Pittsburgh Pirates
In a deep division of good teams, the Pirates went for it at the deadline, trading away three very good chips to acquire a pitcher that this writer had warned all teams to avoid, Chris Archer. In spite of Archer’s mediocre-at-best performance as a Pirate, he wasn’t the reason the Pirates fell short of the postseason.
Getting the production expected out of their vaunted pitching staff really hurt the Pirates overall, and they could end up using their depth at one of the most in-demand positions this offseason to garner them pitching help for the major league club.
Entering the final year of his contract with the Pirates, Francisco Cervelli has been everything the team could have asked for and more when they signed him before the 2017 season to a 3-year, $31 million deal to bring him back after two seasons with the club.
Over the first two seasons of that contract, Cervelli hasn’t exactly set the world on fire offensively, but he’s been a consistent veteran presence behind the plate, and his bat certainly hasn’t hurt, with a .255/.363/.404 line over the two seasons.
In an offseason where a number of top contenders are in search of catchers, Cervelli could serve as an excellent trade option on the market, especially if positioned well around top trade target J.T. Realmuto.