After the Pirates traded franchise cornerstones Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole last month, utilityman Josh Harrison suggested he’d like to play elsewhere if “the team does not expect to contend this year or next.” The Pirates haven’t done anything to assuage Harrison since then, he explained to reporters (including Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) when he showed up to camp on Sunday.
Regarding a conversation he had with general manager Neal Huntington, Harrison said: “At the end of the day there wasn’t anything said or done that was like, aw man, I can breathe easy. He talked to me, said he wants to win and this or that. At the end of the day I said it’s about action, not speaking.”
Harrison also knocked the Pirates for a lack of transparency – “Some of it goes with not knowing the direction. I understand the business side. Every year, there’s going to be guys coming in and going out. You just want to know where we stand as a team, where you stand as a player” – and backed up teammate David Freese‘s recent comments criticizing the Bucs for an absence of “accountability.”
“I don’t care how we do it, but things need to be done,” Harrison declared. “As Freese said the other day, it’s got to be urgent and not just from a couple guys, a couple people in the office. It has to be top to bottom. You talk about Freese, he’s a World Series MVP. The guy’s been there. He knows what it takes to win. I think it will go without saying that he and I, even some of the comments he mentioned, had been conversations we’ve had during the season. It’s been brought to light.”
Although Harrison isn’t content with the state of the Pirates, it’s unclear whether they’re interested in trading him or whether there’s even a market for his services at this point. The New York teams and Toronto have shown the most reported interest in Harrison since last season ended, but both the Mets and Blue Jays have made several moves to address their infield and outfield in recent weeks. Consequently, both teams are likely out of the running for Harrison.
The Yankees still don’t have a proven second or third base solution, meanwhile, and credible free agent options are dwindling. However, the Yankees only have in the neighborhood of $10MM to $15MM in spending room as they try to stay under the $197MM luxury tax line, which could help prevent a deal from occurring even if the Pirates are open to trading Harrison.
While Harrison’s $6.825MM luxury tax number for 2018 is affordable, it still might not be palatable for the Yankees, who have recently passed on similarly valuable, similarly compensated free agent infielders (Todd Frazier and Eduardo Nunez, for instance) and could use their remaining money to address their rotation – which is an area they’ve prioritized. Passing on expensive veteran infielders would enable the Yankees to allow promising prospects Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar to sink or swim at second and third, respectively. Torres could start the year in the minors, in part because it would give the Yankees an extra year of control over him, but they’d only need to wait until mid-April to promote him.
If no trade materializes by Opening Day, the 30-year-old Harrison will start his eighth season in Pittsburgh. Harrison is in the last guaranteed season of the four-year, $27.3MM extension he signed with the Pirates in 2015. He’ll earn $10MM this year and could make up to $21.5MM over the following two seasons, depending on whether his employer picks up his options for 2019 and ’20.
Send him to LA to play 2B…
Already have Forsythe and Utley.
Like he said send him to LA
Chris Tay Tay
The other LA team, the Angels, make more sense. Harrison can back up 2b, 3b and both corner of spots on a contender that only has two bench spots due to Ohtani and a 6-man.
Angels can probably find a better fit though, because Harrison is another righty bat.
That’s an expensive backup for Kinsler and Cozart
Brewers trade Brett Phillips and hernan Perez for J hay
They aren’t getting Phillips in this trade Perez maybe if the pirates pay most of his salary
Yankees trade Tyler Austin for him. Straight up one for one deal. The Pirates will not get a better return.
Nah. Harrison would block Torres for 2 years. Just offer Brandon Phillips a cheap one year deal to keep 2b warm until Torres is ready. Saves money and don’t have to give up a prospect for him.
The Yankees for whatever reason don’t like Brandon Phillips. Joel Sherman wrote a piece on this in the beginning of winter. I agree with you- he can be had for nothing and was decent with Atlanta last year. I sign him for a year and have him play second until May when Torres is ready.
His contract has team buyout options for 2019 ($1M) and 2020 ($500K), so he would not block anybody. His value for the Yankees is probably at 3B where he could be insurance for Andujar.
Harrison can play third he wouldn’t be blocking Torres. Wade might just win the second base job out of ST and Harrison could cover third if Andujar isn’t ready or Torres moves to third with a little more time at AAA.
I’d assume the Yankees would need to add someone like Estrada, Solak, or Sauer to get a deal done
Lol no Harrison isn’t that good
The only contender that would start him would be the Dodgers. He’s a utility player most good teams, he’s not worthy of ANY organization’s top tier prospects.
I think you’re significantly underrating Harrison, or overrating Austin, or both. He won’t command any team’s top prospects, but he’ll cost more than Tyler Austin
Although he probably won’t play as much on other teams as he has with Pittsburgh, Harrison did post a 3.3 WAR last year, and in the past four seasons, 12.2 WAR.
He’s signed for three seasons at an AAV of $10.75. And the final two are team options with relatively cheap buyouts ($1 million and $500,000). Ben Zobrist is a similar player. He was slightly better when he signed with the Cubs for 4 years, $56 million, but he was also six years older and coming off a poor season.
Harrison may not be a starter for many contenders, but I think he’d easily be a super utility player that would appear in 100+ games. No great tools, but he’ll hit for a solid average with some pop, steal some bases, and play very good defense. And most importantly, he can slot in at 3B, 2B, LF, RF, and even short in a pinch.
There may not be a ton of surplus value on his contract, but there are very few players in baseball available with his skill set.
Austin is 26, has missed significant time every year from injuries, struggled in the major leagues, and has never really been that great in the minors.
Has more value at 3rd. Too many 2nd baseman available.
I find it highly unlikely that Pittsburgh picks up his option next year. If they weren’t willing to pay Cole’s $6.75 million then why would the pay Harrison $10.5 million.
It wasn’t about not paying Cole it was realizing he has regressed last 2 seasons and better to get potential major league contributors now then comp pick in 19 like Cutch. They have a ton of pitching depth. Harrison has a starting gig and any replacement might cost more than his option
People need to understand, Cole wasn’t a salary dump in any way shape or form. Cole was traded because there was zero chance of extending him at all and Cole’s trade value was at the highest level since his Ace-caliber season years ago. If there was a decent chance of extending him and the fair (though unremarkable) trade from Houston didn’t’ present itself he’d still be a Pirate and they’d try again in the summer.
Cutch really wasn’t a dump either, they wanted to get something cause they where not going to extend him.. at least not at the price his agent would be demanding.
Harrison’s option gets picked up unless he completely tanks in ’18, IF for no other reason than to trade him to get value back.
Ditto. Been saying the same thing.
They aren’t paying 10 m for his option.
He’s way overpaid in this market. The Yankees don’t need a ninth place hitter that bad.
He would make a ton of sense basically on any contender. I think the Dodgers or the Yankees would make the most sense.
I don’t think The Yankees would be too interested. They have Torreys, and Andujar in the pipeline, and could be mlb ready in a half year. I could kinda see a fit with The Dodgers, but they already have Forsythe and Utley.
I’m sick of being a Pirate fan, hopefully they make a move on that Dickerson kid, he would be a good outfield fit.
They’re not getting Dickerson that would make zero sense, but lets live in a fantasy world and say they got him. Once Meadows is ready to come up, that means Polanco, Marte, or Dickerson needs to be moved to make room. One of them is moved, and you’re back on here complaining about being a Pirates fan.
Meadows seems to be constantly hurt and Polanco last year as well. I will complain about being a Pirates fan, especially when teams like Milwaukee actually go for it
The Brewers had the lowest payroll in MLB last year and only within the last month have the gotten to the level of payroll the Pirates had when the Yinzers were calling them cheap, but…Yinzers praise the Brewers left and right.
The Brewers are “big spenders” “who are going for it” for spending the same that the Pirates were “cheap” and “stealing from the fans”.
K.
PS- What’s a “tam”?
A Tam is a misspelled word, but we both have the same feelings towards BOB
OK, but it’s a misspelled word in your screen name…
Demand excellence from yourself first.
Same thing Josh should be doing.
how is Harrisons outfield defense, i like the idea of him in left for the Mariners.
Lol and while they’re at it they can get cervelli to play right field, and jamerson tailon to be a Catcher!
He has 1 error in LF in about 300 innings. 4 errors in the outfield at 708.2 innings. LgFld% for OF is .985, Harrison is at .973, for LF LgFld% is .983, Harrison is at .982
He’s not bad in the outfield, but do The Mariners really need another outfielder? They already got Haniger, Gammel, Dee Gordon, and Motter who can play OF. There wouldn’t be any room for him in the infield either with Cano, Segura, and Seager.
not very great. in ~700 total OF innings ~-10uzr/150 in his career. He’s an infielder that can give you innings in the OF if needed, Not an everyday outfielder
Harrison catches what he gets to in the outfield, but his instincts and his angles to the ball are often terrible. He can fill in for a game or 2 in the OF but he should absolutely not move there full time.
Above average
Hahaha, this clown severely overvalues his talent. He’s a utility player at best for a contender. The Pirates don’t owe him an explanation, he’s under contract. He’s an average ML player. I’m sure if other teams were that interested in him, the Bucs would have moved him by now. They have bigger things to worry about than trying to make this bum happy.
I bet you wish the Cubs kept him
Hmmmm, at 3B, I kinda like this Bryant kid. At 2B, I kinda like this Baez kid, this Happ kid oh and the World Series MVP Zobrist. Sooooo, no, I don’t care to see him anywhere near a Cubs jersey.
I’d rather have him in LF than Schwarber
This is the dumbest thing ever, what the guy is saying is if the Cubs never got rid of him after they drafted him so for one yes he would have been traded during the rebuild. For two the events that eventually took place to get the Cubs the world championship would have been completely changed since they would not have Schwarber in left and he would not have been injured to come back in the World Series to help beat Cleveland. So no again this is a stupid comment.
Even if he was traded during the rebuild he would have had a greater return instead of Grabow, and Gorzelanny. So, either way the Cubs would’ve benefited
Your team finally, after what, a 100 years, figures it out, & now u talk sht? Stay in your lane. They were an embarrassment for a century, remember that.
My point is it’s like Back to the future, I don’t want to mess with the space time continuum. Yes they finally won, I am happy with it and wouldn’t change nuttin. Especially not having Harrison. And there is nothing saying Harrison would have even become the player he is today with the Cubs. It’s a clown question bro
He would have been gone a long time ago if the Cubs kept him. This is a stupid comment.
This
I love Harrison and Freese but you got to look at what has changed since those three years of doing well.
The front office expected these players (Harrison, Cutch, Kang, Marte, Polanco, Cole, Liriano, Cervelli., pretty much all of the team (save a few) to be better than they where. Many of those players where down right bad the past two seasons and many missed a lot of time during those season.
as a pirate fan i get the frustration, but this kinda talk makes matters worse.
Thought Angels were going after him in early winter. So glad they took Cozart.
Josh Harrison making demands blows my mind. His best years are already behind him and those werent even that good. It should speak loud and clear to him that the Pirates cant even trade him for anything useful
This..
But he looks like Babe Ruth compared to most of the players left on the team.
Ahhhhh, the tallest midget scenario, I like it!
At over $10M, Harrison has no trade value. Comparable infielders like Walker, Phillips, and Escobar are sitting there in the free agent pool waiting to be signed for less than that. So, why give up any prospects to overpay Harrison?
This
For the Yankees I might rather take Freese off their hands for 3B/1B insurance.
I have to admit that I I blow hot and cold on these articles about trades and acquisitions by the Yankees. I thought that Darvish made no sense for NY but they should have signed Todd Frazier for the money he got from the Mets. In my mind, the biggest question mark on the Yanks is Andujar because of his defense. Even if Torres is a below average hitter in his first year there does not seem to be much doubt about his defensive capability. I respect Torreyes very much but I do not like the idea of him playing 3B full-time if Andujar is a bust defensively. He is a better fit at 2B and they could move Torres to 3B but it is a lot to ask a rookie to jump around like that when he is unfamiliar with the positions. Harrison is affordable and probably could be traded if Andujar works out but I expect that Tyler Wade or Torreyes is the backup plan, and there will be plenty of 3B out there to be offered in trade as the season progresses.
Don’t disrespect this guy , when the team is clicking, this guy plays as hard and is as good as nearly anyone in the game, and I’m a Cardinals fan.I’d love to have him on Saint Louis because he gives a damn if the team wins or loses. It’s personal to this guy!
Harrison must not have much self-awareness. Pirates have likely been turning over every stone trying to trade him for even a bag of balls. His indignant attitude probably makes a prospective trade less likely. Do your job.
If Josh wants to win, why has he played like garbage for most of his current contract?
In the years since the Pirates (in an effort to win) signed their “All Star” (because the game determined home field and managers liked utility players) to a contract that made him and generations of his family rich…
2015: .287 4 HR 28 RBI 97 OPS+
2016: .283 4 HR 59 RBI 86 OPS+
2017: .272 16 HR 47 RBI 101 OPS+
If he wanted to win, why didn’t he earn his contract in all 3 years since he signed it instead of just the one? One thing that makes it hard for small market teams to win is when they sign one of their supposed core players and he plays like a bum more often than not.
Ironically, the first domino to fall to sour the clubhouse after the 98 win season was the trade of Neil Walker which was done to clear a spot for….Josh Harrison to be the everyday second baseman after signing his big contract.
How did Harrison reward the Pirates for that show of faith? With a .9 WAR season. And now these comments.
There is a bizarre dynamic in Pittsburgh where the players are NEVER blamed for the team’s failings because of the media’s vendetta against the front office and Nutting.
Harrison has 0 career post season RBI’s. Cutch has 0 career post season RBI’s. The meatball Cole served up to Schwarber that took away what little chance they had to win that game still hasn’t landed. Just kidding, it landed in the river.
But instead of worrying about owning their own play, they worry about their friends being traded like it’s a Little League team.
I have never once faulted the team for not adding to the 2015 team. Why? I saw what they saw, a weak minded group of chokers. Nothing that was added to that rotten core would have made them winners. So, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the trades of Cutch and Cole and by July 31st, Harrison for years.
The Pirates have a young group of players that won a championship at the A level two years and won a championship at the AA level last year. Bell seems to have a good head on his shoulders. Jameson Taillon’s mental toughness CANNOT be doubted. I have far more hope for this next core than the last one.
PS- Josh should look at the deal that Nunez just got. That’s his value. The Mets won’t even give up a 4th outfielder for him. Seriously.
Know the FACTS
Since 2014 only 11 players have posted the following..
170 or more XBH
55 or more SB
OBP of .330 or better
WAR of 12 or better
Trout, Dozier, Goldschmidt, Blackmon, Betts, Altuve, Gardner, Yelich, Jose Ramirez, Cain AND JOSH HARRISON while playing 4 MLB positions ..
I stand corrected. He’s clearly an elite player and the Yankees should be rushing to offer Gleyber Torres for him.
I wonder why they aren’t, huh?
Clearly the Pirates failed him and his 4 HR and 10 SB in 2015 by not adding David Price to augment his Herculean efforts.
He has every right to feel betrayed. Clearly.
You are so smart boss.. maybe Harrison has A LOT of value and they did not get as much as they wanted .. maybe the pirates feel they WILL contend and the team’s joy & energy comes from Harrison.. know your stats.. harrison changes a team ..
I’m totally agreeing with you.
Clearly the other 29 teams are missing the boat here.
This is a game changing player who should command a package of top prospects.
I’m laughing, this laughter is becoming louder and…. louder. I think it’s such an advantage for Pittsburgh that they are smarter than “the other 29 teams”. I guess, like Harrison, they’ve done a great job of staying under the radar. This brings a whole new meaning to the term “long game”, but I’m sure they have the other 29 front offices right where they want’em.
Exactly. See above. Josh Harrison is one of the top 11 players in baseball.
Until you remember that all of the names listed produced far more on top of those baselines while they represent almost all of Harrison’s production, at least.
He might match up with the Braves, but man, that contract. If they did work a deal, JH plays. 3B for now if Ruiz hasn’t developed and Camargo really is a UT guy. 2B if Swanson doesn’t improve and they move Albies back to SS. Backing up both spots and LF as needed. Or maybe Camargo and/or Ruiz going to the Pirates.
57 wins.
So, FTR, both the team’s lone “All Star” and the veteran the team signed specifically for his leadership complain about the team’s clubhouse culture as if it’s anyone else’s job but theirs and then talk about accountability.
K.