Letters to Santa from the loaded NL Central
By Trevor Hooth
So far, the Pittsburgh Pirates are being very quiet. With the rest of the NL Central taking an aggressive stance, this likely sends them to the bottom of the divisional race. At least in theory.
Last year, the Pirates were tough to measure. They traded Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen for prospects, only to deal for Chris Archer. A baseball mind greater than mine may see there direction, but for me it still seems little fuzzy.
If I were a Pirates fan, there is little doubt as to what my letter to Santa would be. At the top of the list is one thing: Chris Archer.
Fans simply need Archer to find whatever it was that made him so good when he debuted. For three years he was posting ERA’s in the low threes and making everyone want him.
Then, in 2016, his ERA swelled up above four. The struggles continued into next season too. Frankly, the Rays got quite the haul for what Archer was pitching like. But, with three more years of control a change of scenery might have helped.
So, the Pirates sent Austin Meadows, Tyler Glasgow, and Shane Baz (PTBNL) to Tampa for Archer. The new team did not help a whole lot.
Simply put, fans need to be asking Santa for the magic Archer had in his early years. One thing is for sure, their new pitcher is a giant competitor and very talented.
There is one more item to add to the list, and that is for the front office to do something. Anything. With the NL Central shaping up the way it is, standing still is moving backwards. By remaining silent, the Pirates are now the new favorites for last place in the division. Fans of the team better hope they know something we don’t.