The Phillies announced a deal involving Rule 5 selection Nick Burdi. His rights were shipped to the Pirates in exchange for $500K of international bonus pool spending capacity, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
Burdi, a high-powered righty relief prospect, started the day with the Twins. He went third in today’s Rule 5 proceedings, but the Phillies decided to hand off his rights to Pittsburgh.
The 24-year-old Burdi landed in the Minnesota organization after being taken in the second round of the 2014 draft. It seemed he was nearing MLB readiness after 17 frames at Double-A in 2017, over which he allowed just one earned run on nine hits and four walks while racking up twenty strikeouts.
Unfortunately, that came to a halt with a UCL injury that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. Burdi will likely return at some point in the middle of the upcoming season, at which point the Bucs will need to keep him on the active roster in order to obtain his full rights. If Burdi is not on the MLB roster for ninety days in the 2017 season, he’d then need to open the ensuing campaign there in order for the rights to fully convey.
1 pick away from the Sox. Would’ve loved to see him and his brother in the same bullpen.
That’s for sure. Funny how they both had the same injury too
cool that they don’t need to put him on the roster until he is well. hopefully they have room for him.. looks promising. Get well.
Congrats Pirates for being the biggest losers of the Winter Meetings.
They’re making process in their division. Cards got Ozuna. Pirates got Burdi. Equal trades.
Cards get Ozuna but he may be in the same type of situation he was in Miami. He is on a team that he will help improve offensively but pitching may well be a question mark for the Cards.
I was being sarcastic. If Ozuna keeps doing well, he will leave St Louis as soon as he can.
Good move for the Bucs, if I remember correctly from when he was originally drafted from Minnesota, Burdi was viewed as a legit reliever that would move through the minors quickly with loads of talent that slipped a bit in the draft because he was the rare true reliever coming into the draft and there were concerns about his arm health. Pirates grabbing him for international money ( plus associated Rule 5 fees I assume) after he has already had his somewhat expected TJ surgery could be a steal. Hoping he sticks around, he could fill in the back of the bullpen with Edgar Santana and Dovydas Neverauskas in a few years after they all work their way into bigger, higher leverage roles for the team in a couple years.
Future closer material.
oh yeah were closing in on the cubs now….
“Let’s pass up all those other cheap, and inexpensive relievers, and pick-up Nick Burdi. He’s just as good, if not better than them” said no one ever.
At least no one is saying “after the surgery he will throw harder” or “he should have had preventive TJS when he was younger”
No one says it but many guys do have stronger arms after TJS because of the rehab involved. May not happen here but one never knows.
quoting Dr. Jobe once again…..
Do pitchers throw harder after TJS? No
“When a pitcher comes in with elbow problems, you often see that their ligaments were already wearing out well before. Maybe four or five years ago they could throw a 95 mile an hour fastball, but they’ve had that ability diminished as the ligament’s been stretched. What the surgery does is restore the ligament’s stability to where it was four or five years ago. A pitcher might say the operation did it, but it’s just more stability in the arm contributing to better mechanics.”
Does having TJS before it is needed help? No
“It wouldn’t help if you didn’t have it before. All the surgery does is get you back to your normal elbow. You either have the stuff or you don’t. A player that reaches the majors, he’s spent years in the minors improving, making his mechanics better, with his muscles getting stronger.”
Pitchers may think it helps but it is physically impossible.
I meant to add this caveat but I was rushed and forgot…If a pitcher had already reached his physical capabilities it won’t make him throw harder. A ligament can only take so much.
No, it won’t make you throw harder but because through rehab, pitchers have said their arm is stronger and adds durability but like you said, it is not like bionic surgery and a guy throwing 85 suddenly throw 100 . Several pitchers have said their arm was stronger post surgery/rehab than it was before.
There’s just one problem, he isn’t a lefty, and the only lefty in the pen is Rivero, our closer, unless they plan on using Brault as the other lefty.
Whole lot of time between now and the beginning of the season. Lot of stuff will happen between now and then. This guy is a pretty low risk acquisition. Will start the year on the DL. When they need to decide what to do with him when he is healthy, if he shows he is back to where he was before the injury and ready for the bigs, nice pick up. If he shows he is not ready, you offer him back under the Rule 5 rules. Low risk and low investment. Worth it.
Still though, they need to sign at least another guy, who isn’t like Daniel Hudson. But Huntington won’t spend a dime, even if it’s for a cheap guy, like Fernando Abad, or David Hernandez. I’m just frustrated that The Pirates did nothing at the Winter Meetings. Being a Pirate fan is hard.
Being a Pirates fan is hard. That’s why you have to enjoy the days they pick up a potential back of the bullpen pitcher with six years of club control for international money they might not otherwise spend.
You gotta take the little things.
Speed Kills…..UCL’s….. or as Dr. Jobe said….””Throwing is good. Throwing really hard can be bad.” …..”75 percent effort, that’s when stress transfers from the muscle to the ligament.”
why didn’t the twins deal him for that
He would’ve still be eligible for rule 5 draft if the twins traded him.
Possibly they should have added him to their 40 man roster and put him on the DL, but they obviously had very little room since Kohl Stewart was left off their 40 also, even though they need SP.
I like this flip move from the Phillies perspective. More international pool money to spend on (hopefully) non damaged goods.
What’s not to like about this deal?
Former high ceiling prospect. If he’s good, you keep him and you got a good player for (almost) nothing. If he’s bad, you get rid of him and lose (almost) nothing.
Cuz yinzers gonna yinz.
On sunny days the sun is too bright. They win the lotto and complain about the taxes. You know the drill.
I thought SEA CF Ian Miller would get picked up… I guess he’s not ready to be on a MLB roster yet.