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Pirates, D’Backs Have Discussed Didi Gregorius

By Tim Dierkes | March 24, 2014 at 11:37am CDT

The Pirates have had trade talks with the Diamondbacks about shortstop Didi Gregorius, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Last Wednesday, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reported the D'Backs were making Gregorius available in trade, after Chris Owings won the team's starting shortstop job.  Rubin wrote that the Diamondbacks seek an MLB-ready starting pitcher to offset the loss of Patrick Corbin.

Rubin implied potential interest from the Mets, and now we have another possible suitor in the Pirates.  The Pirates enter the season with Jordy Mercer atop their shortstop depth chart, with top prospect Alen Hanson likely ticketed to return to Double-A.  Though he's not Major League ready, the Pirates have a pitching prospect who's fairly close in Nick Kingham.  Easier to acquire would be Jeff Locke, who will begin the season back at Triple-A, with, as he tells Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "a bit of a chip on my shoulder."

Aside from the Mets and Pirates, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports lists the Reds, Tigers, and Yankees as teams the D'Backs "have thought of as possibilities" for Gregorius.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Cincinnati Reds Detroit Tigers New York Yankees Pittsburgh Pirates Didi Gregorius

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51 Comments

  1. Seamaholic

    11 years ago

    I dunno if Didi is better than Mercer. Pirates shouldn’t be willing to give up a significant piece for him.

    Reply
    • Johnny Delancey

      11 years ago

      He is not, this is just a way to get Ike Davis from the Mets.

      Reply
      • Mario Saavedra

        11 years ago

        The DBacks don´t need Ike Davis, they have Goldschmidt and Mike Trumbo, do they really want to put two mediocre fielders on the outfield?

        Reply
        • NSA

          11 years ago

          No but Pirates DO want Davis. Mets don’t have anyone “major league ready” for anyone’s rotation but Pirates do. Jeanmar Gomez would be the best get for Backs. He will be better than Locke short and long term… better than Didi too.

          Reply
          • Ron Loreski 2

            11 years ago

            I don’t think the Pirates want Davis. If they did, they would have him already.

            Reply
        • BucSox

          11 years ago

          I think he was implying that the Pirates would flip him for Davis

          Reply
          • LazerTown

            11 years ago

            3 team trade.

            Reply
        • BananaMonster

          11 years ago

          I hear that Mark Trumbo guy is pretty good too must be brothers

          Reply
  2. Ron Loreski 2

    11 years ago

    Didi can to to AAA and serve as depth. Barmes will be gone after this season (or maybe even before) so the Pirates could have longterm competition for Mercer. Allen Hanson projects to be a 2B anyway, so it’s not like he’ll be blocked.

    Reply
  3. Jordan Jackson

    11 years ago

    Give them a Jeff Locke or Brandon Cumpton. They will eventually need a SS. When the season over, Barmes will be gone and Hanson will still be in the minors so there u go.

    Reply
  4. Dave Pierce

    11 years ago

    It’s going to take more than Jeff Locke. Maybe Mercer (would play UTL) and Locke for Didi? I wouldn’t be in love with that package as a D-Backs fan though…

    Reply
    • Ron Loreski

      11 years ago

      A solid starting LHP isn’t equal to a light hitting SS that couldn’t secure a major league job?

      Reply
      • User 4245925809

        11 years ago

        Agree. I wouldn’t give the DBacks a 5 year controllable SP that would right now, slot into the DBacks rotation as the No. 2-3.

        Mercer is on par with Gregorious..

        Reply
      • HornIt

        11 years ago

        Uh, Jeff Locke couldn’t secure a major league job. Gregorius has not been sent down and, in fact, started their second game against the Dodgers the other night. Gregorius is also not really light hitting. He has power, but is a line drive hitter. He struggles against lefties right now but hits righties quite well. He’s also a great defensive player. If the D’backs give him up for Locke the Pirates are ripping them off.

        Reply
        • jamesa-2

          11 years ago

          Or the Diamondbacks have KT as a GM

          Reply
    • Rook

      11 years ago

      The Dbacks have Pennington for UT. Unless Mercer has options, I don’t think they would be interested in him.

      Reply
    • NSA

      11 years ago

      Sorry but Mercer is a far better all around SS than Gregorius right now and would be the starter in AZ if he was there. Pirates will send Jeanmar Gomez to D’Backs and you will be glad they did, he’s a good pitcher with a lot of starting experience. Pirates will then flip Didi to the Mets for Ike Davis. Everybody gets their back scratched.

      Reply
      • Todd Smith

        11 years ago

        Didi is a far superior SS to Mercer defensively. Mercer really belongs at 2B.

        Reply
      • connfyoozed .

        11 years ago

        The Pirates like Gomez, and with good reason. Vin Mazzaro or maybe Bryan Morris could be had for Gregorius, but likely not Gomez. If you could morph Mercer’s bat and Didi’s glove, you would have a pretty good SS, but Mercer’s defense makes a lot of people nervous.

        Reply
      • Rook

        11 years ago

        Mercer wouldn’t start over Owings. Owings is the reason Didi is even available.
        Mercer had a good year with the bat last year. They both still have less than 500 at bats though. Check out their minor league totals to get a better picture of who they are.
        I’d take Didi’s glove over Mercers power myself.

        Reply
    • Tyrell

      11 years ago

      We don’t want another utility player we; we kept Pennington over Bloomquist.

      Reply
  5. Rally Weimaraner

    11 years ago

    If the Pirates had an excess of young MLB ready starting pitching to trade from they wouldn’t have Edinson Volquez in the rotation.

    Reply
    • Ron Loreski

      11 years ago

      No one can figure out why the Pirates have Volquez. Anyone in Pittsburgh would rather see Locke, Cumpton, Irwin, or Pimentel out there.

      Reply
    • James Rogers

      11 years ago

      I just hope they don’t keep running Volquez out there just because he’s their $5 million man. Somethimes you have to admit that you screwed up.
      Cut him, please…there are better options.

      Reply
  6. N_Cap

    11 years ago

    Didi would give flexibility to move Hanson to second or for a first baseman in a trade.

    Reply
  7. Razalnek

    11 years ago

    There’s a 3-way out there somewhere with the Mets getting their SS, Bucs get their 1B, and AZ gets their P.

    Reply
    • davbee

      11 years ago

      This actually makes a ton of sense.

      Reply
    • Dave Pierce

      11 years ago

      Pirates want a 1B and a SS. I can tell you they value Didi a lot more than they do Davis.

      Reply
    • Paulie Corleone

      11 years ago

      Ike Davis is bad. There’s a reason the Mets don’t want him

      Reply
      • Mario Saavedra

        11 years ago

        there is a reason why the DBacks dont want Gregorious. Just add an unwanted pitcher to the mix and you have a 3 team deal of unwanted players.

        Reply
  8. connfyoozed .

    11 years ago

    Gregorius would interest me for the Pirates.. but not for Locke, and certainly not for Kingham.

    Reply
    • Dave Pierce

      11 years ago

      They won’t be trading Kingham for Gregorius. Locke? Wouldn’t surprise me at all. Being sent to AAA to start the season and the Pirates have better arms pushing their way closer and closer.

      Reply
      • connfyoozed .

        11 years ago

        You might be right, but one would think that the Bucs could get a better return for a pitcher who was in the All-Star Game last year than an INF who they will likely send to AAA.

        Reply
  9. Rook

    11 years ago

    Kingham was the guy I saw that made sense on the Pirates prospect list.

    Reply
    • Paulie Corleone

      11 years ago

      Didi was Top 80 prior to 2013, Kingham is Top 80 (Prospectus) this year. Matches up on paper but I don’t see how it helps the Pirates in the long run.

      Reply
      • Rook

        11 years ago

        That probably depends on how well Didi hits. The glove is already there. He has to improve his offensive game. Imo he needs to cut down on how often he hits the ball in the air. A few more GB and LD will be a good thing for him.
        He’s not had 400 ab’s yet so there’s lots of time for improvement.

        Reply
  10. Scott 24

    11 years ago

    Gregorius is 3 years younger than Mercer and still has some upside as a top defensive SS who can hit .260 or so. Gives them an in-house option for next season if Mercer can’t handle the job this year.

    Reply
  11. ConstantinusMagnus

    11 years ago

    Didi for Gerrit Cole or Jameson Taillon? Sure. But that’s not happening. Would Towers take Jeff Locke? Would the Pirates trade him straight up or would the D-backs need to throw in a low minors SP to close the deal? It makes sense, a lefty to fill lefty Corbin’s spot in the rotation. What intrigues me most is that Locke was 77th out of 81 qualifying MLB pitchers in Fly Ball % and 5th best in Ground Ball % last year. He’s been assigned to AAA Indianapolis to start the season. I don’t know if there are extenuating circumstances or an injury but if Locke’s close to the pitcher he was last year, he’d be fair value for slick-fielding Didi Gregorius.

    Reply
  12. jamesa-2

    11 years ago

    As much as the Diamondbacks need to shore up their pitching depth again, it is unlikely that they move Gregorius just yet, especially not for a pitcher recently relegated back to AAA. That’s not to say that Didi alone is worth more than that (there are arguments to be made both for and against that premise). It’s more likely however, that the team holds on to him for a bit and uses him as the centerpiece of a larger package, probably one involving multiple players in both directions.

    Reply
  13. N_Cap

    11 years ago

    Lol mercer is a platoon player look as his splits. Defensively he is not as good as didi which makes him better at second and platooning with walker. Pirates have always been willing to sacrifice offense for defense at ss.

    Reply
  14. James Rogers

    11 years ago

    True & true. I’m not comfortable with Mercer at SS. His bat’s okay for a middle infielder, but he’s a butcher at SS.
    If they get Didi, I’d play him at SS & platoon Mercer & Walker at 2B.

    Reply
  15. KermitJagger

    11 years ago

    I think I’d rather keep Cumpton over Locke. I have trouble trusting Locke after he was repeatedly shelled for the entire second half of the season. I think there is a decent chance he is JMac part 2, thought I could be wrong.

    Reply
  16. domaug

    11 years ago

    i’d much prefer Didi over Ike Davis

    Reply
  17. Will 14

    11 years ago

    I can’t figure out why anybody’s that down on Mercer’s defense at SS. 13 errors in nearly 700 innings isn’t bad. He may not be spectacular, but he’s definitely nothing less than solid at the position. Not to mention, he’s one of the only hitters in that line-up other than McCutchen that can keep an OBP above .300. That’s not good, but it stands out in Pittsburgh. Also, if you look at his minor numbers; he’s been a guy who consistently gets better the more time he has at a level.

    I’m inclined to think that the Bucs are merely looking for more trade-bait in finding an upgrade over Ishikawa (I can’t see any way they start the season w/ Lambo at 1B).

    Reply
  18. tune-in for baseball

    11 years ago

    Since the Diamondbacks are looking for starting pitching, why didn’t the Tigers send Jose Alvarez to the Snakes for Didi? He has Major League experience and a young Lefty. DD must have needed to sweeten the pot a little too much, so settled for Romine.

    Reply
  19. LetsGoBucs92122

    11 years ago

    I would like this pickup by the Bucs depending on who they would give up. Gives Mercer some competition in the present and future. Hanson is in the minors, but if Mercer/Didi pans out, Hanson should be able to slide over to second.

    Reply
  20. letsgobucs

    11 years ago

    I’ve always had a soft spot for DiDi Gregorius. He just seems like a gamer. I wouldn’t trade Jeff Locke for him though, and I surely wouldn’t deal Nick Kingham for a potential platoon-level middle infielder. Cumpton has solid upside and he looked good in his spot starts last summer. With so many young arms getting ready to mash into each other over the next two years, I’d take the chance on dealing Cumpton for Gregorius. Sounds like a win-win for both teams needs.

    Reply

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