Chapter 1: What are the Yankees offering for Paul Skeens?
All right, another story by John Heyman. This one detailing what the Yankees were offering for Paul Skeens and saying they're bound to come back and try again. And you know they will be. And I hate to get into this today because it's going to seem like it's linked to his start from yesterday, which it obviously is not. It's simply linked to the fact that Heyman wrote it.
Yankees made a push for Skeens. And are likely to try again. They offered four top prospects. That's not close to whatever it would be, even in a theoretical world, to get Skeens. But at some point soon, like real soon, this becomes a topic. They traded Garrett Cole with two years left on his deal. Skeens has three.
Starting next year, it'll be three years of arbitration, and then he becomes an unrestricted free agent. So if they were ever to trade him at the same time they did Garrett Cole, it would be after this season. So, you know, I heard it last year when all the people wanted to say how ridiculous it was to even bring that topic up. Is it? If you look at pirate history, is it that ridiculous?
And what in a theoretical world would you get for Paul Skeens? Did you hear that, Charlie? Loud and clear. It was the pirates falling apart. What was that? It was a panel coming off of this... Well, panel board. It fell. Are you okay? I'm okay. I'm fine. Yeah. A little bit traumatized by the incident, but I'm okay. As long as it's not like a roof tile that falls.
Yeah, that would be bad if that had fallen above my head. This is going to be a persistent topic. And whether anybody out there thinks so or not, a legitimate topic. When the last time that you had a great pitcher, you traded him with two years left on his deal.
Before he could become an unrestricted free agent, then obviously it's going to be a topic when this guy has three years left after this year. If not now, then certainly after this season. It is. In the meantime, he has a problem and the Pirates have a problem. And his name is O'Neal Cruz. He can't play center field. And he can't hit, but that's sort of beside the point right now. 412-928-9370.
Or maybe that is part of the point now that I think about it. Let's hit the phone lines, Nelly.
Let's go to our friend Anthony in Oakland. What's up, Anthony?
Joe, I've been watching baseball for more than 60 years. And what I've noticed about Cruz, ever since they removed him from shortstop, is his body language. He's not happy with it. And he plays like that. I watched him in that, you know, he had all the round-the-world players, the team world stuff. He was around all those Latin players.
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Chapter 2: Why is O'Neal Cruz's position change controversial?
He's converting the center field from shortstop. Have any of you ever tried to convert defensive positions?
Didn't he already have time to do that? And didn't he already have a whole offseason to work on it? Have you ever seen somebody in center field make plays like that on consecutive pitches?
Yeah. If he can, then how can he hit? We've all been so excited.
Who's all? Who's we've all been so excited about what he can do this season? You guys have all been talking. I said bat him 7th. I said bat him 7th.
One game and you guys are going to ridicule him. No, no, no.
It's the last two months of last season when he batted 133 and 167. It's basically his career right now up to this point has been a disappointment. Would you disagree with that?
No, not at all. I'm happy with it. I'm good with what he does. I'm good with what he offers. I'm good with what he can offer.
You're good with a guy hitting 200 and playing terrible defense and striking out a million times?
I'm good with that. I'm good with nothing. Listen, stay where they're staying.
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Chapter 3: How has O'Neal Cruz's performance impacted the Pirates?
I do. But I've been watching baseball for a long time, and I've never seen consecutive pitches turn out that way in center field. And again, it sounds funny or ridiculous, but why aren't you wearing sunglasses? And then the hitting part of it just isn't happening. Maybe it will this year. In that respect, it's one game. yeah, I'm willing to let this play out. We're going to have to.
He's not going anywhere. But the concern level, hitting-wise, has to be high. No? Next. Tom in Bethel Park. Hey, Tom.
Hey, Joe. How are you? First-time caller, long-time listener. Anthony and and stole my thunder, and I definitely agree with you. I think they made the mistake by not dealing him last year. By not what? About not dealing him last year, trading him to someone over the winter, because he's just, you know, Joe, you don't, you can't change personality.
You change your behavior and his personality for some reason with the pirates is probably like a Gregory Polanco, you know, uh, you know, let's just focus on his base running, uh, in this spring, I listened to a few games and he still, you know, he stole a lot of bases, but he still over slides to the base. You know, he, he should have been tagged out.
probably two or three times just in spring training. So he just doesn't have the baseball mentality.
It's been a tough watch. It's been a tough watch. But having said all that, our last caller, I'm sure, would point out, and I would agree, that they're still tantalizing talent here. This dude is just a rare, rare talent, but he is 27, and he is coming off a horrendous season. Let's make no mistake about that. Yes, he stole 38 bags. He did. He batted 200.
He was just an average player if you measure offense and defense, which is the war stat, W-A-R. He's just another guy out there. Great guy to have around in a skills contest, not so much a baseball game. Nelly, who's next? Matt in the car. Hey, Matt.
Hey, Joe. How are you doing today? Good. What's up? Here's my thing with Cruz, and it's multiple. I'm a college coach. I'm a coach in college baseball for almost 25 years. Yeah. And I've dealt with guys on the professional level. First thing, I always thought it made more sense transition-wise if you're going to move Cruz to put him at first base. He's 6'7", with that wingspan.
A lot of his stuff a lot of times was throwing accuracy. Well, guess what? Don't have to be that accurate at first base. And you're fielding the ball, stepping on the bag. and catching the ball, which I think he could have done well at 6'7", and probably would have helped our infielders out too.
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of trading a top pitcher like Skeens?
Yes, Joe. I can't hear you very well. There's wind blowing. There's all kinds of things happening. Okay. Be careful out there. No truck. Go ahead. Talk. You can talk. He hung up. Yeah. I mean, that was, that was a rough here.
Anytime somebody has us on speakerphone, I always say, take us off speakerphone.
I know. I don't want anybody to do anything to be manipulating things in their car. That's all.
That's fair.
And I was scared for him.
Next. Ken in Saxenburg.
What's up, Ken?
Hey, thanks for taking my call, Joe. I've been following Pirates baseball for a while, and I know the last five to ten years, it started with pitching. We had great pitching, and they all went to other teams, and now they're starters for playoff teams. Now that same mentality has gone to position players, and what I'm saying is it comes down to one thing. Lousy player development.
Are you talking about Cruz specifically, or who are we talking about here?
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Chapter 5: How does player development affect the Pirates' success?
And I still think I'd rather have more offense. It certainly didn't play out in game one where they got the offense, but the defense and the pitching, I might add, were disastrous.
But they got a 26-man roster that maybe four or maybe five in Skeen, Santana, Lau, O'Hearn, and Soto are actual big league average or better players. Everyone else is either average or below average, or we're still waiting on potential. That's 22 of the 26-man roster.
I don't know if I'd go that far. I mean, Reynolds was average to below average last year, but I think he's an above-average player. O'Hearn, Lau, Ozuna. Even Cruz is slightly above average, you could say.
Oh, he bats 200. Come on. He's got potential that they're waiting on, but he's still an average to below average player.
You're actually right. Yeah. He's average to below average. You're right.
Yeah. You're right. Another guy out there.
Listen, his war last year was zero.
You try and find your best nine athletes and say, okay, you're going to play right, left, center. It's not a serious organization.
I think this year it is a serious attempt to win. I do. I think they sacrificed defense for offense. Let's let it play out at least four games instead of one.
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Chapter 6: What are the concerns about Cruz's defensive abilities?
They've clearly sacrificed defense for offense. Let's see, perhaps, how it plays out, Charlie. Can we at least wait another two games and make all our final judgments three games into the season with 159 left?
I would agree. I have stats for you, if you would like some. Please. People were kind of overreacting about... Paul Skeens did look shaky yesterday. He did.
He was missing... He did, and I'm monitoring that situation. Believe me, we all are. Because I don't like the fact that he had to ramp up to playoff-level baseball in March.
But go ahead. He was not sharp, but obviously he could have been out of the inning at 2-2. In Paul Skeens' 56 career starts, there have only been six where he has given up four or five runs. No more than five. Yeah. In the five starts after... That he's made after those games where he's given up four or five? Yeah. Do you follow? Yep.
His numbers are 3-0 in five starts with a 1.55 ERA, 33 strikeouts, six walks, and a one whip.
Yeah, and I would expect him to have a great game the next time out. I think he's going to be just fine. As long as not a lot of balls are hit to center field. And the sun's out. And yeah, let's hope for a cloudy day.
Your flashlight's on.
I know. Here's the other thing, by the way. Not exactly ultra important, but something I believe in. Why do you have to touch the ball to make it an error? Clearly, the ball that Cruz let go over his head should be ruled an error. It's simply a judgment. It was a fielding error. Why should the pitcher get earned runs on his record because the center fielder butchered two plays?
Those were both errors. Neither one was a charged error because he didn't touch the ball. And while we're at it, Nelly? Nelly? You just threw a lot of information at me all at once. Well, let's stick to baseball. I completely butcher a play in center field, a little league fly ball that I don't catch. How is that not an error? It's a great question. Scores decision? No, it's a rule.
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Chapter 7: How do fans perceive the team’s loyalty to players like Cruz?
Secondary assists are weird. But they're a thing. They are assists. They absolutely are. So Sidney Crosby passes. Great pass. You know, perfect pass. And then Geno passes back to Sid and Sid scores. Why shouldn't he get an assist and a goal on the same play? Wrong. He should. Do you agree as a hockey guy? If it were anybody else making the first pass, they would get an assist. I disagree. Why?
I don't know. I don't think you should get credit for more than one thing on an individual play in hockey. Maybe you set up the play that led to your goal, but it's still your goal. Therefore, you're getting credit for your goal.
But you also assisted on your own goal. Why can't you assist on your own goal? If they give out, that's the problem with a second assist. That would never happen in basketball.
Well, there's a thing called pass to assist in basketball. Isn't there a thing called pass to assist? It's the first time I ever heard it in my life. Like somebody who passes the ball to somebody who assisted on a scoring play in basketball.
Yeah, that's called the hockey assist.
Well, the secondary assist in basketball is known as pass to assist.
Pass to assist, okay. All right. Well, we'll ponder these things as the show moves forward. This is why I like working with you. You make my brain work. Who do we have? We have Ron Everhart at 1230. Correct. And then Bob Walk will be very, very interesting. I'm going to ask him that question at one o'clock.
In the meantime, let's continue with your calls on Cruz, on anything we're talking about here. And then who did John Heyman say the Yankees offered last year for schemes? We'll get into that. In just a moment, 412-928-9370. I already did fan weather, so I'm clear here. Thank you, Charles.
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