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Wednesday 3 p.m.
When it comes to trades, there’s nothing quite so exciting as anticipating the deal and, with the Pirates, nothing quite so agonizing as actually learning the details of it.
Shortstop Jack Wilson is gone. Starting pitcher Ian Snell is gone. No surprises there.
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson (2) throws to first base after touching second base as New York Mets left fielder Fernando Tatis (17) tries to break up the play in the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday June 2, 2009 in Pittsburgh.
Both went to the Seattle Mariners this morning. No great surprise there.
In return to the Pirates come a borderline shortstop, who’ll take Wilson’s place, a power-hitting prospect and three young pitchers. Based on almost all of general manager Neal Huntington's trades there are no surprises there.
Check back in three years. Or will it be five?
Coming to the Pirates are shortstop Ronny Cedeno, 26, whose 2009 salary is $822,500, Class AAA first baseman Jeff Clement, 25, and three young, right-handed pitchers who currently are in Class A -- Aaron Pribanic, Brett Lorin and Nathan Adcock.
Any thoughts the Pirates might get immediate help in exchange for Wilson were dashed by this trade. Cedeno is a serious downgrade at shortstop. Clement offers some possible help in the near future, but he's no sure thing and will have to win the first base job from Garrett Jones or Steve Pearce. The three young pitchers might have significant upsides, but don't figure to offer any help until 2012, at the earliest.
Huntington has made another trade that weakened the Pirates in the present -- while lowering payroll -- and offered only hope for possible future improvement. The Pirates are a worse team today than they were yesterday.
In fairness to Huntington, Wilson is what's known as a "rental player.'' Seattle has the use of him only for the final two months and few days of the season. Such players rarely bring blue-chip prospects in return.
The deal marks Huntington’s continuing demolition of the Pirates, and that’s also no surprise. Since becoming general manager in September, 2007, Huntington has traded every position-player starter except second baseman Freddy Sanchez, who could be dealt at any minute. That list includes Ronny Paulino over Ryan Doumit as catcher. When Huntington was named, Paulino, not Doumit, was considered the starter. Other starters traded by Huntington are outfielders Jason Bay, Xavier Nady and Nate McLouth, first baseman Adam LaRoche and third baseman Jose Bautista.
Clement, the third selection in the 2005 first-year player draft, would appear to be the key to this deal for the Pirates. Although a catcher for most of his career, a position where the Pirates need little help, he is being listed as a first baseman and presumably will play that position in the Pirates organization. He has been assigned to Indianapolis, but could join the Pirates in the near future.
He's a left-handed hitter who was batting .288 with Tacoma in the Pacific Coast League. He had 14 homers and 68 RBIs and a .505 slugging percentage. He was second in the league in doubles with 33 and sixth in RBIs and total bases.
In 243 at bats with Seattle in 2007 and 2008, Clement hit .237 with seven homers and 26 RBIs.
Concerning Clement, Huntington said, "Our scouts have consistently projected him to be an every day contributor with the power to hit 20-plus home runs. He has been an extremely highly-regarded prospect since he was drafted third overall in 2005 and has performed consistently since then, showing the tools to be a quality offensive player."
Cedeno rarely has been a full-time starters in his MLB career, first with the Chicago Cubs and this season with the Mariners. He’s played in more than 100 games only once, in 2006. He was batting .167 (31 for 186) at the time of the trade. If Wilson was considered a below-average offensive shortstop, as Huntington recently acknowledged, Cedeno is way-below average. His career numbers go like this: batting average, .238, on-base percentage, .276 and slugging percentage, .339. All numbers are well below those of Wilson.
"Ronny is a solid Major League defensive-oriented shortstop," said Huntington. "We feel we can help him become more productive with the bat, while his defense helps our pitching staff.’’
Of Cedeno, it can be said: He’s not much but he’s all the Pirates have.
As for Wilson, once he declined a recent Pirates offer of $8 million over two years, he was as good as gone. Although Wilson publicly maintained a great loyalty to the Pirates, he had to be pleased by moving to a winning team, although the Mariners, 52-48, are in third place and 7 1/2 games back in the AL West and hardly a prime candidate for the post-season.
Snell sealed his fate by requesting a demotion to the minors after almost two full seasons of disappointing pitching. He had performed exceptionally well at Indianapolis and could give the Mariners rotation a boost.
Posted: Bob Smizik with 27 comment(s)
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