Mailbag: Reinforcing a foundation?

11/21/2005
Why did the Pirates use $18 million of their small payroll on one person (Jason Bay) when they could have spread it out and gotten a better team? -- Darius, Pittsburgh
Bay's deal is for four seasons, and it is loaded at the back end. He received a $1 million dollar bonus to go along with his $750,000 salary for 2006, so only $1.75 million will be counted against the approximately $50 million the Pirates intend to spend on payroll next season.
The Pirates, in all likelihood, will attempt to divide their additional resources this winter among several players rather than try to land one "big name" player at a salary of $8 million or more for 2006. One of the reasons that the team tried for so long to deal Jason Kendall was because his contract represented such a large percentage of the overall payroll.
Is there any chance of Brian Giles coming back? Although he was a negative clubhouse presence during his stay here, he'd be good for 40 home runs. -- Robert B., Patton, Pa.
This has been by far the most popular Mailbag question in recent weeks. This should come as no surprise given that Giles was the Bucs' top player during his time here and he is now available as a free agent.
Unfortunately for the multitude of Giles fans out there among the Pirates faithful, I don't believe there is any chance at all that he will return to the team.
Giles, a California native, told me on several occasions during his tenure with the Bucs that he would prefer to play close to home. He also preferred to play for a team with a chance to compete for a division title. He got his wish on both counts when he was dealt to the Padres in 2003.
Even if Giles wanted to return to the Pirates, I don't think it would be a great fit for the team at this point.
Giles will celebrate his 35th birthday on Jan. 21 and his numbers have been on the decline the past few seasons. Granted, PETCO Park's spacious dimensions obviously have affected his production. But Giles has also hit only 22 home runs on the road during the last two years.
Could he bounce back to be a .300-30-100 RBI guy again next year? Absolutely. But, at his age, would it be worth the Pirates' financial risk to offer him a salary of $6-8 million per year (he earned $25 million from 2003-05) for two or three seasons? Probably not.
Do you think Chris Duffy will be the regular center fielder next season? I was really impressed with him. He seems like a .300 or better hitter. I was also impressed with his defense. -- Ron S., New Castle, Pa.
Duffy would have to be considered the overwhelming favorite to win the starting job heading into Spring Training.
As you mentioned, Ron, Duffy showed the ability to hit at the big league level during his injury-shortened stint with the Bucs in July and August. He also played some of the most spectacular outfield defense we have seen in Pittsburgh since the days when Andy Van Slyke was patrolling the carpet at Three Rivers Stadium in the 1990's.
However, for as impressive as Duffy looked last season, he must still have a strong spring to earn the center field job on a full-time basis. With less than 40 games of big league experience under his belt, he's no lock for the job quite yet. Within the last five years, the Pirates have watched Adrian Brown and Tike Redman finish a season strong and then tail off considerably once being handed the Opening Day job in center field.
Do you know what the dates of the Pirates minicamp are? -- C.J. N., Houston
The Pirates minicamp, which was instituted by former manager Lloyd McClendon and pitching coach Spin Williams in 2001 as a way for the team to monitor the health of their pitchers, will continue under the Jim Tracy regime. This winter, the minicamp will be held in Bradenton, Fla. from January 10-15, 2006.
How much of the Pirates' solutions to their problems are going to have to come from players already on the roster improving their performance over last season's results? -- Dan F., Bremerton, Wash.
Great question, Dan.
While it's always fun for folks to speculate on which players the Pirates might be able to add this offseason in order to bolster the lineup and the pitching staff, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that the bulk of the team's improvement must come from within. And on any team that loses 95 games, there is always room for improvement.
Beginning with the pitching staff, it is certainly within reason to expect better seasons from Oliver Perez and Kip Wells in 2006. Perez was one of the dominant starters in baseball in 2004, and Wells was the ace of the staff in 2003 while finishing 11th in the National League in ERA. They both obviously have the stuff to be winners in the big leagues.
Offensively, Craig Wilson should absolutely be able to contribute close to 30 home runs again next season if he can stay healthy. It can also be reasonably expected that Jack Wilson and Jose Castillo will be more productive in 2006.
Duffy, if he can improve his patience at the plate, could give the Pirates the legitimate leadoff hitter that they have been searching for since moving into PNC Park. Brad Eldred and Ryan Doumit could provide huge lifts for the offense if they can continue to develop into the type of power threats that they were in Triple-A last season before their promotions to Pittsburgh.
The good thing about a young team is that there is always room for development. The bad thing about a young team is that you are giving jobs to players without much of a big league track record, and they could just as easily take a step back instead of taking a step forward.
The Pirates believe they have the foundation of what could be a winning team in the near future, a foundation that they hope to be able to supplement with a few key additions here and there. But it will be the performances of the mostly young and inexperienced players already on the roster rather than those added this winter that will ultimately determine whether or not the Bucs will be successful in 2006.

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/