FRIDAY’S DAILY FIVE*Rumblings, Musings, Opinions*
1. It’s hard to defend the Pirates on doing nothing at the trade deadline. There’s really no way to defend them. The Pirates owed it to this group that has fought back to be right in the middle of the playoff race after a terrible April, to at least provide them a little jolt whether it was the type of trade I wrote yesterday they easily could have made with the Cubs for Emilio Bonifacio, James Russell, and after watching Jeff Locke of late, and inconsistencies from Edison Volquez, Charlie Morton, maybe a veteran No. 3/No. 4 type starter would not have been the worst idea.
2. My immediate reaction to the David Price trade…… it was a low return for the Rays and this was a trade the Rays could have made in the off-season. It appears most of the industry feels the same when it comes to various insiders who polled executives around the league.
Rival execs stunned by #Rays return on Price. Thought they'd get more based on what they asked elsewhere. Adames getting good reviews though
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) July 31, 2014
Getting lot of surprise from execs about #Rays' return for Price, feeling not enough. But Rays viewed Smyly/Franklin/Adames as best bid
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 31, 2014
Informal polling: Lots of folks around MLB surprised that TB didn't get more for David Price. Feeling is could've done this in December.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 1, 2014
The frustrating part with the Pirates is if you’re going to aggressively get into the mix for Price like the Pirates did in the last 12 hours leading into the deadline, and you have the assets and even Major League roster pieces to trump everyone else, you have to find a way to seal the deal. Easily could have been ways to off-set Price’s salary for this season and next by moving guys like Pedro Alvarez and Charlie Morton this winter or now. Talk of Huntington not even willing to include pitching prospect Nick Kingham in a deal for Price is a bit frustrating to hear if accurate.
3. In the Pirates 7-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks last night, the game started to turn in the fourth inning due to bad fielding again from Pedro Alvarez. Jordan Pacheco hit a hard grounder to third that Alvarez was unable stop that led to a double for Pacheco and Mark Trumbo going to third. Alvarez was not credited with an error but was still a ball that wasn’t impossible to stop and if he at least knocks it down, Trumbo doesn’t get to third.
Than with two outs and the Pirates leading 2-0, Diamondbacks pitcher Josh Collmenter hits a slow grounder to Alvarez who has all day and he makes a low throw to Ike Davis that Davis doesn’t come up with and the Diamondbacks score two runs and the entire momentum of the game changed. The error was changed from Alvarez’s to Davis and while Davis should have come up with it, it was still a horrible throw where the Pirates just can’t trust Alvarez out there right now.
4. Sources say Sidney Crosby has been extremely distant from the Penguins organization since Ray Shero’s firing and don’t expect that to change anytime soon. There is certainly some ill will developing from Crosby and his inner circle towards the Penguins. Exact reasons I won’t go into detail but it’s not hard to figure out for those who know what’s really going on behind the scenes.
The chatter is certainly out there and I wouldn’t be surprised if Crosby’s regretting being locked into a 12 year contract when his dad, others in his inner circle were pushing him to only sign a five year deal in summer of 2012. Crosby’s loyalty to Mario Lemieux won out but it might not a few years from now if things don’t change in a lot of areas and I’m not talking just on the ice.
5. Good thing the Steelers didn’t sign Ben Roethlisberger to an extension this summer or they would not have been able to sign their 32 year old kicker!
