Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 by Adam Wagner
Capps picks Snell for Pirates
The Pirates have broken off contract negotiations with closer Matt Capps about a long-term extension, leading to them immediately entering discussions with starter Ian Snell about a similar contract. Snell is known to have approached the Pirates on a couple of occasions about an extension over the summer and to have been turned down both times, but his status as the ace of the team means that signing Snell, even if it is just for show, may be good for the team.
The manner in which the Pirates happened to become interested in Snell after Capps declined their advances clearly shows that they want to sign one of their young pitchers at all costs. That does not bode well for the Pirates, as it only furthers the fans’ suspicion that everything the organization does is about not losing the support of its base. If the Pirates sign one of their pitchers, be it Capps, Snell, or Gorzelanny, they can claim to have made an effort at keeping their young players in the system. If they don’t, the fans will rise up and claim that the team does little to secure its young talent.
If the Pirates had really wanted to sign Snell, they could have done so either one of the times that he approached them this offseason, but they instead waited until he was their final realistic option. Even if that is the case, however, it will be good for the team to be signing some of their young talent, particularly a player such as Snell who has shown a winning attitude that the organization has lacked for the past 15 years.
Snell was the Pirates’ stopper last year and has shown the ability to be a clubhouse leader for the duration of his contract. He could also, however, be a huge problem for the team, as he has a propensity for opening up his mouth and saying exactly the wrong thing. In this way, Snell has quickly become a fan favorite, an easy to root for pitcher who wears his heart on his sleeve and gives his all every time he steps on the mound.
Signing Snell to an extension would be a very good move, no matter what the motives are.
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