Don't go Birdside, go Bayside!

Brian argued that the Pirates may have the last laugh in the Jason Bay trade. Let me see if I capture the essence of your argument, Bird.

We have a 3rd basemen who might be a good enough hitter that if he gets moved second base might be top five in the National League? And a pitcher that we hope no longer stinks in A-ball? (But look at the guy's picture... I can't wait to root for that.)

Weaker than the bones of your air-friendly skeleton, Birdman. And you completely lost me with the stats... weren't you the guy just chiding Anthony about sample size?

You're right that Jason Bay has some flaws. But no list of these flaws would include "wasn't a huge trading chip in 2008." Think of it in reverse: if the Pirates wanted to move LaRoche and Morris today for a proven player, what could they get? Not Franklin Gutierrez, and certainly not Cliff Lee, who were offered together by Cleveland for Bay and Ronny bleepin' Paulino. The Pirates thought they deserved more and nixed it.

Oh, by the way - if you've got twenty bucks, I've got a paper and pencil that could be an OK letter someday.

Can You 302 A Bird?

Bird still defends the Jason Bay trade. Give me 2 minutes to tell you why Bird should be 302'd.

In 2008, Pirates G.M. Neal Huntington traded Jason Bay for 4 players: Andy LaRoche, Brandon Moss, Bryan Morris, and Craig Hansen.

In his only full season with the Boston Red Sox, Bay hit 36 Homeruns, had 119 RBI's, and had an OPS of .921. He was 7th in the A.L. MVP voting.

Last year, the prize of the return--LaRoche, hit .258, had 12 Homeruns, and had an OPS of .731. Those below-average numbers actually trumped his 2008 post-trade performance, when he hit .152 in 49 games. (consider, too, that it's only a matter of time before he gets booted from 3rd base).

LaRoche has been a gem compared to Moss, who hit .236 last year with 7 Homeruns. After clearing waivers, he's now playing ball in AAA! WOOHOO!!!

(Miss me yet? Photo: David Littlefield)

Morris is a 23 year-old pitching in A ball. (what does that tell you?) He also has an attitude problem. Fabulous.

As for Hansen, well, he didn't exactly dominate in the second half of 2008 with the Pirates. He was 1-4 with a 7.47 ERA, and he walked 20 batters in 15.2 innings. In 2009, he became a pain in the neck and may never pitch again. (if he does, watch out for him and that 7.47 ERA!)

Way to wheel and deal, Neal.

So, there you have it. For one of the best players in the major leagues, the Pirates got basically nothing in return. It's one thing to shrug it off, but you've got to be crazy to defend the trade like Bird does.

Quick...you get his arms and I'll hold his legs. Now what's the quickest way to Western Psych?