Bucs Dugout: Smizik Incites Masses, Riots Imminent

I like Bob Smizik. Hold on, don’t kill me yet. Bob’s a good guy. He’s seen a lot. I’ve interviewed him on the radio and he’s a great guest because he’s opinionated and articulate. But, as has been said here a million times, he just seems to get a thrill in killing the Pirates any chance he gets. This may be done to incite the masses and get more hits and comments on his blog, and if so, it’s working. But I think he’s so far off the mark on this one I wanted to write something.

His latest post is titled “Trading Maholm Reeks of Salary Dump.”

First, as I write this, Maholm hasn’t been traded. He might be, but it hasn’t happened yet. So he obviously wasn’t traded when Bob wrote his piece. The headline is a good start to inflame the masses.

...The Pirates should absolutely move Maholm (and Duke) if it is a good baseball move and if prospects are what comes back, so be it. Just make sure to get the best long-term return possible. Again, we aren’t trading Whitely Ford. We are offering a good major league-average starting pitcher that has cost certainty and has proven to be durable. Maholm is reasonably cheap next year. That contract adds to his value.

We might see how valuable it is in the next 24 hours. One thing I feel most certain about, a trade would NOT be a salary dump. And if we do trade him, maybe he can come back and be our fourth or fifth starter three years from now at age 31. Wouldn’t that be great if the Pirates had three or four pitchers who could make and average major league starter be just another guy.

Thanks to Eddie R..