Bucs had their reasons for befuddling trade

By John Shea

San Fransisco Chronicle

Sunday, August 5, 2007



Pirates starter Matt Morris pitches during the first inning Saturday night against the Reds at PNC Park.

What makes a team post losing records 15 straight years, the second longest streak in baseball history?

What makes fans organize a one-inning walkout to protest ownership's frugality?

What makes a general manager feel satisfied about trading for Matt Morris and inheriting his $13.7 million contract?

What makes the Pirates the Pirates?

It's suggested that decisions such as Tuesday's Morris trade have buried this team year after year, and it's hard to disagree. The Pirates, in a money-saving move, gift-wrapped future All-Star Aramis Ramirez to the Cubs but also wasted $10.7 million on over-the-hill free agents Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Randa.

The Morris trade raised eyebrows all over baseball because last-place teams just don't take on salary with two months remaining in a lost season. Last-place teams don't buy; they sell. Last-place teams are supposed to dump Morris - as the last-place Giants did - not welcome him.

"I understand the criticism," Pirates GM Dave Littlefield said in a phone interview. "I understand this isn't commonly done. But we believe he's a good fit. We look at it as an opportunity to fill a need."

Littlefield pulled the trigger on Morris, agreeing to inherit his entire contract - minus a $2 million signing bonus owed at contract's end - agreeing to do what two contending teams (believed to be St. Louis and Seattle) wouldn't. The others wanted the Giants to eat some of the contract. Littlefield said he'd take it all.

Here's his explanation:

-- He wanted a veteran starter to lead an otherwise young rotation, a reason the Giants gave when they signed Morris to a three-year, $27 million contract on Dec. 12, 2005.

-- He wanted a pitcher similar to the starters signed in the offseason - the Brewers gave Jeff Suppan four years and $42 million, and the Royals gave Gil Meche five years and $55 million - but wasn't excited about committing for that long.

-- He wanted someone to help the Pirates improve in a division that's not deep. The Pirates went 2-14 after the All-Star break to post the league's worst record at the time of the trade, but they showed life before the break by winning four straight series.

So Littlefield got Morris, who turns 33 Thursday and is signed through 2008 with a club option for 2009. The Giants received Rajai Davis and a player to be named, but the main thing in their rebuilding preparation was shedding the contract.

"The last couple of winters, we wanted to acquire a starting pitcher who's durable and still performing at a solid level, to fill in as the lead guy for our younger starters," Littlefield said. "We have not been able to acquire that guy. No disrespect to clubs who (committed four or more years to a starter), but we're looking at the shorter term. We have to look at what guys will look like in years three and four. Sometimes, the last couple of years get pretty hairy."

It was pretty hairy for Morris in his final eight Giants starts. He went 0-4 with a 7.94 ERA, giving up 80 hits over 451/3 innings. Of course, Littlefield would prefer the Morris who started the season 7-3 with a 2.56 ERA and was considered an All-Star candidate.

If Morris is to be considered a staff leader, he can't pitch as he did the past six weeks. It was hardly an example for Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Noah Lowry, and now the Pirates have young pitchers looking for someone other than the pitching coach to lead the way.

The Pirates are the only big-league team to use four homegrown starters in their rotation all season. Tom Gorzelanny (9-6, 3.55 ERA), Ian Snell (7-10, 3.91) and Paul Maholm (7-13, 4.50) haven't missed a start. Zach Duke (3-7, 5.79) was shelved with elbow tendinitis and replaced by Shane Youman (2-3, 4.76), another pitcher who came from Pittsburgh's farm system.

A fifth homegrown starter, John Van Benschoten (0-5, 9.76), was sent to the minors and replaced by Morris.

"Obviously, performance is the key, and consistency is what we're striving to get better at," Littlefield said. "I realize Matt Morris isn't at the peak of his career, but I'm confident with our scouting staff and the things I know about Matt Morris that he'll get back on track."

By agreeing to pick up the $13.7 million due Morris - $3.2 million this year, $9.5 million next year, plus a $1 million buyout on the $9 million club option - the Pirates were able to outbid other teams before Tuesday's trade deadline and can avoid the lunacy of overpaying for a starter in free agency.

"You're in competition," Littlefield said. "There are only so many pitchers in the market. We had to find a way to separate ourselves a little bit."

Morris was the first veteran the Pirates have acquired before the deadline in 10 years, since Shawon Dunston in 1997.

E-mail John Shea at jshea@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 6 of the San Francisco Chronicle