OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The Bucs Start Here - A Pirates Do-Over

luckymann · 08-19-2023, 10:38 PM

I guess this takes the form of an unscheduled mini-update, but it fits better here than waiting until end July because some big changes are afoot.

We start June in a positive manner with a 4-game sweep at the Braves seeming to put some wind in our sails. We need it, too, just to keep up with the surging Phillies, although we have ground down the deficit to 2 games by the time we head there for a four-gamer in late June.

Then we play our worst series to date as the usual characters just don’t show up when needed. Long gone are the days when opponents had to fight this club for every win. This is a different type of player we’re seeing now and I don’t like it one bit. Nor do I like being a half-dozen games back again just like that.

I do, however, like it better than being 10 games back, as is the case when we just keep losing—eight in a row for starters, and by the time July rolls around and we cap off this absolutely horrid stretch (ignoring for now the fact that we went 15-15 for the month) by dropping two of three at home to Philly to sit at 41-41, we have trashed our season entirely.

At this point my focus shifts to 1971. There are members of this group that I just don’t see us winning with and it is time to move them on in favour of the players that I believe will get us there.

Step one in this process uses up our second trade ticket for the year. We try everything we can to make this an even bigger swap but to no avail. It won't be the last of 1970, if I have my way.

Bunning has really turned it around for us this year but at 37 and on big $$ his brief Pirates career in this timeline ends with this season, leaving us in desperate need of an ace to lead our rotation moving forward. The role was Fryman's but he has been horrendous this season and has now blown his chance. I had always intended to acquire Dock at some point, and now I have. Hide the purple pills, people.

The cliff approaches for Lemaster and that $200k per for the next couple seasons will come in real handy, as will his CC slot. Torrez is an ineligible we'd been holding back for this sort of deal; Schwall is toast.

We've still got Mota and Helms in tow. Blass remains in my bad books and so, if we can tie the three of those up in a nice package for another top-notch SP then we will. But I'm not going to do anything foolish, we simply can't afford to at this point, voices in my head be damned...

EDIT

The Mets come to town for four immediately after this and we break bread with them at the end of the series because the top guy on their list is at their club. It takes a long negotiation and a fairly hefty price, but eventually we swing this deal:

"The Singer Throwing Machine" - easily the best nickname in MLB history IMHO - comes aboard as our new SP2 and CC3. He's got another year of arb and will be pricey to retain past that, but when we add the payroll relief from this trade to the kitty, even with the retentions we should be able to find a way, especially with some other imminent departures.

OK, we are done for now.

08-19-2023, 10:38 PM	#2190
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 12,745	The Wheeling and the Dealing I guess this takes the form of an unscheduled mini-update, but it fits better here than waiting until end July because some big changes are afoot. We start June in a positive manner with a 4-game sweep at the Braves seeming to put some wind in our sails. We need it, too, just to keep up with the surging Phillies, although we have ground down the deficit to 2 games by the time we head there for a four-gamer in late June. Then we play our worst series to date as the usual characters just don’t show up when needed. Long gone are the days when opponents had to fight this club for every win. This is a different type of player we’re seeing now and I don’t like it one bit. Nor do I like being a half-dozen games back again just like that. I do, however, like it better than being 10 games back, as is the case when we just keep losing—eight in a row for starters, and by the time July rolls around and we cap off this absolutely horrid stretch (ignoring for now the fact that we went 15-15 for the month) by dropping two of three at home to Philly to sit at 41-41, we have trashed our season entirely. At this point my focus shifts to 1971. There are members of this group that I just don’t see us winning with and it is time to move them on in favour of the players that I believe will get us there. Step one in this process uses up our second trade ticket for the year. We try everything we can to make this an even bigger swap but to no avail. It won't be the last of 1970, if I have my way. Bunning has really turned it around for us this year but at 37 and on big $$ his brief Pirates career in this timeline ends with this season, leaving us in desperate need of an ace to lead our rotation moving forward. The role was Fryman's but he has been horrendous this season and has now blown his chance. I had always intended to acquire Dock at some point, and now I have. Hide the purple pills, people. The cliff approaches for Lemaster and that $200k per for the next couple seasons will come in real handy, as will his CC slot. Torrez is an ineligible we'd been holding back for this sort of deal; Schwall is toast. We've still got Mota and Helms in tow. Blass remains in my bad books and so, if we can tie the three of those up in a nice package for another top-notch SP then we will. But I'm not going to do anything foolish, we simply can't afford to at this point, voices in my head be damned... *EDIT* The Mets come to town for four immediately after this and we break bread with them at the end of the series because the top guy on their list is at their club. It takes a long negotiation and a fairly hefty price, but eventually we swing this deal: "The Singer Throwing Machine" - easily the best nickname in MLB history IMHO - comes aboard as our new SP2 and CC3. He's got another year of arb and will be pricey to retain past that, but when we add the payroll relief from this trade to the kitty, even with the retentions we should be able to find a way, especially with some other imminent departures. OK, we are done for now. __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS PIRATES A'S RED SOX DODGERS CUSTOM SAVES ECLIPSE LEAGUE MOON SHOT LEAGUE EVERYMAN LEAGUE GULF LEAGUE Last edited by luckymann; 08-19-2023 at 11:38 PM.