you are the discussions that I hear from in there. So, let's say that it does go to, I don't know, 96 and you've got a $25 million gap between where the team is now and where the team would be by the time it arrives to Bradenton. And I'll reiterate that there's some license that's been given to Ben Cherington and that something extraordinary comes along that would have a an immediate and massive impact on the lineup that he can go ahead all the way up to 110. But that's only in that circumstance as it's been told to me. So, being that Kyle Schwarber signed somewhere else, and being that there are still too many teams with unlimited finances in the mix for big power bats, I'm probably going to start referring to that exception as the Schwarber exception. And presuming that it's not a real thing anymore in parenthesis here, this is also why I will reiterate today that I really wasn't nuts about this stoing. It's not about needing a left-handed reliever. It's about putting close to 8 million into one who isn't even going to be your closer while you would be infinitely better suited putting that money into a bat. End of parenthesis. I remain confident again based on what I'm hearing from 115 Federal that there will be a significant bat signed, at least in their eyes. Remember, their eyes aren't real good at this sort of thing. But I'm gonna I'm gonna be blunt here and I'm going to lay out a scenario for you today that won't happen, but really really really should. If I owned this franchise, I was bo nutting for a day with no checks, no balances, no nothing. While understanding that it takes both the team and the player to tango on stuff like this, I'd get a Paul skins extension done. And it doesn't even have to be one that's, you know, into infinity. I get one done that takes out a year at the most two of free agency and I use this cash to do it. Now, why would I do that when I know that it's not going to make the offense better and I know that the offense is what needs to be improved? Well, you'll never guess what my main reason for that is. I don't trust this general manager. I don't trust this staff to recognize hitting. if the late great Tony Gwyn were to walk up to them and introduce himself. And I'd rather buy time for the next general manager and the next administration to be able to make their own decisions related to the offense, free from any determinations that have been made to date regarding hitting, free from any restrictions in that regard. And by that, I'm talking about, you know, you have Henry Davis, you made him a number one overall pick, so you have to play him forever to try to prove you didn't blow it. A new GM won't care about that at all and shouldn't. So, what do you do with this money that's either been saved from last year or whatever extra goes into it beyond that? Take care of big number one. Hand it all to Sk. In fact, cut up Gregory Sto's contract and give him that 8 million, too. Find a way to foster some financial goodwill with SK and his representation and say, "We would love for this young man to play his career out in Pittsburgh. While this contract won't necessarily take you, you know, through the next 15 years or so, we feel this is a significant goodwill gesture that buys us an extra year of skins in Pittsburgh. By an extra year, I'm referring to 2030 specifically, because that would be the season before he could become a free agent, at least in the current economic system. You assure him of a certain salary level heading into whatever system emerges from this next labor agreement and you give the next GM the most formidable weapon you conceivably could entering that GM's tenure. You say to that person, you've got the best pitcher in baseball from now until the start of the next decade for sure. But again, that's not how it's going to go. They're going to give a guy who has the worst track record with hitting 20 million or whatever it is to just light on fire. And Gregory Sto when we come back to J1Q. If you're looking for a great dining experience, look no further than Northshore Tavern. Located directly across Federal Street from PNC Park, next door to Mike's Beer Bar, Northshore Tavern is Pittsburgh's home for steak on a stone. Enjoy your steak finished on a hot lava stone in front of you where you ensure each piece is cooked to exactly your liking. Or try their rotating selection of entre, hot sandwiches, salads, and burgers, all while enjoying the ambiance dedicated to the great players and history of the Pittsburgh Pirates all around you. Come see why everyone's talking about Northshore Tavern and Steak on a stone. >> It's Gun Storage Check Week. Help prevent unwanted access to your firearms. No one wants their unsecured gun to be used in an accident, a suicide, or a crime. Use lockboxes, safes, and locks to secure your firearms. Learn more at gunstorage check.org. That's gunstoch check.org. Brought to you by NSSF, the Firearm Industry Trade Association. Today's J1Q comes from Matt Graver, who asks DK, "Where's the Mitch market?" He's referring, of course, to Mitch Keller, who had been presumed by a lot of people, myself included, to be a goner. entering this off season in large part because of the scenario that I just laid out, which is it would take a lot of money and a lot of knowhow to upgrade this lineup in any meaningful way because the bar that's been set is really, really low. So, here's Mitch being part of the one facet of the team that's in good shape. That's starting pitching and costing $17 million this season and still being on the books for the next couple of seasons. And there's some simple logic there. And then as of about uh this was probably before Thanksgiving, I started hearing that no, Mitch might not be gone. Mitch might stay and be part of this. Mitch might be that big innings guy that you still need in support of Paul Ske. This, by the way, is kind of what I meant in that opening segment when I say this stuff changes all the time. I'm going to share with you what I hear as it goes instead of waiting until it's all done. That's part and parcel of this reporting business. So to my understanding, Matt, to answer your question directly, the Mitch market is a non- thing at the moment that could easily be supported by the lack of Mitch's name popping up anywhere from his representation in other cities. As I've shared on this program before, the representation will go out of its way to make it known when there's this team or that team or this team over here, that one over there who's interested in their client because that's how they build a market to borrow your own term. Now, Mitch obviously is not a free agent, and agents don't hear a fraction as much about possible trades as they do about free agency because no one has to contact them. But they do hear, they do get wind of it, they do find out about other teams, and it does in turn get out there. Well, nothing is out there anywhere regarding Mitch. And what's more, like I I I could share with you what I think is a rational outlook for how Ben Cherington and his staff could say, "Listen, it's really nice having Mitch here. It's a perfect compliment to skins. We know we can count on him for innings and his professionalism and his performance, especially in the first half of a season. But we have just got to take some kind of risks on hitting. He won't do that. He won't do that. You've now seen six years of this. He won't do that. Just like he won't ever get a bat first catcher. He just doesn't believe in these things. He believes in pitching and defense and whatever else happens just happens or doesn't. I mean, all you need to know is it's the 17th of December, and out of this money, this unprecedented money that he's got to spend, and he does have it to spend, the only trigger he's been able to pull to date has been on a lefty non-closer reliever at $8 million. That one's okay. but he doesn't value hitting. And that's been a principle, if not the defining problem of this particular front office since day one. I appreciate the question, Matt. I appreciate everybody listening to Daily Shot of Pirates. We'll do another one of these tomorrow.
If a hitter can’t be acquired, might I suggest the ultimate Plan B?
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