Revenue sharing

Some things are very right and some things are very wrong with the great Bob Smizik's latest.

Wrong: the Bucs are violating the "spirit" of revenue sharing. The teams are free to do whatever they want with this money, and there is no longstanding tradition (what we usually mean by "spirit" in baseball) dictating how to use the money. That's overwrought.

Right: The Pirates are in need of short-term solution to repair the dwindling fan base.

Wrong: The costs of scouting and player development are relatively fixed. This report by Joe Starkey explains how the Pirates are routinely outbid for the best Latin American prospects. Even with millions invested in Latin America, and as long and as distinguished a history in Latin America as any other team, the Bucs still pony up only $5K to $100K for signing bonuses. The best players command much more. Miguel Cabrera, for example, got $1.9M.

I'm not sure it makes a lot of sense for the Bucs to spend $2M of their revenue sharing money to sign a dazzling high-school-aged Latin American player, but I would bet that this is a better bet than using the same money to sign a first-round high school player like Jeff Allison.

Regardless, there is plenty more money to spend in scouting and player development.

Finally, Smizik's right that the money will burn a hole in the pockets of fans who have fallen in love with Jack Wilson or Craig Wilson for the way they handled their daughter's autograph request. It's going to be hard for the Bucs to let these guys go and have nothing to show for $13M invested in the minor leagues. Clearly the Bucs are taking a path to major-league success that compares to the ones taken by the Athletics and the Twins. I think it's the right way to go. But the Bucs could have a serious PR problem on their hands if both Wilsons are traded or allowed to leave and Littlefield cites money as one of the reasons the Bucs decided not to keep them.