My Thoughts on Wilson Betemit

The big news in Pirates world today (and tomorrow) is Nate McLouth. You can read all about him on this blog, but for now I want to make a few comments on another possible Pirates signee.

The team has been talking to Wilson Betemit. Obviously the main reason for that is to back-up Pedro Alvarez, since there is a pretty good chance that he won't be a serviceable big league third baseman at the beginning of the season (if at all in 2012). Don't get me wrong, I still have faith that Pedro can turn it around and settle all questions about him in a few months, but right now the Pirates are in no position to take that risk.

Enter (possibly) Betemit, who hit .285/.343/.452 in 2011 with the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers. He's a career .269/.336/.448 hitter and he's 30 years old, so it's hard to imagine him repeating that 2011 success. However, it would be hard to complain about this signing if it happens.

An important thing to note is that Alvarez will almost surely be granted a 4th option for 2012, which means he could start the year in AAA and be sent up and down throughout the season. I can see the Pirates wanting to start him in the minor leagues to avoid an atrocious start at the big league level that cripples the team. If the Pirates don't sign anyone else, they would have to settle for a Josh Harrison/Chase d'Arnaud 3rd base combination, which would in all likelihood not be pretty. Betemit beats out those two by a long ways, so signing him could potentially help the team a lot.

Betemit also provides depth since he plays first base, second base, and even some shortstop along with his third base. It's always nice to have a guy or two like that on the roster.

I'm not really concerned with the Pirates signing Betemit, although I do think they need to sign someone that's a better option than Harrison & d'Arnaud. What I'm really concerned with is the Pirates signing a first baseman and a starting pitcher, so those are their two biggest needs (by a longshot). However, I don't see how signing Betemit would hurt the team, so I'd be happy to see it happen.