Neal Huntington Must Go

The Pirates have failed their team and their fans.

Neal Huntington failed the Pirates players and their fan base.

General Manager Neal Huntington’s contract with the Pirates expires with the team after this season, with a team option for the 2018 season.  He does not deserve to be back with the organization.

Yes, Huntington has done a lot of good for the Pirates.  He helped build the 1^st playoff team in over^nd straight season that the Pirates lost at home to a dominant pitcher in the Wild Card Game, Huntington has done nothing to move the team forward.  For that reason, the Pirates need to find a new General Manager for the 2018 season.

20 years.  He also oversaw a team that won 98 games in 2015.  He was the General Manager of a playoff team for three consecutive seasons, something not done with the Pirates since 3 straight NLCS appearances in the early 90’s.  Since the end of the 2015 season, which was the 2

Huntington supporters have lots to defend him with.  Two of the best players (Josh Harrison & Felipe Rivero) this season were acquired via trades made by Huntington in his time with the Pirates.  He pushed all the right buttons getting leaders like AJ Burnett, Russell Martin, Francisco Liriano and Edison Volquez among others.  He also has signed players like Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and Andrew McCutchen to very team-friendly contract extensions. 

More recently however, Huntington did nothing, NOTHING!

After leading the Pirates to 3 straight playoff appearances, the Pirates missed the playoffs in 2016.  To make sure that didn’t happen again, Huntington did NOTHING.

On December 1^st, Jung Ho Kang drove his BMW at a high speed over a median, hitting a barrier and left the scene, later receiving a DUI while is South Korea.  It was his 3^rd DUI, THIRD!!!  Huntington later admitted that he and the Pirates were unaware of the previous two incidents.  After losing his 3^rd baseman to a possible MLB suspension, or worse and what took place, having a suspended visa preventing him to come back to the United States to play for the Pirates, Huntington once again did NOTHING.

On February 10^th (71 days after the Kang DUI) Huntington acquired Kang’s replacement.  He waited until less than a week before Spring Training started before attempting to replace his 2^nd best hitter from the previous season.  He replaced him with Phil Gosselin.  Gosselin played a total of 216 games in 4 Major League seasons before being acquired by Huntington and the Pirates.  He played more than 46 games just once in his 1^st 4 seasons.  Gosselin, who had a career total of 33 extra base hits in 460 AB’s was the replacement for Kang, who had 40 extra base hits in 2016 alone.  UNACCEPTABLE.

The Pirates then had their starting centerfielder Marte suspended for 80 games for PED use.  Huntington reacted to that by doing… NOTHING.  Literally, the Pirates never made any roster moves to acquire an outfielder after losing their best player from the 2016 season for half of the 2017 season.

Already playing with a makeshift outfield including guys like John Jaso, Jose Osuna and Adam Frazier on July 21^st, Gregory Polanco injured his hamstring and went to the DL, leaving McCutchen as the only outfielder from the Season Opener on the active roster.  On his weekly radio show July 23^rd, Huntington said he would be in the market to add a 4^th outfielder.  He didn’t.  The Pirates lost 6 of the 8 games since Polanco went to the DL.

Jung Ho Kang DUI, Huntington did nothing.

Starling Marte suspension, Huntington did nothing.

Gregory Polanco injury, Huntington did nothing.

After all of that, I was okay with Huntington.  He was waving the white flag and he was going to sell at the trade deadline.  Who could blame him after all the unexpected hurdles that came up over the past 8 months? 

The Pirates had a couple of expiring contracts that he could trade off at the deadline, allowing some younger prospects a chance to prove themselves over the final two months of the regular season.  They also had some very nice trade assets of controllable players that they had a chance to flip for some nice young prospects.  Andrew McCutchen, Gerrit Cole, and Josh Harrison all would have brought back a nice haul for the team, which has a nice young core.

Nope.  Once again Huntington did NOTHING.  Well, almost nothing.  He traded away Tony Watson to the Dodgers about an hour before the trade deadline.  He failed to move other expiring contracts like Juan Nicasio and John Jaso.  He did make another deal however.  He acquired 40 year old relief pitcher Joaquin Benoit.  Benoit is FORTY years old and his contract is up after this season, and THAT is the only MLB player Huntington acquired at the deadline.

Correction… 40 year old Benoit is the only Major League player that Huntington has acquired since February 10^th, when he acquired… Phil Gosselin.

Neal Huntington did nothing to improve the Pirates this season, NOTHING.  He did nothing when Kang got his DUI.  He did nothing when Marte was suspended for 80 games.  He did nothing when Polanco was injured in the midst of the team’s most important stretch of the season.  He did nothing at the trade deadline.

For those reasons, when his club option comes up for the 2018 season, there is just one thing the Pirates should do… NOTHING!