Pittsburgh Pirates Lose Big in Starling Marte Trade

I have been optimistic about what the Pittsburgh Pirates have done lately. In fact, I have been borderline ecstatic. Travis Williams, Ben Cherington, Derek Shelton, and Oscar Marin have all been fantastic hires. Both owner Bob Nutting and Cherington have been saying the right things and are seemingly interested in winning games. But Cherington’s first major trade as Pirate GM has managed to kill whatever optimism I had. The positive vibes that have placated the memories of last year’s collapse, the dugout brawls, the botched firing of Clint Hurdle, and the overall team apathy have vanished completely.