Time is now for Pirates

By Mark Madden
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com
July 21, 2103

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Jason Grilli reacts after defeating the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 in a baseball game on Sunday, July 21, 2013, in Cincinnati. Grilli recorded his 30th save. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

As the Pirates continue to swoon by losing two of three at Cincinnati, many of the faithful remain adamant that the team’s top prospects should not be traded.

Those people are idiots.

Sports are almost always about right now, even more so after 20 straight losing seasons. Patience should be right out the window. Sacrifice a bit (or a lot) of tomorrow to heighten your chances for today.

That’s certainly the approach the Pirates used the last time they were any good.

On Aug. 8, 1990, the Pirates traded pitcher Scott Ruskin, third baseman Willie Greene and a player to be named later to Montreal for left-handed pitcher Zane Smith. Outfielder Moises Alou completed the deal eight days later.

Alou was the Pirates’ first pick (second overall) in the 1986 draft. Greene was their first choice (18th overall) in 1989. Ruskin was a third-round selection in ’86.

The Pirates mortgaged their future.

But they got the desired payoff. The deal worked.

Smith went 6-2 with a 1.30 ERA down the stretch. The Pirates won the National League East by four games. Smith got the Pirates over the top. They hadn’t made the playoffs since winning the World Series in 1979.

Smith also helped the Pirates win division titles in 1991 and ’92.

Alou played 17 big-league seasons, hitting .302 lifetime with 332 home runs. He was a six-time All-Star and won the World Series with Florida in 1997. Greene played nine seasons, hitting .234. Ruskin won 11 major-league games.

I never once heard a Pirates fan complain about Alou’s accomplishments in the years following that deal. A three-year run is more than most teams get.

A one-year run is more than the Pirates have had for two decades.

Alou was an All-Star. Greene disappointed. Ruskin did zilch. With prospects, you win some and lose some. Smith was an established big-league lefthander. He gave the Pirates immediate impact. He helped win three division crowns.

A contender makes that deal every time.

The current Pirates are a contender. But the Pirates haven’t been legit contenders for so long, maybe you’ve forgotten what contenders are supposed to do. Perhaps Pirates ownership and management has forgotten, too.

A refresher course: Contenders trade prospects for immediate help.

The notion that pitcher Jameson Taillon and outfielder Gregory Polanco are untouchable is silly. The idea that the Pirates have some glorious long-term future mapped out based on their retention is even more absurd.

GM Neal Huntington should be actively shopping Taillon and Polanco. Not looking to give them away, but looking to make the right deal.

The Pirates had 25 first-round draft choices between 1990-2009. Only six of those became major-league regulars. Only three -- Jason Kendall, Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez -- became All-Stars. Success is the exception. Busts like Chad Hermansen, J.J. Davis and Bryan Bullington are the rule.

Bullington, the first pick overall in 2002 when the Pirates drafted on the cheap, now pitches for Hiroshima in the Japanese league. No small irony.

Drafting and developing is a crapshoot. You throw mud at the wall and see what sticks.

57-39 is reality. A legit shot at the NL Central championship or a wild card is reality. A 6-9 record so far this month is reality, too. The Pirates need a boost.

Losing organizations constantly point to the future.

But, too often, the future never arrives.

Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9)