Maintaining the Illusion of Competitiveness

Here's another line from Emeigh that I take issue with:

the Pirates have become focused on maintaining the illusion of competitiveness on the field, to the point that the team has become the most risk-averse organization in baseball

Let's take the last part first. The most risk-averse organization in baseball? Maybe, but maybe not. I don't think it is risk-averse to focus draft after draft on young pitchers, or to take John Vanbenschoten - a power-hitting prospect - and make him a pitcher. (FWIW, some of PECOTA's comps for JV in 2004 include Charlie Lea, Jim Clancy, A.J. Burnett, Jack Morris, Jason Schmidt, Pete Vukovich, Kip Wells, and the great Dock Ellis.)

Now the first part: maintaining the illusion of competitiveness? The Pirates have won 69. 62, 72, and 75 games the last four seasons. What is competitive? .500? I think they've been better than people are saying. Not great, or even good, but close to average, and, most important, improving.

I think it was Chris Kahrl who said, in one of BP's Transaction Analysis columns last year, that the Stairs / Simon / Sanders / Lofton signings made them "brazenly mediocre." I think that is a more accurate description of the short-term strategy while we wait on the minors to produce some everyday players.