Wednesday, February 18, 2009
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
John Bazemore/AP
Nate McLouth, Pirates' newest millionaire.
The Pirates surely have not made a splash in acquiring outside talent this offseason, but the three-year, $15.75 million contract they signed yesterday with center fielder Nate McLouth buoyantly capped management's goal of securing all three of its identified core players -- along with pitcher Paul Maholm and catcher Ryan Doumit -- into what would have been their free-agency years.
Total commitment: $41.75 million.
Total commitment if all club options are exercised: $75.15 million.
Total years of control between the three players: 13.
"The long-term commitments we have made to core players developed here, both this year and last year, reflect our commitment to build a strong core from within our system," team president Frank Coonelly said from Phoenix, where the Pirates and McLouth avoided an arbitration hearing that was to take place there yesterday. "Ryan, Paul and Nate all dedicated themselves to becoming championship-caliber players, and all three demonstrated a strong desire to play integral roles in this organization's turnaround."
The most surprising of the signings, given all that led to it, was McLouth's.
He and the team agreed in the wee hours of yesterday morning on three guaranteed years plus a club option for 2012, with the following breakdown:
• $1.5 million signing bonus.
• Salaries of $2 million this season, $4.5 million next season and $6.5 million in 2011.
• Club option worth $10.65 million for 2012, with a buyout of $1.25 million.
• Escalator clauses that increase McLouth's salary the season after he makes any of three achievements: $200,000 for an All-Star appearance this year and next, $300,000 for one in 2011; $200,000 for a Gold Glove this year and next, $300,000 for one in 2011; $100,000 for a Silver Slugger this year and next, $150,000 for one in 2011.
Maximum value of the contract is $26.9 million and, unlike most of its kind, the bonuses appear reasonably attainable: McLouth, 27, is coming off a breakout 2008 in which he played in the All-Star Game, won a Gold Glove and batted .276 with 26 home runs, 94 RBIs and 23 steals.McLouth was not available for comment because he was traveling from Phoenix to Bradenton, Fla., where he will rejoin the team this morning for spring training.
Finding common ground was not easy.
The Pirates initially approached McLouth and agent Mike Nicotera about a multiyear contract in November, but those talks disintegrated by the first week of December to the point that Coonelly publicly declared the prospects "close to dead." Nicotera concurred.
The goal turned toward a one-year contract simply to avoid arbitration, but even that made little progress: The sides filed numbers more than $1 million apart -- the player at $3.8 million, the team at $2.75 million -- and seemed set for the hearing yesterday before a three-member panel that would have chosen one or the other.
Things shifted last week, by all accounts, when Coonelly became directly involved, joining Larry Silverman, the Pirates' chief legal counsel. Coonelly raised several fresh scenarios, including a term as long as five years, in an attempt to start anew.
"Give Frank the credit," Nicotera said. "It was at his urging that we went back to a multiyear. We didn't come out here expecting that."
All parties, including McLouth, flew to Phoenix on Monday for the hearing, but Coonelly called for a dinner-time meeting at a downtown hotel, and his objective was a settlement that involved multiyear terms. Six hours later, at 3:20 a.m. Eastern time, hands were shaken in the lobby.
"While we hit several roadblocks during the course of the discussions, no one was willing to quit on the process or draw lines in the sand," Coonelly said.The Pirates would have retained McLouth's rights the next three years through arbitration, with or without the extension. The keys, as are stressed so often by management types, are cost certainty in that span, as well as gaining those club options on free-agency years.
The plan is modeled after the one Cleveland general manager Mark Shapiro -- Pirates general manager Neal Huntington's previous boss -- has used for years with the Indians: Identify core young players, sign most of them early and hope that many more pan out than fail.
Since Coonelly and Huntington took over in late 2007, their list of multiyear extensions in this category are Maholm (three years plus an option, $14.5 million guaranteed), Doumit (three years plus two options, $11.5 million), starter Ian Snell (three years plus two options, $8.6 million), closer Matt Capps (two years, $3.05 million), and now McLouth.
"We definitely feel like we're heading in the right direction," Huntington said yesterday in Bradenton. "You look at the players, you look at the bodies ... you look at the talent on the field, and everybody feels more familiar."
The other two offseason signings spoke optimistically of the franchise's future.
"Now, we have the core guys who are going to be around for a while," Maholm said. "We need to kind of take it upon ourselves to make sure things are done right and to turn it around and start winning."
"There's a lot of talent here," Doumit said. "When we turn it around, we want to be part of that. They made a commitment to us. Now, it's our duty to reward them."
The Pirates have 13 players signed toward the 2009 season, with a salary total of $44.25 million. The final 12 on the opening day roster are expected to have salaries in the $400,000-$600,000 range, either because they lack three years in the majors or or attending spring training on minor league contracts.
Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com.
Post-Gazette sports writer Chuck Finder contributed to this report from Bradenton.
First published on February 18, 2009 at 12:00 am
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