Pirates rumors: Jameson Taillon dealt to Yankees

Pirates rumors heated up fast regarding Jameson Taillon

The latest rumors revolving around the Altoona Curve — sorry, those are Pittsburgh Pirates rumors; it just seems the club wants to be its own Double-A affiliate –have the Pirates dealing 29-year-old right-hander Jameson Taillon, who missed all of last season following Tommy John surgery, to the New York Yankees in exchange for a quartet of prospects.

According to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the deal was worked out late Sunday morning.

The buzz built quickly after MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand and Adam Berry reported Saturday there were indications Taillon will be the next young veteran to be on his way out of Pittsburgh, with MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reporting the Yankees ) were among the teams talking to the Pirates about a potential deal.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the four prospects are right-handers Miguel Yajure and Roansy Contreras as well as infielder Maikol Escotto and outfielder Canaan Smith. Yajure (No. 15) and Contreras (No. 19) were among the Yankees top-30 prospects per MLB.com, with Smith just missing at No. 21.

The 22-year-old Majure made his debut with the Yankees on Aug. 31 and made three relief appearances over the season’s final month, allowing one run on three hits in seven innings with five walks and eight strikeouts. He spent most of 2019 as a starter at High-A Tampa in the Florida State League before getting a pair of starts at Double-A Trenton at the end of the year.

The Yankees signed the Venezuelan in March 2015. In 2019, he put up a 2.14 ERA and 1.075 WHIP in 24 appearances — 20 starts — and 138.2 innings across the two levels, striking out 133 and walking only 30 while allowing just five home runs.

Contreras, 21, has yet to make an appearance in the majors, having spent all of 2019 at Class A Charleston in the South Atlantic League. Used as a starter that season, he posted a 3.33 ERA and 1.065 WHIP in 24 starts and 132.1 innings. He struck out 113 and walked 36. The Dominican signed with New York in July 2016.

Smith, 21, was a fourth-round pick by the Yankees from Rockwall-Heath High School in Heath, Texas, in 2017. He spent all of 2019 at Charleston, hitting .307/.405/.465 in 124 games and 528 plate appearances with 32 doubles, 11 home runs, 74 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 20 attempts.

The 18-year-old Escotto signed with New York out of the Dominican Republic in July 2018. He played in 2019 at the Yankees Dominican Summer League complex, hitting .315/.429/.552 in 45 games and 218 plate appearances. He scored 47 runs and stole 13 bases in 16 tries while cracking 11 doubles, four triples and eight home runs with 26 RBI.

Pittsburgh has not been shy this winter about dealing young, arbitration-eligible veterans.

On Christmas Eve, the Pirates moved former All-Star first baseman Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals for 19-year-old right-hander Eddy Yean and 26-year-old right-hander Wil Crowe, who made three starts for the Nats last season in his first big-league opportunity.

Then on Tuesday, Pittsburgh was part of a three-team swap with the New York Mets and San Diego Padres, shipping right-hander Joe Musgrove to the Padres.

The Pirates got back left-hander David Bednar and three minor leaguers — shortstop Oneil Cruz, right-hander Drake Fellows and outfielder Hudson Head — from San Diego as well as 20-year-old catcher Endy Rodriguez from the Mets. Fellows has yet to make his professional debut after being drafted by the Padres in the sixth round in 2019 out of Vanderbilt.

Bell was eligible for arbitration the first time before last season, agreeing to a one-year, $4.8 million contract before having to go to a hearing. Musgrove and Taillon were on the same timeline as Bell — eligible for free agency after the 2023 season.

Taillon, 29, was a second-round pick by the Pirates out of high school in 2010 and he made his debut for Pittsburgh in June 2016.

He had a breakout campaign in 2018, posting a 3.20 ERA and 1.178 WHIP over 32 starts and 191 innings, striking out 179 and walking 46. But he only made seven starts in 2019 before going down with elbow trouble and underwent his second Tommy John procedure in August 2019.

Taillon did not pitch in 2014 or 2015 as he recovered from the first ligament replacement surgery. He also was treated for testicular cancer in 2017, so he’s had his health challenges, but is expected to be ready to go to start spring training.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported that Taillon’s former teammate in Pittsburgh, Gerrit Cole, gave a strong recommendation to Yankees brass.

After agreeing to a $2.25 million contract for this season, his price is certainly right for a contender, while the Pirates were seeking prospects with high ceilings, even if they are years away from the big leagues.

Crowe is expected to be in the mix for a spot in the rotation. Taillon would have been at the top of the group, but that job may now fall to Mitch Keller, who posted a 2.91 ERA and 1.246 WHIP in five starts last season.

The Pirates also have holdovers from last season in left-hander Steven Brault and right-handers Chad Kuhl, JT Brubaker and Cody Ponce. Trevor Williams, who made a team-high 11 starts last season while putting up a 6.18 ERA and 1.572 WHIP, opted for free agency after refusing an assignment to Triple-A in late November.

In the updated organizational rankings from MLB.com, Cruz rates as the No. 3 prospect in the system, Head was slotted at No. 6, Yean is No. 8, Crowe came in at No. 19, Rodriguez at No. 20 and Bednar at No. 30.

The Pirates have three prospects in the new top 100 list from MLB.com: 21-year-old infielder Nick Gonzales (No. 32), 23-year-old third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes (No. 37) and the 22-year-old Cruz (who at 6-foot-7 is anything but short and is No. 59 on the list).

Pittsburgh finished a major-league worst 19-41 last season and were last in the NL Central at 69-93 in 2019. The Pirates last topped .500 in 2018 (82-79) and haven’t been to the postseason since three straight trips from 2013-15.