2 years, 11 months ago
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about Nate McLouth
Why do you think would the Pirates trade Nate McLouth?
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M$1 Answer
He was the player who could bring back the most pieces in a trade, and he was going to be without a position.
1. The Pirates' best high-minors prospect is Andrew McCutchen (link 2), who is also a CF, and was ready to come up. He probably could have started the year at the major league level, but many teams hold their top prospect until after June 1 because of the rules regarding "Super Two" arbitration (link 3).
2. While McLouth was arguably the Pirates' best player, his 2009 production had regressed to his 2007 level (link 1). At that level, he is a solid CF because of his defense, but would be below average in LF or RF.
3. While the Pirates LFs have not exactly distinguished themselves, they had no trade value.
4. The Braves offered three reasonable prospects - not their top couple of prospects, but the Pirates need a volume of players.
Now, the Pirates under their previous regime were known for horrific cash-dumping trades, such as the Cubs' getting Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez in 2003 for spare parts (link 4). But this trade does seem to make a bit of sense, as long as the Pirates can follow up with a plan to acquire a young power-hitting LF in the near future.
1. The Pirates' best high-minors prospect is Andrew McCutchen (link 2), who is also a CF, and was ready to come up. He probably could have started the year at the major league level, but many teams hold their top prospect until after June 1 because of the rules regarding "Super Two" arbitration (link 3).
2. While McLouth was arguably the Pirates' best player, his 2009 production had regressed to his 2007 level (link 1). At that level, he is a solid CF because of his defense, but would be below average in LF or RF.
3. While the Pirates LFs have not exactly distinguished themselves, they had no trade value.
4. The Braves offered three reasonable prospects - not their top couple of prospects, but the Pirates need a volume of players.
Now, the Pirates under their previous regime were known for horrific cash-dumping trades, such as the Cubs' getting Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez in 2003 for spare parts (link 4). But this trade does seem to make a bit of sense, as long as the Pirates can follow up with a plan to acquire a young power-hitting LF in the near future.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
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