I have decided to take a few minutes today and comment on the open letter to the fans that was published today by Pirates GM Neal Huntington.. Here is the letter,Along with our comments..Enjoy!
June 6, 2009
Dear Pirates Fan,
Dear Suffering Jackasses,
On the heels of this Wednesday's trade with the Atlanta Braves, I felt it was important that you hear directly from me as to why this move brings us closer to our goal of building a consistent championship organization and providing you a team of which you will be proud.
(Of course this may take another 20 years,But you'll be damn happy when it's done!!!)
Obviously this was a very difficult decision as Nate is a quality player and person. We knew this move was not going to be popular in the clubhouse with our players or among our fan base who have suffered through a long stretch of losing seasons. Despite recognizing the probable unpopularity of this trade, we believed it to be the right step for our organization and made a sound baseball decision.
(We really don't care about the fans,Or the players for that matter..Get bent we are doing what we want)
The quality and quantity of the players we received in this trade was the crucial component to this trade. We are excited about the three young players we received. We have been interested in and closely monitored all three of these players for some time as they are highly regarded by us and by most within the industry.
(Fry cooks are highly regarded also,But you don't trade 1 of the better fry cooks for 3 guys that may do well)
Charlie Morton is a power right-handed starting pitcher with upside, who should be ready to help us this year in Pittsburgh. In fact, in his first outing for our Triple-A affiliate, he tossed seven scoreless innings, giving up only four hits while striking out seven. Jeff Locke is an intriguing young left handed starter with the frame, athleticism and stuff to become a quality major league starting pitcher. Gorkys Hernandez is a dynamic athlete who has the speed and potential to become an above average everyday major league outfielder. It is worth noting that these three players were rumored to be sought by the Padres when they were talking to the Braves about trading former Cy Young award winner Jake Peavy.
(Sure they have potential,But the bottom line is we own their asses for at least 5 years,We sure know how to save a few bucks)
Additionally, Andrew McCutchen has proven that he is ready to take the next step and begin his career at the Major League level. Andrew has done what we have asked of him in Triple-A and showed he was ready for the challenges of the Major League level. Andrew is an intelligent, hard working player that has shown the present ability to play impact defense in centerfield. While we do not expect Andrew to replace Nate's power production immediately, Andrew is an exciting top-of-the-order player who proved this spring that he can be an exciting part of a productive offense.
(No argument about Andrew,1 Point I won't argue with)
Ultimately, to become a championship team we need more championship caliber players at all levels. As difficult as these types of trades are to make, they are an important part of the talent acquisition and development process that will position us to be a consistent championship caliber organization sooner rather than later.
(Maybe,Just maybe if the last GM was smarter then a monkey throwing his own shit,We would not be in the mess we are today.But thanks to his mismanagement of the team,And the players..We have no shot in hell until we restock the Minor Leagues)
I understand why some people at first glance may believe this move was financially motivated, but I can assure you that this was strictly a baseball decision. In fact, our owner Bob Nutting was as surprised as some of our fans when we sought his approval for this trade. I am grateful that he has the faith in me, our baseball operations staff and the processes we have in place to approve a move like this, despite the risk of public backlash on him personally and the organization as a whole. Furthermore, I am appreciative that he continues to provide us with the resources necessary to build a championship caliber organization. Whether we sought to build our new facilities in Bradenton and the Dominican Republic, sign our young major league players to long-term deals, triple our amateur signing bonus budget in order to be aggressive in acquiring talent both domestically and internationally or significantly increase our scouting and development budgets, Bob was willing to provide the resources necessary to make these fundamental changes.
(When you say it isn't about money,People tend to think it is.Great idea #1,Don't tell people it wasn't about money)
We have said several times that tough decisions will need to be made as we build and sustain a championship caliber organization. The decision to trade Nate was perhaps the most difficult one both personally and professionally that we have made to date. Tough decisions are not always popular. However, we have a singular focus on our goal of building an organization that can consistently compete for championships, not simply finish above .500. The organizational talent level has been vastly improved during the past two years and, as a result, we are a much stronger organization and closer to our ultimate goal.
(If this is true,Well I'm 100% for trading the entire team if that's what it takes..)
Your understanding of the situation is greatly appreciated by all of us in the organization. Your passion for this team is the driving force behind our motivation to bring winning baseball back to you, the fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
(Please please for the love of god stop yelling at us..We like you,We really do)
Sincerely,
(Get Bent)
Neal Huntington
Senior Vice President and General Manager
Pittsburgh Pirates
I along with many other Pirate fans were shocked when I read the news about Nate being traded to the(Ugh)Atlanta Braves. The players we received in return should actually help the club.I hope the Pirates front office pulls the trigger like this more often.Yes it sucks when a good player goes away.But in the long run this is helping stock a very barren Minor League system.
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