Kevin Goldstein on New Pirates: Bowker, Lambo, and McDonald

Kevin Goldstein.  Baseball Prospectus. Goldstein takes a purely pessimisitic look at some of the Pirates added at the trade deadline.   

"Pirates: Here we go againLike the Royals, the Pirates had little to give away and thus got little in return. Although some young talent is finally creating excitement in Pittsburgh, it’s doubtful that anybody who was added to the system this past weekend will make a real difference in the Pirates’ chances at their first winning season since 1992. In fact, most of these players already appear to be like current or recently failed Pirates if one looks at them with a critical eye, which is hard not to do when it comes to baseball in Pittsburgh. Here’s the purely pessimistic first reaction on all four players picked up at the deadline.John Bowker: 27-year-old bat-only player who has never proved himself in the big leagues and is limited to first base, just like Jeff Clement.Pedro Ciriaco, SS: Provides slightly better defense than Ronny Cedeno but even worse bat.Andrew Lambo, OF: Once-promising hitter has stalled at the upper levels, pretty much the next Brandon Moss.James McDonald, RHP: Potential back-end starter similar to the pitchers the Pirates have filled their entire rotation with for years."