Gorzelanny belongs in Pittsburgh

Jul 29 2009
Gorzelanny belongs in Pittsburgh
By Bob Smizik Wednesday, 12:30 a.m.

http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/bobsmizik/default.aspx

Earlier this season, when there was grumbling that manager John Russell was resting Freddy Sanchez so Sanchez would not achieve the number of plate appearances necessary to trigger an $8 million contract option for 2010, Pirates president Frank Coonelly roared with indignation.

He said, "I am very surprised and, quite frankly, offended that anyone would suggest that, in the middle of our worst slump in his tenure as a major league manager, John Russell would do anything other than put out the lineup he believes gives us the best chance to win the most baseball games.’’

In other words, how dare anyone question Russell's commitment to winning.

OK, we won’t do that. But how about questioning the commitment to winning of Coonelly and general manager Neal Huntington?

AP Photo

Pittsburgh Pirates' Tom Gorzelanny (24) pitches during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Thursday, May 21, 2009, in Washington. The Nationals won 5-4.

Night after night, the Pirates continue to deliberately not field their best team. And in doing so they are playing into the hands of the team’s many critics, who maintain the foremost concern of Bob Nutting’s Pirates is making money and not winning game.

Plain and simple, Tom Gorzelanny belongs in the starting rotation in Pittsburgh, not Indianapolis.

As long as Coonelly and Huntington insist on keeping Gorzelanny in Class AAA for purely financial reasons, they are making a mockery out of everything they say about a commitment to winning.

Virgil Vasquez, a borderline major leaguers, at best, has put together a few decent starts since being recalled from the minors late last month and, more recently, a couple of awful ones. If this were last year, and no one of quality was available in the minors, sticking with Vasquez might be an option.

But there’s plenty available in the minors, with the most notable option being Gorzelanny. If Gorzelanny did not have a successful major-league stint behind him, it might be possible for the Pirates to ignore what he’s doing at Indianapolis. But this is the guy who was 14-10 with a 3.88 earned run average in 2007. He’s done it before and he’s pitching like he can do it again.

Since returning to Indianapolis, after a three-week stint in the Pirates bullpen, Gorzelanny has an ERA of 1.16 in eight games. In view of that kind of pitching and his previous history of success, there should be no reason Gorzelanny isn’t taking the spot of Vasquez in the rotation.

Except for this: The Pirates are putting finances ahead of winning.

If Gorzelanny is brought back to the majors this week or any time soon, he will be eligible for arbitration next season, which could cost the Pirates millions. If he’s kept in the minors long enough to shut the door on arbitration in 2010, the Pirates can pay him little more than the MLB minimum, which would put in at around $430,000.

The additional money Gorzelanny might receive in arbitration is not insignificant, but let’s not forget, the Pirates made a killing last week by unloading Adam LaRoche’s contract, which had almost $3 million remaining on it. And let’s not forget they earlier unloaded Nate McLouth’s contract, which would have paid him $4.5 million in 2010.

This is not a situation similar to the one where the Pirates kept Andrew McCutchen at Indianapolis at the start of the season. If McCutchen had opened the season in Pittsburgh, it would have affected his eventual free agency. Whether Gorzelanny joins the Pirates this week, next month or next season, he won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2013 season.

This is the perfect opportunity for the Pirates to show their fans they care more about winning than saving a buck. Gorzelanny has earned a promotion. The players on the Pirates deserve to have their best teammates beside them.

Shame on Coonelly and Huntington if Gorzelanny is not the starter the next time Vasquez is due to pitch.

Posted: Bob Smizik with 13 comment(s)
Filed under: Virgil Vasquez, Neal Huntington, Andrew McCutchen, Bob Nutting, Frank Coonelly, Tom Gorzelann