Trade Deadline Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates

Jun 23, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez (24) is congratulated by center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) and right fielder Travis Snider (23) at home plate after he hit a 3-run home run during the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Optimism surrounded the Pittsburgh Pirates heading into the season. In 2013 the team made an inspiring run, earned a Wild Card birth to reach the postseason for the first time since the early 1990s, and then advanced past the Cincinnati Reds to reach the divisional round of the playoffs. They’d lose that series in five games to the eventual National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals but it had become evident that the Pirates were no longer the laughing stock of the NL Central.

The 2014 season hasn’t quite gone to plan, but all has not been bad for the Pirates.

Andrew McCutchen is arguably having a better season, after winning the NL MVP Award a year ago. Neil Walker has raised his batting average 20 points and is on pace to surpass last year’s career high in home runs, despite missing a few weeks following an appendectomy. Russell Martin is even hitting nearly 40 points higher. Gregory Polanco finally arrived and looks every bit the promising prospect that pundits expected him to be.

Meanwhile, Starling Marte has been inconsistent and isn’t the same level of production at he did a year ago. Pedro Alvarez’ power production is down. Francisco Liriano has been a shell of his former self. Gerrit Cole has been injured. Jameson Taillon was shut down before the season even began.

There is still talent on the roster in Pittsburgh. They may sit nine games behind the surprise division leaders in Milwaukee, but they are just 2.5 games out of second place and shouldn’t yet be ruled out. A few tweaks and an addition or two and the Pirates could find themselves right in the mix once again.

May 21, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Ike Davis (15) reaches for a pop-up against the Baltimore Orioles during the sixth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 9-8. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Needs to be addressed:

1. Starting pitching

The strength of this team’s pitching staff helped carry them to a playoff birth a season ago. The team hasn’t seen the same results this year and currently sit out of contention. Coincidence? Unlikely. The two usually tend to go hand-in-hand. Pittsburgh could use some help in their starting rotation and it’s unclear where said help could come from. Charlie Morton has thrown well, but has already lost more games than he won a season ago. Liriano is back on the disabled list for the second time this season. Wandy Rodriguez has already been sent packing, despite having millions remaining on his contract.

A year ago the Pirates had six starters with ERAs below 4.00. This year, there’s just one.

2. First base

Pittsburgh entered the season with Gaby Sanchez in line to take the bulk of the at bats at first and later added Ike Davis into the mix. Neither is producing at an impressive clip. They’ve combined for just nine home runs in 350+ plate appearances. First base is generally a power-heavy position, but that output hardly fits that mold. What’s more concerning, however, is that neither player figures to hold down the role long term. Sanchez has a year of arbitration eligibility remaining. Davis has two. Beyond that, it’s not clear what the organization will do with the position unless one of the two starts to produce enough to justify keeping them around.

3. Shortstop

While Jordy Mercer hasn’t been a liability at shortstop, he hasn’t exactly blown anyone away with his production at the position either. He is clearly the weak link in the infield for Pittsburgh, however, and the team could stand to find an upgrade – if not now, then soon.  He’s batting a mere .230/.264/.344, has six home runs on the year, but has also committed six errors in the field. Shortstop is another position that there doesn’t appear to be an up-and-coming within the organization.

Jun 25, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton (50) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Who could be moved:

1. Jared Hughes/Jeanmar Gomez/Stolmy Pimental

Pittsburgh has seen some good results from their bullpen this season, with the exception of Jason Grilli who has already been shipped out of town. Short of a total collapse in the coming weeks it would be unlikely for the team to deal more than one from the mix, but bullpen arms are always at a premium at the trade deadline. Any one of the three could potentially appeal to an opposing organization and could bring the Bucs back a solid, though not spectacular, return.

2. Charlie Morton

While his nine losses are troubling, Morton has generally pitched well this season. His 1.226 WHIP and 7.5 K/9 both are career bests and he holds a 3.41 ERA in just over 100 innings on the year. Morton’s biggest challenge has been run support, as he lost his first six decisions while the team was outscored by just 12 runs. The Pirates could hold onto him to help anchor down a spot in the rotation, but it could also be a prime opportunity to move him given his recent performance. Morton’s contract calls for his salary to jump to $8 Million in each of the next two seasons, with a team option for 2017 at $9.5 Million.

3. Edinson Volquez

Signed at just $5 Million for the season, Volquez hasn’t quite been the success story that the Pirates were likely hoping for but his production has been relatively reasonable. His 1.225 WHIP is solid, but his strikeout rate has taken a big dip to just 5.7 K/9. He’s affordable enough, however, that he could be an option for a team looking at making a playoff run in need of one more starter to help eat innings. Moving him would likely signal the Pirates admitting that their season is going nowhere, but it’s not out of the question.