Mondesi’s House takes down the Pirates front office a bit (emphasis in original):

Don’t get me wrong, Huntington deserves some kudos for getting these deals done, but really, he’s just doing his job. You’re supposed to take the best player in the draft. You’re supposed to then sign that player. It’s like the old Chris Rock bit where he mocks people who brag about taking care of their kids. I believe his comeback to those types was something along the lines of, “You’re supposed to, you ignorant [deleted Chris Rock terminology]. ”

Since the Pirates were too incompetent to master the task of drafting players in the time leading up to the Huntington Era, we’ve been brainwashed to think that they’re somehow going above and beyond by doing the right thing now. They’re not. They’re just doing what they should have been doing for nearly two decades.

Right now, the Pirates are paying for what they have, the worst team in the majors. A couple of good drafts, however, and they might be paying slightly more for a good major league team. Baby steps.