Pirates gain much, pay little for Casey

12/08/2005
DALLAS -- This one looks like a steal for the Steel City.
The Pirates sorely needed a lefty hitter who could protect Jason Bay in the lineup and boost the offense, preferably one who could play first base. In Sean Casey, not only did Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield pluck the perfect person to fit the need, he did so at the surprisingly modest cost of left-hander Dave Williams.
Casey, a Pittsburgh native, gives new manager Jim Tracy a potent lefty bat who should thrive in PNC Park and make it even harder to pitch around the immensely talented Bay. Casey also gives immediate stability at a position where the Pirates have used seven different first basemen in the last two years.
Casey comes at a cost of only $8.5 million for 2006, the final year of his contract, and the Reds will send cash to the Pirates to cover some of that obligation. Casey also brings the kind of attitude and character that will certainly help in a Pirates clubhouse that could have used more of those qualities in recent years.
A three-time All-Star, Casey has a .305 career batting average with 118 home runs and 605 RBIs in nine seasons, including eight with Cincinnati. Pirates fans know him all too well. In 29 games at PNC Park, Casey has batted .355 with five home runs and 24 RBIs.
And yet, all Littlefield had to give up to secure this perfect fit was Williams, a lefty with a good arm and intriguing potential but less than impressive results in his roughly four years in the Majors.
Reds GM Dan O'Brien is counting on Williams developing into the kind of starter many scouts believe the lefty has the potential to become.
"Last year was the first year he started full-time," O'Brien said Thursday after the trade was officially announced. "He fits the necessary profile to pitch in our ballpark, he's a competitor and his work ethic is second to none."
All of that is, of course, true, but the fact remains Williams is an unproven commodity.
Williams, who turns 27 during Spring Training, owns a 17-26 career record with a 4.25 ERA. He was 10-11 with a 4.41 ERA last year while pitching a career-high 138 innings.
Williams has a decent arm and has become more of a ground-ball pitcher than he was as a rookie four seasons ago, although he did give up more fly balls than grounders in 2005. An encouraging hint of his potential for Reds fans is that Williams was much more effective on the road than at home in 2005, going 7-4 with a 2.65 ERA, compared to 3-7 with a 6.68 ERA at PNC Park.
There's no question Williams has potential but, thus far, he has shown only brief glimpses. On the other hand, Williams is at a point in his career track where an athlete typically has his best years. There's enough in the lefty's track record for O'Brien to bet that Williams could be on the verge of blossoming into a No. 3 or even No. 2 starter.

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Otherwise, the Reds will have paid quite a price for this gamble.
Financially, the deal is not quite a wash, as the difference between Casey's 2006 salary and what Williams will receive ($1.4 million plus as much as an additional $125,000 if he maxes out an innings incentive), less the cash considerations the Reds sent to the Pirates, saved Cincinnati a couple of million dollars.
Of course, the move also means the Reds can finally move Adam Dunn to first base and go with an outfield of Austin Kearns, Ken Griffey Jr. and Wily Mo Pena, so for the Reds, at least that logjam is finally over.
"I will leave that to [Reds manager] Jerry Narron," O'Brien said. "We've talked with Adam about [moving to first], and he has been receptive."
With those four bats in the lineup together and assuming the Reds make a deal for another top-of-the-order guy (Tony Womack is a target), maybe the Cincinnati offense will be able to compensate for the loss of Casey.
And perhaps Williams will blossom along the Ohio. Maybe then this won't look like such a lopsided deal for Pittsburgh.

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