Pittsburgh Pirates: Derek Holland Interested in Signing
Starting pitcher Derek Holland has an interest in signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason.
Free agent Derek Holland is interested in signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. While the Pirates have yet to make Holland an offer, his agent, Michael Martini, stated that they are “on our short list”. Martini also noted that they would be open to competing for a roster spot, although Holland would prefer a guaranteed spot.
Adding the veteran starter would make some sense for the Pittsburgh Pirates given the youth of their rotation. Their options beyond Gerrit Cole are relatively unproven, making a low-cost signing a potential boon. Perhaps more concerning, no Pirate made more than 21 starts last season.
The Pirates also have a reputation for helping pitchers to turn around their careers. A.J. Burnett, J.A. Happ, Edinson Volquez, and Ivan Nova have all gone to the Pirates after experiencing struggles and the latter three either have or will receive sizable free agent contracts. The Bucs could hope to rekindle the magic in Holland’s arm, and Holland could hope to boost his value on a one-year deal.
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Holland, who turned 30 in October, would certainly be quite an asset should he return to his former glory. The left-handed pitcher served as a fairly durable workhorse for the Texas Rangers from 2009 through 2013, and he posted a solid 2013 season. Aided by an uptick in velocity, he tallied more strikeouts than usual and recorded 4.3 wins above a replacement player, per FanGraphs.
Since then, however, he has pitched rather poorly. He missed most of the 2014 and 2015 seasons with injuries. His brief work in 2014 was very good, as he allowed just six earned runs in 37 innings. This said, the following season was a completely different story. His velocity continued to decline from its peak, and he posted nearly 60 innings to the tune of a 4.91 earned run average and middling strikeout and walk totals.
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Holland failed to turn things around in 2016, and he posted similar or worse figures in 20 starts and two relief appearances. Still, he has the ability to provide the Pittsburgh Pirates with 150 to 200 innings of above-average baseball, which is valuable in its own sense. Of course, the Pirates may not feel that the numbers are right for them, or they could be confident in their own pitchers. Only time will tell how this plays out, but the two parties could be a good match.