Pirates, Alvarez AGREE to terms; Scheppers unsigned

Cue the angelic music, with a beam of light shining down on PNC...the baseball gods have, finally, smiled upon the PBC.

WOW

Yes!  I can get some Zzzzz'z now.  

Thank Dejan for the entertaining blog, keep up the good work

Awesome!

I also see that Sheppers officially didn't sign.

www.baseballamerica.com/.../draft

YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

Great!  Thanks for your excellent coverage.

Schneppers did NOT sign per baseball america.

FANTASTIC!

Great News!

No go on Scheppers though...still very strong performance...

www.baseballamerica.com/.../draft

WOOO HOOO!!!!! Goodnight fellow bucco fans!!  World Series Champs 2012!!!

wow!

Pop the champagne corks!!!!

Pirates really come out as winners if these terms are indeed the case.

Take that Boras!!!

Amen, Amen, Amen.  Way to hold the line FC and NH.  Bummer about Scheppers not signing, but with his history iof injury ... can't blame the PBC for not offering more.

AMEN and goodnight

Beat em Bucs

Thank God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And there was much rejoicing.......Yeah

Great news.  This needed to be done and they finally landed what looks like a big time minor league player.

So when do the Pirates start selling Alvarez jerseys?

I'm going to break out that Bud Dry that's been sitting in my fridge for 15 years.  I might die drinking it, but I'll die a happy Pirate fan for one night.

Hooray! Finally something very positive for the Pirates.

Here it is ... the four words I thought I would never say ... I LOVE BOB NUTTING!!!

White smoke! We have a pope! OK, sorry, third baseman.

This isn't about one player, this is about the tide turning for PBC under new management. Frank, Neal: good work men!

Welcome to Pittsburgh, Pedro! We hope you have a wonderful career here!

YEEESSSSS!

Thank you Frank!

Thank you Neil!

Thank you Dejan for such a great blog!

I like the terms.

Awesome. as Donnie would say... love is like a rock..... great move Frank and Neil!

Is there any consolation for not signing a second round pick, like the Pirates would have gotten if Alvarez didn't sign?

Nutting had no choice but to sign him.  After all, he saved millions by dealing Bay and Nady.

sweet Jesus!  

we needed this. now I can sleeeeep.

thanks for the blogging, dejan.

Sucks a bit that Scheppers didnt sign, however, a lot of people believe that Wilson will ultimately be a much better pitcher even though he was overshadowed a bit from Scheppers at Fresno State.  Maybe the Pirates will try to draft Scheppers next year?  Doubtful considering next year's draft is supposed to be very pitcher heavy.  Wonder where the Pirates will draft next season?  I imagine it would still be pretty high.  Can't wait to go see Pedro at Spring Training..

Dustin C.  - Please don't go overboard!!!!  Who do you think hired the people that led us in to the wilderness

What a great day for PIrates baseball.  The talk about taking the best player regardless of price has been backed up by action.  Way to go NH and FC.  It looks like they ended up with their man at a price that is reasonable for the player.  Mabye Boras is losing his touch?

Let's Go Bucs!

one word ...

said some time during Spring Training 2008...

author unknown...

'Believe'

And the villagers rejoiced!

Well, NH answered my question. Now I can sleep peacefully tonight!

I think this works out well, the last thing the Succos need is to invest in a kid with shoulder problems all ready.  Hopefully this means Jose Bautista's Pittsburgh days are OVER.

i believe they get a compensatory for not signing scheppers.

I do not like the fact they did not sign scheppers.  Had they expected that more money should have been thrown towards wilson for the 10th and 13th pick.

Well, Scheppers was sort of a flyer of a pick.  I will remember to keep an eye on his future (senior year, injury status, next year's draft, pro success (or lack of)).

The Bucs may have lost a gem, but they may also have dodged a bullet.

Welcome Pedro and all of the other signees.

I haven't been this deluged with Pedro signage since my last trip past South of the Border.

Much MUCH Thankx to Dejan and the PG for this Great place for us to post and comment and vent....

Let's GO Bucs !!!!!!!!!

Well done.  We took a giant leap toward respectability today.

So how many of us were still refreshing the last post without going back to the home page to see this new one?  Oops.  Seriously, 6 mil.  Minor league deal.  Nice play NH / FC.  VERY nice.  They knew he'd sign.

Yep, next year the Pirates get two 2nd round picks, the third overall in the 2nd round and their regular pick.

you guys are all invited to my placefor beers till 1:00

Good news for the pirates.  Good night all.

Like they say, the icing on the cake.  Great draft by FC & NH!! Way to stick to their guns. Baseball tonight just repeated the 6MIL siging.

Great draft by our battling Bucs!  Too bad about TS, but it was worth the risk.  PA will look great in a Bucco uniform, knockin em over the Clemente wall.  It's a great night to be a fan, and exciting to look forward to the future of the team as opposed to the last decade and a half.  Great job Pirate management, and thanks for the up-to-the-minute newsflashes DK!  Wouldn't have expected anything less!

Not alot of great nights to say you're a Pirate fan.  This is one, tho.  

:)

Ok I expect printed Alvarez baseball cards at the gates on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  A handshake, more than one usher at the Clemente entrance, and on those baseball cards information about 2009 season ticket plans and deposits.  For those of us who are already season ticket holders our day is coming.  Another high draft pick in 2009, and we are on our way.

6 mil is a lower than i expected it'd be.  good deal.

a shame about the 2nd rounder, but i'm glad this new management is taking more risks.  A bottom dwelling team can't climb back up without taking some risks.

this NH guy seems to be doing pretty well his 1st year i'd have to say.

well, good night ppl

Ok, now, hopefully he works out..........Yes, let Pirates reality come back to life....hell, could be be worse that "Joey Bats" or anyone with the last name laroche?  

Nighty night all.  Kudos to the new Pirate administration.  And thanks, Dejan, for providing an entertaining forum for us to wail and gnash...and celebrate!  

GOT HOPE?!

i hope that alvarez can give the pirates some productive years before  we lose him to free agency or have to trade him in order to cut payroll.  this team is simply never going to be any good as long as we have this a$$ clown bob nutting in charge.

Dejan...any chance Pedro will go to the Arizona Fall League, just to get his feet wet this year?

Thank you NH and FC. They talked the talk and then walked the walk.

Scheppers wanted too too much money. Top 10 yeah right! How many pitchers in the past have the the PBC drafted that were not 100% and where has that gotten us?

Today is a day to celebrate the accomplishments of the front office and to say Welcome Aboard Pirate Alvarez!!!!!! Arrrrggg!

Wow.  Drafted the best player available, and signed him for 40% under what his agent initially wanted.

This is NOT the same organization we've been watching for 15 years.  Thank God.

Now that's what I am talking about, an email at 1254am stating the team signed Alvarez.  Any of you that get Bucco alerts or season ticket holder alerts, check your inbox.  Someone is up past their bedtime tonight.

Way to go, Scottie B.  You cost this kid (Alvarez) an entire year of his baseball career and didn't even get him the $$ of many lesser picks.  Let's hope that future prospects remember this when they are considering joining the stable of this overpriced pimp.

I really thought Alvarez was going to get 7-7.5 milllion to sign plus possibly a major league contract too.

That fact that the Pirates sigined him for less than Tim Beckham and even Buster Posey (although not by much) is just incredible. I've said before that Alvarez would sign for his family, if nothing else, and I believe that is what happened here.

I don't have a problem with the Scheppers deal not getting done. Any pitcher who wants above slot with a damaged shoulder is too much of a risk to me.

Am I the only one who sees An. Laroche at 3rd and PA at 1st within the next two seasons???  It's a bummer about Scheppers, but kudos to NH and FC for spending money where they thought necessary (above slot) to keep potentially valuable players from going to college.

The future PBC lineup:1.Andrew McCutchen CF

                                  2.Jose Tabata RF

                                  3.Nate McLouth LF

                                  4.Pedro Alvarez 1B

                                  5.Ryan Doumit C

                                  6.Andy LaRoche 3B

                                  7.Neil Walker 2B

                                  8.Brian Bixler SS

dwjones no need to rain on the parade. I firmly believe as I think do many here that FC and NH have impressed upon Nutting to spend wisely but to spend based upon their decisions. Let's wait and see, at least five years from now.

@dwjones: We got 6 years in major league ball, plus whatever it takes him to go through the minors...so don't worry too much about what's happening after the 2015 season at this point.

@Waittilnextyear  That is an excellent point.  I bet that if Alvarez said right away, right after he was drafted, "minor league deal, 6 million bonus.  I want to play now.", NH and FC would have said "welcome to the Pirates.  It's a deal."  That's a shame.

Neil Walker can't feel very good about himself right now...  First Andy Laroche, and now Alvarez.  I just don't see much of a long-term future for him in Pittsburgh...

Now we're only a couple years away from another 'vote for pedro' campaign.

Great work NH and FC!  Am I the only one who thinks Alvarez could have had this deal in June?

BigMc, great minds think alike :)

good night and good luck all it feels great to be a buccos fan at least for one night.

Let's not forget Boras was just an advisor until this thing was signed. As described earlier in detail the family and community had alot of input and maybe most of the input.

Does anyone think Mr. Alvarez will be driving his Taxi Cab in NYC tomorrow?

Congrats to the family and their community. "It takes a village to raise a child."

Did the Pirates just OUTSPEND every other team in the majors to sign 31 draft picks?

Well done PBC management!  The blood of last year's draft fiasco has finally dried off the streets.  

Let's send Danny Moskos to Fresno State to pitch with Scheppers!  Or better yet the can both pitch BP to to Matt Wieters.

Where did all these optimistic Pirates fans come from? I love it!!!! Nice work Neal and Frank. Didn't overpay for Alvarez, didn't bite on Scheppers, and also got deals done for Grossman and Wilson and Miller. I really am completely impressed. Maybe this ship is finally on the right course. Now we just need to get a young stud SS and an ace starter and we might have something here. Maybe I can take my kids to a World Series in Pittsburgh, since I missed out when I was kid, thanks to Francisco Cabrera.

Greetings from the PI where it's exactly twelve hours ahead of Pittsburgh time. But this Burgh native is estatic. Soon they will be calling the Allegheny River, Pedro's Pool...Great Job Bucco Management and you too D.H.!

@jonq: Yep, we got another game against the Mucking Fets tomorrow night and then a bunch of games against the Cubs and Brewers the rest of this month. This euphoria will end when we see a bad team with ice cold McLouth and Doumit take the field.

@BillKidd: Nope, I don't have a great mind, just a regular one. If I had a great mind, I would think I'd have a better job.

It really is great to see that the Pirates recognized they couldn't win with what they had.  So instead of withholding money, they put it back into the draft.  This team paid well above slot for a lot players.  Nice to see this money being put somewhere.

Pingback from  Pirates Sign Alvarez, Others « Playing For Pride

Good night fellow Bucco fans (even the casual ones that put our season average over 20,000 Friday night).

Go Bucs!  (can we win a skyblast game by the way)

Pedro throw out the first pitch on Sunday or Monday!!!!

The night is always darkest before the dawn; but I assure you, the dawn is coming.

-I believe in Neal Huntington.

Thanks, Dejan, for keeping us all informed minute-by-minute.

I'm guessing we've probably out posted the Steeler blog tonight.  Wow, look...I think I see horses coming out of the sky...

This is one of a very few remarkable days in the last 15 years for our PBC.  I have sat and watched previous management make senseless moves and try to find some logic, only to fail to do so.  Now I see these fine men doing some things that looked very unfamiliar.  As it turns out these fine men are correctly and candidly running a soon to be beyond respectable franchise.  I am so excited that this is now done, and I am also excited I am not the only one.  Trust NH and FC, and now perhaps even BN.  Afterall he said long before this process started things had to change and that they would change.  Kudos to all three men.  BTW:  I know they told them not to, but if a few of us season ticket holders got ahold of our ushers, perhaps we could watch a game without Casuals interrupting our views during game play.  And also what kind of stoned did the media department have replaying that Cabrerra disaster of 92 at Skyblast on Thursday.  I know it is a part of a national show, but they should have known a bit better.

Well Ladies and Gents and anyone or thing that may still be out there. I have finished toasting (with an Iron City I specifically bought for the occassion) the Brain Trust of our beloved PBC. Yesterday and what carried over into the wee hours of of this morning truly mark the end of the ways of the past and usher in what we hope is the beginning of a very bright and exciting future for not only the youngsters playing our National Pasttime but for us the fans of the PBC. There is still a long way to go and many more losses to endure but hopefully the foundation has been laid by this new managemnt to bring the winning ways back to this franchise.

Good night all.

Hey DK...A very special thanks to you for all of your hard work and dedication to your job and this blog. Tell your family thanks for letting us have you as well.  

Pirates top 5 prospects got pretty interesting in the last few weeks:

1.  Pedro Alvarez  3B

2.  Andrew McCutchen CF

3.  Jose Tabata  RF

4.  Bryan Morris  SP

5.  Brad Lincoln  SP

Compare that to BAs preseason top 5:

1.  McCutchen

2.  Neil Walker  3B

3.  Steve Pearce  1B

4.  Brad Lincoln  SP

5.  Daniel Moskos SP

Definately a significant upgrade.

first post guys, nice job on the blogoshere DK and crew.

at first i couldn't believe  the new front office... but they always sounded convincing if only because the stuff they said we hadn't heard round these parts for a while. but..they..seem to know what they are doing.

this past draft looks promising... that being said, if they turn THIS franchise around with one draft what took so long !!! i mean just for fun wouldn't you draft like this atleast once in sixteen years ??? by accident even?

Wow, the song actually makes sense now: "A NEW Pirate generation... Everybody shout: LET'S GO BUCS!"

Congrats to FC and NH for holding strong until the end, and Bob Nutting for actually lending his weight behind money well spent for a change.

Alvarez, Wilson, Grossman, Miller... four studs to complete a great draft, rounding out a year we will look back on and say, "THIS was the year they FINALLY turned it all around!"

I just got home from the pizza wars, here in East Texas (they say it's something about the water here), where it's 3:55 a.m.

It took me about a half-hour to read all the posts here ... I know it's not religion but reading all this joy is like an extra Christmas, and it definitely feels like New Year's Eve.

I lift an imaginary Iron City with you, BillyKidd:

Thanks NH, FC and BN ... for a job well done.

Thanks, DK, for this Blog and, as Ol' Blue Eyes would say, "for this great, big wonderful band."

And thanks, Pedro, for signing that dotted line. I know you had incentive ... but I gotta believe a lot of it is character-driven.

"Kickin' Rear End in 2010"

Good night, Friends!

It has gotten so bad that the best moment we've experienced in the last decade and a half, promises joy not today, nor tomorrow, but still multiple years away.

"promises joy not today, nor tomorrow, but still multiple years away."

Nah, that's why signing PA was so critical, he's as polished a hitter as you're likely to see in a draft and he won't linger in minors for very long. The new front off doesn't run things by the old school rules and they'll push the prospects that perform up the ladder as warranted.  2010 may not be a play off year, but it definitely won't be another losing season either.

And personally I don't see this signing as the end of Bautista's career in Pittsburgh, but rather Freddy Sanchez's

Scheppers and his adviser made a huge mistake btw.  He'd have been a whole lot better off having his shoulder being cared for by the doctors and resource of a professional club with a million dollars invested in his future well being than some college team with no long term interest in it.  Bad move son, bad move.

great

Last night I promised myself I would go to bed without obsessing about the deadline.  I laughed out loud this morning when I saw how close to the wire NH pushed things again.  I would not want to play poker, or chicken against him.

I think some kudos and/or haps HAVE to go to Bob Nutting.  He really seems to finally be stepping up and opening the wallet for the Bucs to make good moves lately.