The most hyped Pirate trade in quite some time finally went down today, according to ESPN.com. Adam LaRoche, the first baseman now formerly of Atlanta, is our newest Bucco, while reliever Mike Gonzalez becomes a Brave. The trade should give some much-needed pop to the Pirates' lineup, as LaRoche hit .285 with 32 HR and 90 RBI in 2006. Gonzalez went 3-4 with 24 saves and a 2.17 ERA for the Pirates in 2006.
LaRoche, like Pirate Freddy Sanchez, is up for salary arbitration this off-season. LaRoche is reportedly looking for $3.7 million, where Atlanta was offering up $2.8. Gonzalez had a 2006 salary of $347,000.
So LaRoche leaves an organization known for failing in the clutch and joins an organization that never has even a chance to fail in the clutch. Either way, he's not going to win it all.
So who is Adam LaRoche, you ask? Well, here's a juicy LaRoche nugget to chew on, courtesy of Wikipedia:
LaRoche was heavily criticized for a lackadaisical error he committed in a game on May 14, 2006. He shuffled to first base so slowly on a routine groundball he had easily fielded, that Washington Nationals baserunner Nick Johnson was able to beat him to the bag. LaRoche had turned his back to the play and was unaware that the runner had sped up. He was already moving towards the dugout when he saw the runner called safe, much to his disbelief. It should have been the third out of the inning, but instead the inning continued with four runs eventually scoring. The normally genteel Atlanta crowd booed LaRoche for the rest of the game and the blunder was replayed repeatedly by local Atlanta media. Manager Bobby Cox even benched LaRoche for some of the next game as punishment. This incident is said to reflect LaRoche's struggles with Attention Deficit Disorder.
A first baseman with ADD. A third baseman with a clubbed foot. An outfielder who pondered retirement at age 26. Yes, 2007 is shaping up to be quite a year of baseball in the Burgh.
5 comments:
LaRoche will suck the same way that 90% of all Pirate acquisitions have sucked over the past 14 years.
The Pirates are the worst-run pro franchise in the nation, worse even than the Arizona Cardinals, LA Clippers, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Raiders, Chicago Blackhawks, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Lions, and New York Knicks.
OK, maybe not the Knicks.
Something I've noticed since LaRoche was a player for my hometown Richmond Braves a couple years ago....He bears an uncanny resemblance to former Penguins funny man/enforcer Steve McKenna.
There has been a lot of talk about Lillibridge being a top notch prospect from credible baseball websites.
Since when do A ball stats mean anything? Lots, and i mean LOTS, of minor leaguers hit well in A ball, but once they get up to AA and AAA and face good pitching they falter.
This is a good deal for the Bucs.
I think DL might just have done something right.
did hell just freeze over?
I hate to see Gonzo go, but I feel that they have enough good arms to take his place. They needed a stick and they finally got one. It's refreshing to see this team not bringing in some washed-up has-been.
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