Abandon Ship? What do the Pittsburgh Pirates do next?

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Just a little over two days until the trade deadline and the speculation machine grinds to a halt. What do the Pittsburgh Pirates do before then?

There will be buyers (some make more sense than others) and there will be sellers, and this year, the difference between the two classes is starker than ever. Yet there will still be a few teams – like the Pittsburgh Pirates – that sit in the grey area between those two poles. Teams that don’t have the record for a rental, the payroll for a big addition, or the pieces for a sell-off.

Paging Dr. Roger… Dr. JOLLY Roger…

Ok, that was lame, I get it.

But still, what the hell do you do if you’re in the Pirates front office?

A team that was once firmly in the mix for a competitive NL Central is now careening down a path of self-destruction, putting together a Cleveland Browns like 2-14 since the All-Star break, and without any slam-dunk trade options as the deadline approaches.

Here are some thoughts…

Trade Felipe Vazquez

This is the most obvious move they could make. Relievers are always in demand, and Felipe Vazquez could bring home a pretty decent haul for an otherwise middling farm system.

He wouldn’t cost a lot of money (Approx. $4MM this year) and is having a great year, posting a 1.87 ERA and averaging just over 14 strikeouts per 9 innings. Teams like the Braves, Red Sox, and Nationals could all come knocking for someone of his caliber, and the Pittsburgh Pirates would be well served to deal him to stock up on players for the future.

(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

What do the Pittsburgh Pirates do next?

Put Chris Archer in the Bullpen

More from Call to the Pen

So here’s the thing with Chris Archer: He’s not good enough to trade. He’s also not good enough to keep in your rotation. He IS good enough not to give up on just yet.

When Archer was dealt from the Tampa Bay Rays for two top-end prospects, the key selling point was the team-friendly nature of his contract. He is owed a shade over $8MM per year for 2020, and 2021 seasons, which is pretty reasonable when you think about it.

His problem?

He gives up Home Runs like they’re going out of style, giving up 2.23 HR/9 for the season. There is hope here though, as many two-pitch pitchers with high strikeout rate and high ERA profiles like Archer have faired well moving to the bullpen (see Sean Newcomb of the Braves).

It’s worth trying since the Pittsburgh Pirates can’t really do a whole lot else with him at this point.

Promote Ke’Bryan Hayes

Yeah, it’s time. Ke’Bryan Hayes (son of a long time third baseman Charlie Hayes) has proven he deserves a shot at the big time. Flashing a solid glove, plus plate discipline and a top-end hit tool, he has shown that he can hack it at the big league level.

It could be a sensible move for a team who needs some excitement down the stretch and could also give their top position player prospect some major league at-bats in order to get ready for the following season since the Pirates really don’t have much of anything going for them at that position going forward. Sometimes the deadline isn’t exactly the moves you’d hope to make, but the moves you NEED to make.

The truth is tough for Pirates fans, but another season seems to be slipping away from the frugal spending club, and while management hasn’t thrown around words like “rebuild” or “tanking” too freely, or really at all. It’s no secret that they will have to face their demons at some point, but for now, in classic Pirates fashion, they’ll have to at least make it work for this season…

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and of course, maybe the next one too?

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