Walking the Plank: One week away

Thursday, 22 November 2012 23:23

Written by Michael Sanserino

First, I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. I actually spent part of mine with Bill, who played host hosted my wife and me and served us leftovers and pie as we watched the late football game. It was a nice evening, and am thankful to him for having us over. 

And while I'm on the subject, it was nice to read about your favorite foods and stories about Thanksgiving. 

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Now, back to business. The deadline to non-tender arbitration eligible players is one week from today, and the Pirates have a few candidates. 

Over at MLB Trade Rumors, Tim Dierkes put out a self-described subjective list of non-tender candidates. It's a pretty thorough list, including current and former Pirates players. 

He listed two Pirates in his list: first baseman Gaby Sanchez and pitcher Charlie Morton. I think everyone would agree that Jeff Karstens is also a candidate to be non-tendered (though many on this blog have questioned the rationality behind such a move). I believe Karstens is more likely to be non-tendered than Sanchez (though that is not to say he is more deserving of that fate). 

Sanchez has two things working in his favor: health and affordability. This is Sanchez's first year of arbitration eligibility, and he did not exactly have a breathtaking season. That should keep his cost down. Meanwhile, Messrs. Morton and Karstens will be more expensive. With Morton recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Karstens having missed a good chunk of last season with multiple injuries, there is more risk associated with handing them multi-million dollar contracts. 

The Pirates will be able to sign Sanchez for much less. As long as they're convinced his .241 batting average and .720 OPS over the season's final two months is worth it. 

Bill will have more on the non-tender deadline in next week's blog. But I thought, one week away, it was worth a primer. 

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If you venture to a heavily populated shopping center today, good luck.