The Pirates are actively shopping Jon Niese and have called around to a number of teams to gauge interest in the left-hander recently, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review first reported. Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hears the same and adds that the Bucs are anticipating at least a handful of scouts to be on hand this coming Sunday to watch Niese start the final game of the season’s first half.
Acquired from the Mets this offseason in a one-for-one swap with Neil Walker, Niese has struggled through the worst season of his nine-year career in the Majors. The 29-year-old currently holds a 4.87 ERA — his highest full-season mark of any in his career — and is averaging more walks per nine innings (3.1) than he has since 2010. The main problem for Niese, though, is that he’s been astonishingly prone to the long ball with Pittsburgh, surrendering 19 home runs through his first 98 innings. That mark is already higher than the total number of homers he allowed in the 2011, 2013 and 2014 seasons (individually, not combined), and it sits one behind last year’s total of 20 homers despite the fact that he’s pitched 80 fewer innings.
Of course, there are some positives about Niese’s numbers as well. His 6.2 K/9 rate is an improvement over last year’s career-low rate, his 54.7 percent ground-ball rate is a slight improvement over his career-high, and his average of 89.2 mph on his heater is right in line with the marks he’s put up over the past few years. xFIP, which normalizes his current outlier home run rate, doesn’t actually feel that Niese has been significantly worse than he was in 2015.
Even if you’re squinting to try to salvage some hope for Niese’s season, though, the fact remains that he’s allowed considerably more runs and been much more hittable than the Pirates were hoping when acquiring him in that December trade. And, with young arms like Tyler Glasnow, Jameson Taillon, Chad Kuhl and Steven Brault all working their way up to the point of making their MLB debuts, the club has a number of younger options to deploy in favor of Niese and his $9MM salary.
That salary figures to stand as an obstacle to trading Niese, though Pittsburgh could absorb a portion of the remaining $4.23MM on that 2016 income in order to facilitate a trade. The Bucs also hold club options over Niese that are respectively valued at $10MM and $11MM for the upcoming 2017 and 2018 seasons, but Nesbitt writes that the club is likelier to buy out his 2017 option for $500K than pick it up in hope for a 2017 rebound.
His 2016 struggles notwithstanding, Niese was a solid mid-rotation arm for the Mets for many years prior to the trade. From 2012-15, Niese averaged 174 innings of 3.65 ERA ball in Queens, thriving due to strong ground-ball tendencies and a solid, if unspectacular 511-to-197 K/BB ratio. If the Bucs are willing to eat some cash, a team in need of pitching could roll the dice on Niese in hopes of a rebound that would make his club options look like a reasonable price to pay. From a speculative standpoint, the Orioles and Royals make some sense, as both are in need of rotation innings and could stand to add an arm that is controllable beyond the current campaign.
Salary dump? Seems like they have needed all the rotation depth they can get
If you watched at least 1 pirate game over the past 2 weeks, i can name 4 better options right now, that the Pirates have instead of Niece.
Need some help? Brault, Taillon, GLASNOW , and Kuhl.
Get rid of this guy while they have a chance.
Actually package him with a minor leaguer or 2, and go out and get that Shoemaker guy from the Angels.!
Isn’t Taillon hurt?
Not really. It’s a phantom DL stint to limit is innings and pitches. He’ll be back after the break.
I agree that the Pirates have better options than Niese, I would be surprised if anyone would want him because of the bad numbers he has put up this first half of the season.
If the Pirates keep Taillon, Glasnow, and Kuhl up then who else do you get rid of between Locke, Cole, and liriano.
Maybe they don’t get rid of any of those guys and have a 6 man rotation for a few weeks to manage the innings of the 3 rookies.
Shoemaker isn’t getting moved. He is essentially their “Ace” next year by default. Plus the Angels aren’t going to add salary. I don’t think Niese is going to bring anything above a couple of low A relievers. This sounds like a pure salary dump.
The Red Sox need to be in on this. I will throw a party when/if they decide to DFA Clay Buchholz.
Niese for Bucholtz swap sounds good to me.
Would be an interesting swap of pitchers actually
Not really, I wouldn’t think. How do the Pirates benefit? If they’re trading Niese, its to recoup some value for the future. Not a guy who’s borderline DFA material and an impending FA, because no one is paying him 13.5M next year
Think he really is DFA material, then so is Niese, who would get lit up worse in the AL east with the DH than he has been already after getting to pitch half his games so far in offensive caverns during his entire career.
If Dombrowski won’t go out and just DFA Buch.. See if his old assistant from last year DiPoto at Seattle, whom he swapped Carson Smith for Miley and Elias with is interested in moving Mileys Salary after all of his troubles there.
Figure he’s got 10-11m coming to him.. Counting this, next year and the buyout of 2018. Maybe give him a small time kid also as encouragement.. Even Elias back.. Maybe they both need to go home?
Yeah, It would be worth taking Buchholz for Niese and trying to fix him in the PIT bullpen if Boston included a lottery ticket prospect and some cash.
Pirates might actually be able to fix Bucholtz since they have a recent history of that sort of thing
Why would the Angels trade Shoemaker? Unless a team grossly overpays.
Sell high on a 4th/5th starter type. Value will probably not get much higher for LAA
Does anyone think the Cardinals GM will pick up any top tiered starting players at the trade deadline? He doesn’t have a very good track record in trades or signing free agents.
Is there a true top tier player even out there at the deadline? If you want Jay Bruce or a reliever, I mean.. I guess he could.
The better question would probably be is there a realistic top tiered pitcher available. I’d assume especially in Grays’s case if someone severally overpaya the A’s would move him.
Cargo maybe?
Why doesn’t he have a good track record? Try Wiggington and Mike Leake are the only 2 signings that haven’t looked good.
The Moss-Kaminsky trade and the Rasmus trade are the only 2 I can think of that weren’t positive.
But no, I don’t expect a big move at the deadline. And honestly, there’s really not much reason to pull one.
He better stay away from al east because he will get ate up with home runs there
Most of the teams in the AL East struggle against soft tossing lefties so really he might be able to do well against those teams.
Well since Harvey is out, the Mets might need him back. He knows the route to the stadium at the very least.
But he’d have to find a new place to live. I heard that Neil Walker is in his old place (not even joking).
Would it make sense for COL to trade for Niese and partial 2016 salary relief in order to have a shot at picking up that 2917 option? Seems COL has had trouble attracting healthy veteran pitchers in the $7MM to $10MM range in recent years.
Actually I would be okay with that depending on the return. There were rumors a few years back of a Wilin Rosario for Niese trade that kind of fell apart at the last minute. I wouldn’t give any more than a Barnes or Adames or maybe even Eddie Butler off the 40 man roster along with a prospect like Jonathan Piron. Any more than that and I would pass.
Pirates need rotation help the could ask the braves for Teheran and vizcaino. I’m sure that would reuquire to give up one of Jameson or Glasnow Reese McGuire and Austin meadows. Pirates have the pieces to win this year just need another sp and a good bullpen piece plus he would replace melancon for the next 3 years
Glasnow Reese and Meadows isn’t a bad package for Teheran and a lower arm than Viz. Teheran and Viz will probably take one more significant player coming back imo
hahahahahaha. Delusional
Huntington would rather chop off a finger than trade that trio of prospects.
Unless Cutch is extended Meadows isn’t going anywhere. Reese is borderline untouchable, unless someone ‘over pays’
One of the pitching prospects can be available though. Bell and Hanson should also be available if the deal is right.
How does trading away a starting pitcher to acquire a starting pitcher fix their problem of needing another sp?
Also, Vizcaino has been anything but good lately
I was one of the few that was all for the niese/walker trade. And I’m all for trading Niese. seems to me that management believe in this year and looking to 2017. Cole, Taillon, Glasno, Kuhl, Brault ( and don’t forget about Kingham when he gets healthy) type of rotation. I’d keep Locke—there’s still hope. But if you can get a decent return for Niese, take it. I think Bucholz is a change of scenery candidate. This weekend series may determine how the buccos move forward this season.
Niese to the Mets for Neil Walker. Mets need a P after Harvey’s injury, and Flores could slide into 2B with Reyes playing 3B (or Reyes at 2B).
And how about the Twins? Trade Jepsen’s contract and a B-level prospect for Niese and a shot at that 2017 option, which is potentially more cost effective than any 2016-2017 free agent MIN is likely to attract.
Don’t get caught up in the Pirates “fixing” pitchers. Guys coming over from the American League have it much easier. NL starting pitchers start the season with 45 to 50 scoreless innings because the number 8 hole hitter and the pitcher have a combined 5 ab’s per game. With over 30 starts it comes out too: (30×5=150~3=50 innings)
Not to mention in the NL will see such *oustanding* hitters, such as Erik Kratz, Jake Marisnick,Preston Tucker.. Could go on and on.. Come to the plate late in the game as pinch hitters for a pitcher.. Guys that shouldn’t even be on a 25 man roster in the NL…
Uh… What? The Astros are in the AL, buddy.
Good thing Tucker and Marisnick play in the AL
Lol nothing like bashing one of the better teams in the AL while trying to prove how bad the NL is
Obvious move NEise to mets. dugh!
Try the Rangers and John Daniels. Niese would be an upgrade over their current fill-ins.