Pittsburgh Pirates: Trade Deadline Preview
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the mix for a wild card spot. Will they be able to make a move or two before the deadline to increase their chances or will they actually sell some pieces?
The Pittsburgh Pirates are victims of being in the wrong division at the wrong time. The Pirates have hosted the WIld Card game in its first three years of inception and have won just one of them. Why? Because the St. Louis Cardinals have been a postseason juggernaut. Now, the Pirates also have to deal with the Cubs who have ran away and hid with the division since you sent your tax return to Uncle Sam.
The Pirates are among a group right now of seven teams all within striking distance of the either Wild Card spot. The thing is, they have issues that they haven’t had in prior years.
Andrew McCutchen isn’t hitting like his usual MVP caliber self. Is it the thumb? Is it a product of getting older? Francisco Cervelli, who does a ton offensively and behind the plate is out. Gerrit Cole is injured for the first time in his career.
The next four weeks are really going to determine what the Pirates may do. If they need to add pieces, they could just choose to go from within. If they sell, they could get rid of some pieces that can really help contending teams. So what will they do and where will they go? Let’s take a look at the Bucs.
Next: Starting off
Rotation
The pitching staff is led by All-Star Gerrit Cole. Unfortunately, he is now out with an injury to his triceps. They don’t know when he’s coming back. In his stead is top pitching prospect Jameson Taillon. Taillon has looked good in both his starts against the Mets, but got hammered by the Chicago Cubs last night, proving that there will still be a few growing pains.
The thing is, the Pirates would have rather used Taillon to replace one of their other starters instead of their ace. The issue with the rotation is that every starter has given up more hits than innings pitched, including Cole. Hard to win when you’re behind the eight ball like that.
Juan Nicasio, at this point, should be a specialist. Lefties love hitting against him as much as the Kardashians love attention. Lefties are hitting .326/.383/.651 with ten home runs in 129 at bats this year.
Francisco Liriano has seen his ERA spike almost two runs this year from 3.38 to near 5.00. Jon Niese has an ERA of near 5.00 and Jeff Locke has an ERA close to 6.00. That is not going to get it done.
If you want to look at a reason why the Pirates aren’t as good as they have been in recent years, that’s really all you need to see.
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Bullpen
For all the rotation has left to be desired, the bullpen hasn’t exactly helped things. Last year, the bullpen was seventh in WAR, second in wins, first in ERA, third fewest blown saves. This year? Second fewest wins, 20th in ERA, and are next to last in WAR.
Don’t blame Mark Melancon. He’s been his usual All-Star caliber self. It’s getting the ball to him that’s been an issue.
Tony Watson has seen his ERA rise almost two runs this season. Jared Hughes has a FIP of 5.67. Arquimedes Caminero has missed time and has angered an opponent or two so far this year. Neftali Feliz has been a nice surprise as a setup man, as he has done a solid job of resurrecting his career.
They’ve struggled to fill out the bullpen with the likes of Cory Luebke, A.J. Schugel and Rob Scahill, but haven’t been able to find that mix like they could in years past.
The Pirates have been a team that is built around their pitching, and quite simply, that pitching just has not gotten it done.
Next: Offensive Attack
Offense
In spite of their pitching, the Pirates have been one of the best offensive teams in the game so far this season. They are third in average, second in on base percentage, and are fourth in WAR. They are also the only team to not be shut out this season.
Andrew McCutchen is an MVP candidate every year lately. Not this year. He’s hovering around .250 and that has a lot to do with a thumb injury. However, his outfield compatriots are making up the slack. Gregory Polanco got an extension early in the season and it may turn out to be a bargain for the Pirates. Starling Marte is emerging into a star and the team leader in WAR.
On the infield, Jung Ho Kang hasn’t missed a beat in recovering from his broken leg and already has nine homers in less than 40 games. John Jaso and David Freese have emerged in a nice platoon at first. Jaso may not be your traditional leadoff hitter, but he hit leadoff with the Rays before, and the guy knows how to get on base.
Josh Harrison was given the second base job after the Pirates dealt Neil Walker and hasn’t missed a beat. They do miss Francisco Cervelli behind the dish as Chris Stewart and Erik Kratz don’t provide much offensively.
On the bench, Sean Rodriguez and Matt Joyce have provided punch combining for 13 homers.
Next: Final Verdict
What should the Pirates do?
The Pirates will not be catching the Cubs barring a collapse of epic proportions, although, if a team knows how to collapse, it’s the Cubs. They probably aren’t better than the Mets or the Cardinals at this point because of how bad their pitching has been.
The Pirates have one of the best systems in the game and I think they should eventually go into a development mode the rest of the year. Keep Taillon up and add Chad Kuhl and Tyler Glasnow to the rotation and see what you have. Promote Josh Bell to play first and see what you have in him.
They have enough pieces that they could sell and get some good value for. Mark Melancon and Neftali Feliz are pending free agents and they are not about to spend big money on a closer. With the amount of contending teams that need help out of the bullpen, they should be able to get some good value for both. If a team wants Jon Niese or another starter not named Cole or Taillon, the Pirates should entertain it.
On offense, they could flip David Freese, John Jaso, Sean Rodriguez and Matt Joyce. Contenders looking for offensive help would certainly target those guys to help either on the bench or be part of a platoon.
Next: Padres Trade Deadline Overview
The Pirates have been a great story over the past few seasons, however, I don’t think they have the arms or the health to be a part of it this year. Reload and look towards 2017.