Pittsburgh Pirates Rumors: Team Open To Trading Josh Harrison?
By Brad Faber
The Pittsburgh Pirates are reportedly willing to listen to offers on Josh Harrison. Though he has remained steady, the versatile infielder’s production has tailed off since a breakout 2014 season.
After three consecutive playoff berths, the Pittsburgh Pirates took a bit of a step back in 2016. The Bucs ended up going 78-83 and finishing behind the St. Louis Cardinals and World Champion Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.
With the offseason now here and trade rumors beginning to swirl, it will be interesting to see what changes the Pirates make. There have been a few rumors surrounding star center fielder Andrew McCutchen. In a recent article, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that second baseman Josh Harrison is among the players the Pirates are willing to listen to offers for as well.
Rosenthal also reported the Pirates had entertained the thought of re-signing utility man Sean Rodriguez and then trading Harrison. Rodriguez, who hit 18 home runs last year in one of his finest seasons to date, has now inked a two-year deal with the Atlanta Braves.
In 2014, Harrison enjoyed a breakout year, hitting .315/.347/.490 (133 OPS+) with 13 home runs and 52 RBI. He was also worth 5.0 fWAR that season. The following spring, the Pirates signed him to a four-year extension that also includes two team options.
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Though Harrison hasn’t been quite as productive in the two years since, he has remained a solid player. Since the beginning of 2015, he has slashed .285/.318/.389 across 971 plate appearances, which does in fact translate to a below league-average 91 OPS+. However, he has accumulated 2.8 fWAR over that time period.
Though he has hit only four home runs in each of the past two years, Harrison is a good contact hitter and has never had a strikeout rate higher than 15.8 percent. He swiped a career-high 19 bases last season as well.
Harrison also played great defense at second base last season, posting eight defensive runs saved. Though he has played mostly second and third base, he has logged time at shortstop and in the outfield as well.
Still, there are other obstacles that might stand in the way of a Harrison trade. Per Baseball-Reference, Harrison is slated to make $7.75 million and $10.25 million over the next two seasons, respectively. He will then reach his option years. For what he has brought to the table since the beginning of 2015, his price tag may seem fairly lofty.
With Rodriguez no longer in Pittsburgh, Rosenthal explains that the Bucs have lost their clear-cut fill-in at second base. He further explains that Jung Ho Kang is not a viable option at second and the duties might fall on one of the Pirates’ youngsters.
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While there might certainly be some uncertainties involved in trading for Harrison, there could also be a chance he could recapture some of his 2014 magic. Only time will tell whether or not a Harrison trade will happen, but it shouldn’t be too surprising to see at least a few teams kick the tires.