I'm not upset about Neil leaving, but am very disappointed in the return. If Niese can return to form from 2010-2012 (I think that's when he was better than average), then they got a good return. Unfortunately they gave up a 2.5WAR every day player for a guy who will be competing for a back end of the rotation or bullpen during Spring Training.
The move opens up the availability for Alen Hanson, Max Moroff, or Adam Frazier to become a super utility middle infielder/3B which is nice though.
Neil was always a fan favorite and easy to root for. I will miss his clutch hitting the most tho. He always seemed to be able to get a big knock when they needed it and let's not forget that if he didn't get a single against the Cardinals in extras, Cutch would probably not have been pitched to...thus never allowing that dramatic walkoff 2 run Homer.
Here's a few of my favorite Walkers I have acquired over the years.
Clearly, nothing will be beat a dual auto with the greatest catcher of all-time
And here's the rest....
From a baseball perspective, I don't like the return. From a human interest standpoint, I may have died a little on the inside. It's been a lot of fun watching Neil rise through the ranks and excel in the majors over the past decade.
ReplyDeleteI knew the Pirates would entertain the thought of trading him since he only had one year left. Like Mark I was a little underwhelmed at the return, but Walkers value is minimal since he only had one year left anyway. I guess the silver lining is that Niese having a good year might allow the Pirates to utilize those cheap team options.
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