So I'm sitting here watching the MLB Network tonight (featuring Trenni Kusnierek, who's probably more popular among long-time WHYGAVS readers than any ex-Pirate not nicknamed Thor) and Al Lieter, Harold Reynolds, and Joe Magrane just did a "free agent pitcher draft" for the Pirates, Padres, and Reds. Lieter, who's a pretty astute guy, represented the Pirates and picked Oliver Perez with his first pick.

Now, this whole exercise was hypothetical, but I thought about it a bit and really, Ollie is the ultimate Neal Huntington project. He's got a better arm than probably 95% of everyone in the majors, he runs up a ton of strikeouts, and he's hard as hell to figure out. I think Joe Kerrigan could potentially do a lot of good for him, just like Rick Peterson did in New York. Plus, picking Perez up probably lets a guy like Ohlendorf go to the pen, where he's probably best suited to be. So the question is, if the price was right, would you want Oliver Perez back in a Pirate uniform?

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bwzimmerman     |2009-01-06 19:18:18 HELLS TO THE YEAH. i'd be happy to dust off my old sombrero. Reply | Quote 0   0

Glen     |2009-01-07 06:45:24 It would be great to have Perez back Reply | Quote 0   0

Emma     |2009-01-07 08:54:50 OLE OLE OLE OLE Good times. Reply | Quote 0   0

Tiiimmmmmmmmmyyyyyy     |2009-01-06 19:32:21 Personally, the answer is absolutely. A one-two punch of Ian Snell and Oliver Perez, why, they would be guaranteed to give any psychiatrist nightmares. That would be quality entertainment. So does anyone know the whereabouts of one Jose Manzanillo? But in all honesty, I will always be mesmerized by the potential that Ollie has shown glimpses of having, and in my mind, I would much rather watch Perez than Karstens, or Ohlendorf, or the mismash of pitching machines that were trotted out to the mound last year. Reply | Quote 0   0

dave     |2009-01-06 21:30:03 really shouldnt get my hopes up but this would be awesome. i loved ollie Reply | Quote 0   0

Nate     |2009-01-07 02:18:59 Yes. I never wanted him to leave in the first place. Reply | Quote 0   0

BigE     |2009-01-07 08:13:10 Yep. Bring him back. Untapped potential is still potential. Look how long Ryan and Koufax took to become Ryan and koufax. OTOH, I don't see Nutting ponying up the cash. Reply | Quote 0   0

UtesFan89     |2009-01-07 03:02:51 Definitely. Reply | Quote 0   0

Tim     |2009-01-07 03:06:02 Amen, brothers and sisters. Reply | Quote 0   0

gregschuler     |2009-01-07 03:22:06 At what price? Perez is holding out for a long term contract worth 8 figures annually. And he'll likely get the eight figures annually, though maybe on a shorter 2-3 year deal. So would the Pirates be wiling and able to offer, say 5 years, 55 million total contract worth to sign Perez? Probably not. And would Perez even consider coming back to Pittsb urgh after being at least competitive with the Mets? Unlikely. In short no - and this contradicts a lot of what people were saying earlier about rebuilding. Again, I personally am in favor of acquiring talent through all means available, so in that context, adding Oliver Perez makes some sense. Reply | Quote 0   0

Emma     |2009-01-07 03:51:30 OBVIOUSLY YES I was actually just saying this the other day. But I make no bones that I am biased because I adore Ollie and that trade was nonsense and we really should still have him in the first place. I can see him holding out for some ridiculous amount of money, because he's Ollie and he's insane, but if he doesn't I would love to see him come back. Reply | Quote 0   0

Greg     |2009-01-07 04:10:11 Although it would be nice if the Bucs would actually spend some money and bring a good free agent pitcher in .. the odds of Ollie even wanting to return to Pittsburgh would be somewhere between slim and HELL NO Reply | Quote 0   0

Dr. Mattitude     |2009-01-07 04:19:46 As long as he still does his silly "Praying Mantis" stance when he's got 2 strikes on a batter... I'd love it! Reply | Quote 0   0

w.k. kortas     |2009-01-07 04:49:09 It's an interesting conundrum...although it seems Ollie's been around forever, he is only 27, so (in theory, at least) he would likely still be at his peak when the Bucs are ready to contend, so it's not like signing a Derek Lowe or someone of that ilk/age group. Still...just what is Perez' peak? Except for his one big year in Pittsburgh and (to a lesser extent) 2007, he's never been anything special--and certainly not consisent. Plus, as Mr. Schuler points out, he's certainly not coming at a discount. If the Pirates were in a position to contend in 2009, I'd say he's very much worth the gamble. At this point, I'd be lukewarm at best to the idea. Reply | Quote 0   0

afail     |2009-01-07 05:03:02 I can't believe we have not signed him yet, he makes perfect sense for us. But he would cost money and that is not good Reply | Quote 0   0

jz     |2009-01-07 05:59:21 i like ollie but his inconsistency drove me crazy. he can go 8 no hit innings or not make it out of the 3rd..this team needs a proven commodity. the whole staff is inconsistent (aside from maholm), i'd rather have a guy like garland who eats innnings. i do agree though, that we need a power pitcher that strikes out guys. perez does fit that bill. Reply | Quote 0   0

Bucco Rick     |2009-01-07 06:33:00 Scott Boras is all you need to know! I like the idea but not at outrageous dollars that will surely be paid. Reply | Quote 0   0

azibuck     |2009-01-07 06:38:55 The notion does seem counter to staying the rebuilding course, but that assumes Ollie would cost more than what most flotsam is getting, and for longer. But I'd say yes at the right price and the right terms. I'm not confident that Ohlendorf or Karstens will work in any role, so I still think we're going to need a pitcher to eat innings over the next year or two at least. If it gets late and it's a real buyer's market next month, I'd be comfortable with signing him for 1-2 years. Reply | Quote 0   0

Mark     |2009-01-07 07:18:32 I never wanted to see him go. I'd tend to disagree with those that say he would contradict the rebuilding process. Good pitching is always hard to come by, and I don't see the price coming down in the coming years. If we signed him to a 3 year deal in the $10-11 million range, he'd still only be 30 at the end of the contract, and likely fall into the Pirates (hopeful) window of contention. Reply | Quote 0   0

Bishop     |2009-01-07 07:45:33 No, no, a thousand times no, only because I am adamantly opposed to this team spending any money on free agents at this juncture. The Pirates are not in any position to contend for even a wildcard berth in 2009, no matter how many free agents they bring in. IMHO, they would not recoup the investment over current options by bringing in Perez. Say they pay him 10 million per year to come here. He comes with a career ERA of 4.39, 96 ERA+ and a WHIP of 1.42, all of which point to the very epitome of mediocrity. Funny thing is, the Pirates already have a guy with a career ERA of 4.39, 96 ERA+ and a WHIP of 1.50, that being Zach Duke. Prevailing wisdom is that Duke sucks monkey junk, but he'll still probably get 1-2 million in arbitration. Why is it that everyone is so quick to run out and give Ollie 10 million but would love to throw Duke to the curb? If both Duke and Perez put up identical numbers to his career Reply | Quote 0   0

mocasdad     |2009-01-07 08:21:08 I'm surprised Pat would even offer this for discussion. Doesn't this fly in the face of the whole "why spend big money now for someone who will be gone (if and) when we get good three or four years from now" theory - which I don't disagree with, in case my tone suggested otherwise. I don't see how you can emphatically defend the Bay trade and then even consider something like this. To further consolidate my position, I think it would be lunacy to go more than the 2-3 years someone above suggested - for most if not all pitchers, and most certainly for Ollie. As was also suggested, Ollie will certainly ask for, and may very well command, an 8-figure per year sum. And, not for nothing, he's a Boras client. Coonelly would love that. Reply | Quote 0   0

appealtosmail     |2009-01-07 09:31:10 While I think it would be fun to see him back I don't think the dough he'll command would be in line with what management is trying to do. It's a big gamble whether he'll be boom or bust. What I really don't want to see is 2 articles a day for 2 weeks like: "Pirates one of three teams in running for Perez", then the inevitable: "Bucs lose out on Perez". That bit is getting old. Reply | Quote 0   0

thegunner     |2009-01-07 09:45:03 What can Ollie do for you? Let's see. 30 starts at a $10 million salary --- that's about $333,000 per start. Now if Ollie 'packs' an additional 2,000 people into PNC on the nights he pitches, that's an additional $60,000 (figuring $30/head). That's a shortfall of "only" $270,000+ per start --- but just think of all the Ollie merchandise he will sell, not to mention the fact that he "might" keep the Pirates in contention until mid-May. And you know that Ollie's going to have a good outing every three or four starts. Makes sense to me!!!! Reply | Quote 0   0

thegunner     |2009-01-07 09:45:52 Correction --- that's a $10 million salary! Reply | Quote 0   0

thegunner     |2009-01-07 09:47:29 You do the math since this site doesn't seem to like to accept numbers! Reply | Quote 0   0

thegunner     |2009-01-07 09:56:10 LAST TRY! $10 million salary $333,000+ per start extra 2,000 people per start at $30/head $270,000+ shortfall per start Priceless! Reply | Quote 0   0

thegunner     |2009-01-07 09:57:26 Make up your own numbers! Reply | Quote 0   0

Bishop     |2009-01-07 10:30:58 gunner - the site hates dollar signs! I've flat-out given up trying to plug them into my posts, since I always seem to be putting the information into later posts. If they could get Ollie for no more than 3-4 million per year, I'd reluctantly accept that, based on your conjecture that people might actually show up to the ballpark to watch him and he would generate some enthusiasm in the casual fanbase. There's no way on earth Boras lets him sign for so little, so I'm pretty confortable in saying that since I'm not really retracting my "no free agents" stance. Reply | Quote 0   0

Ryan     |2009-01-07 10:50:06 At this point, why not? I'd be for it. The Pirates can't screw him up anymore than we did the first time. Man, what a bizarre return that would be for him and fans. Reply | Quote 0   0

Ryan     |2009-01-07 10:52:25 Also, think about this. FSN could bring back the old commercial of him burning the cookies that were little batters..... "Throw in some junk, mix it up, then turn on the heat...LOTS of heat! Oops, I burnt them again." Absolutely classic. Reply | Quote 0   0

Pat     |2009-01-07 11:50:25 I think the dollar signs are part of the short-hand coding and that's why they don't work in the comments. I'll look at them and see if I can change it. Ryan- seriously, my favorite Pirate commercial of all time. I think if they paid him 10 million a year to sign him just to put that back on the air, it might be worth it. OK, not really, but you get the point. Reply | Quote 0   0

Deaner     |2009-01-07 13:23:50 Yes, if the price is right, I would love to see Ollie back in the black & gold. Better yet... my bobblehead would no longer be outdated. Reply | Quote 0   0

BigE     |2009-01-07 17:51:54 This site cannot accept dollar signs and numbers because it is dedicated to a team that knows nothing about such things! Reply | Quote 0   0

gregschuler     |2009-01-08 03:31:45 That's a winner, right there. Comment of the year. Reply | Quote 0   0

jason     |2009-01-08 13:24:15 To be honest, I'd rather see Trenni back in Pittsburgh. "Throw een some junk..." Reply | Quote 0   0

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