The FGM Pittsburgh Pirates have been languishing over the past few years. After having winning seasons 2011-13, the team fell from grace in 2014 and before the 2015 season started, Wieters, a key piece of the 2013 run that was the closest that got them to the playoffs, was traded away in the Ramos deal. Last year was a disaster and talents like Forsythe were let go and trades were not made. As GM of my beloved franchise, I understand the fans are angry and the rest of the league is wondering what is going on with this team. We are not void of talent. The starting rotation is strong when healthy and has assets available to trade if needed. My renewed focus will be cleaning up this mess and giving it a long-term direction, something I didn't do in 2009-13 when I was wheeling and dealing to give the team short-term success. Those winning seasons were fun, but the playoffs never happened and now the team is one of the worst in the league. Like the real-life Pirates, we are going to make efficient free agency moves, focusing on reclaiming projects, and putting extra money in prospects. It may be until 2018 or 2019 until this team finds a winning season again, but perhaps after 10 years of being in this realistic fantasy league, only then will the franchise have a long-term winning formula!
