With the Pirates coming off a disappointing season and new general manager Ben Cherington now in charge of the organization, there has been wide speculation that a rebuild could be coming in Pittsburgh. This would naturally make Starling Marte into a trade candidate, and the center fielder indicated in a conversation with Hector Gomez of Deportivo Z 101 (Twitter links) that he wants to be play for a winning team in 2020, in Pittsburgh or elsewhere.
The Pirates “have the power to decide about my future,” Marte said. “If it was for me I will leave for a team that is ready to compete right now on a World Series and that’s not our case.” When asked specifically about the Mets, who have a need in center field and have already reportedly shown interest in Marte’s services, Marte said that “it will be an honor to play with them,” since New York is more poised to contend next season.
It should be noted that these comments fall short of any actual trade request; needless to say, virtually every player would prefer to player for a contender, all things considered. Marte doesn’t appear to have any hard feelings about the Pirates or his situation, noting that “if it [a trade] doesn’t happen, I will keep working hard and giving my team all I have.”
Marte is under team control for the next two seasons, earning $11.5MM in 2020 and possibly $12.5MM via a club option for 2021 (with a $1MM buyout). This counts as pricey by the Pirates’ standards, especially for a team that may be retooling. The newly-hired Cherington has yet to give any firm indication about the Bucs’ next direction, and given how it often takes a new GM some weeks or months to fully adjust to a new position (meeting with internal personnel, making new hires, etc.), decisions about Marte, Josh Bell, Gregory Polanco, or other potential trade chips might not be made until later in the offseason.
If the Mets are set on Marte, they have some room to be patient, as the club does have Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo available as center field options if a proper full-time center fielder can’t be found. Beyond just New York, other teams could be content to play the waiting game if the Pirates need time to decide on Marte, given the lack of clear-cut options in the center field free agent market.
Good riddance.
Line em up… Marte, Polanski, Kela, etc. Even Bell should be considered.
*Polanco
They should dangle Polanski as well to see what teams are offering
What do you think Polanski would cost?
White Sox would give up the Farm for a guy named Polanski.
Probably some kid
At least one current foreign detainee. He’s an ex-pat.
It would start with Sharon Tate and maybe Charles Manson as well???
Killer joke.
please stop.
you weren’t even alive then to have known the horror of that incident and yet, you make fun of it. Very sad Dorothy.
Isn’t Polanski playing in some low key league in France or something? I’m not sure the Pirates own his rights.
He’s in scouting. Loves kids.
Good riddance? Odd he’s been great.
I’d say trade him for his sake, since he’s been nothing short of great for the bucs.
That arm in OF has got to be top3, if not #1 in the baseball.
He’s a true 5-tool, a rare gem now days.
Still remember his first MLB AB. That scorcher over the wall to center-left on the first MLB pitch he ever saw.
The return needs to be steep. He’s cheap and controllable, and has more intangibles than I can list.. CF, leadoff, big arm, power, speed, obp..
Let’s see what Cherington got.
He’s been great? Guess you just watch the occasional highlight. Why any pitcher throws a fastball around the plate to him is a mystery. Get ahead and feed him curveballs in the dirt. He can’t lay off
It’s ridiculous
Trade him to Atlanta!
Only if he can be a SP or 3B.
Because Kakes/Duvall don’t need an upgrade.
Marte would upgrade any OF in the bigs
Giving up on Austin Riley already?
@ronnsnow
I’m not giving up on Riley at all. Yes I want Atl to trade for Marte and then sign Moustakas for 2/22. That allows Riley, Waters, and Pache to all continue to develop and nobody get rushed all while being in “win now” mode.
Marte is better then Inciarte offensively and hits RH to hit behind Freeman. Moustakas then hits 5 to push Duvall and more importantly Markakis down out of the 4/5 hole.
Kakes/Duval in left. Acuna in Right. Marte CF. Ender trade. Riley Cargo 3B. Not terrible. Can always upgrade 3B and SP at the deadline.
I think they could still up grade the rotation now too.
I don’t know who would trade for Ender at this stage in his career, with that salary…
@debubba
What do you mean with “that” salary?
He is going to make 7 mil in 2020, 8 in 2021, and a team option of 9 mil for 2022. That will be his age 29-31 age seasons. 2019 is his first year jot being an elite defensive CF. he was also hampered by injuries in 2019.
It is in fact a $16 million contract over 2 years including the 2022 option (of $1 million, not $9 million). Add a couple of other pieces, and you have the makings of a good deal for both teams.
Let Ozuna walk and trade him to the Cardinals.. wishful thinking
Doesn’t matter what he’s “open” to— he’ll go wherever he’s traded. Because he does not gave a no trade clause.
True, but only a contender will trade for him with 2 years left on his contract.
Actually that opens him up to being traded anywhere.
Agreed. He’s controlled. Any team takes him over Mookie.
Any team takes him over Mookie… LOLOLOLOLOL No.
I don’t think he meant that Marte is better than Betts. Just much easier to trade for.
I think he’s right. Most teams would rather pay $24 million for 2 years of a star player they can re-sign compared to $30 million for one year of a superstar player they have no hope of re-signing.
Spot On.
The package for Marte will be a little less than the package for Mookie (Marte is an excellent player, but has a PED scar and that taints his previous numbers somewhat) , and teams will get 2 years……plus possibly an extension from Marte.
Betts has made it clear that he wants to test the market, and is most assuredly a 1-yr rental.
Mets
Texas would be an excellent trade partner.
Mets are a perfect fit for him
Anyone could use him tbh
I think we found Marte’s agent!
DBacks ?
Marte would go to a AL team like Cleveland. Cleveland and Pittsburgh love to swap players every year
I wouldn’t mind having him, but Mercado already owns CF….because his defense is horrible in the corner outfield positions. Can Marte play those? And can we give the Pirates another injury prone LH hitting OF, like say….Zimmer?
I think martes metrics atleast weren’t that great in center do corner could be a lot better for him unless I’m thinking about mccutchen my bad if so. But i would believe that their old gm would have accepted him as a center piece for marte but cherrington is smarter than that.
Neil Huntingdon liked trading with the Indians because he came from that organization and may have been involved in drafting and scouting some of those guys he brought to Pittsburgh. Now he’s gone, so those teams may not be as involved with each other on the trade market. Last year was Marte’s first season in center field, and yes, he he went from a plus left fielder to a negative center fielder.
Don-Marte is a good ML center fielder who is generating a lot of trade interest for a number of reasons but that is the main one no matter what any metrics say.
He started playing centerfield for Pittsburgh in 2017 before his suspension then they kept Cutch there afterwards because he was Cutch.
Marte played there full time in both 2018 and 2019.
My point is that he is still a good one.
So… You wouldn’t mind. Love when people talk like they’re not only they’re the owner but the richest oener in the game. Wouldn’t mind as if it’s no big deal one way or the other. Lol
Have you ever heard the phrase ‘proper grammatical structure’?
Not allowed to say you wouldn’t mind seeing a player added to your favorite team duh
Yes.
Marte actually primarily played LF until Cutch left.
It was Cutch that was overrated in center.
Marte is actually best in LF because his arm can throw anyone out at home.
Yes, he can and asa matter of fact, he was their left fielder every year until 2018 because of Andrew McCutchen.
If the Braves end up losing out on Donaldson, then they should definitely look to acquire Marte.
Trade for Marte, sign a #2 for the rotation, add a bench bat, and call it a day..Ideally, Id love for then to sign Moose as well, but I’m not so sure the budget would allow for all three..
Even still, without Moose, it would be a pretty solid line-up..
1. Acuña Jr.
2. Albies
3. Freeman
4. Marte
5. Markakis
6. Riley/Camargo
7. D’Arnaud/Flowers
8. Swanson
With Moose, yiikes!! lol
1. Acuña Jr.
2. Albies
3. Freeman
4. Marte
5. Moose
6. Markakis/Riley
7. D’Arnaud/Flowers
8. Swanson
Thats pretty excellent depth, especially with a bench of Culberson, Inciarte, Camargo, Riley, and T-Flow..
Wooof. Markakis in the 5 hole in 2020? Blech
He’s in the 4hole as of today lol
What, you think they’d just get him for chicken feed? It would cost them one of young names from that list and a couple of MLB ready prospects to get Marte.
Braves might be the most unlikely fit.
Already have similar players atop The order.
Marte is best as leadoff or 2nd
Honestly, coming from a Nats fan, I hope that’s the braves line-up next year. Truthfully most concerned about phillies+cole+jd/moose+ possibly bullpen or outfield help than Atlanta.
thats what people said last year…
Nats just got hot at the right time last year, look at the records, Braves are the better team and people underestimated us last offseason
Totally understand the thinking. You could also argue that the nats were the best team in baseball last year, neck and neck with LA and Houston if you want to base it off of the last 112 games and playoffs. You can’t go on a 74-38 run and follow that up by winning the World Series and be anything but a special ballclub. To say Atlanta was a “better team” solely based on their record is pretty lazy in my personal opinion. There are definitely valid arguments for that, but by roster construction, I’m taking the 2019 nats over 2019 braves if we ran it back in 20.
@LH
I personally think the Braves and Nats were pretty evenly matched. Even when the Nats would go on their big winning stretches they couldn’t pick up significant ground on Atlanta. Head to head even when the Nats were at their best down the stretch they were getting beat by Atl.
The big question is can either team improve? The Braves rotation plus Donaldson or making theblibeup longer. For the Nats are they able to resign both Rendon and Stras? If they lose one of them, are they able to replace either of them? The Phillies could be the best of the 3 very easily if the Braves and Nats do not address their needs.
Agreed, this offseason SHOULD make all the difference in the division. Can’t rule out any of the three, assuming the phils make a splash(TOR starter or Rendon/JD). I definitely think it’s fair to question both the nats and braves if the offseason doesn’t play out the way they want it to.
Nats were built better for a short series.
Braves are built better for over 162 games.
For as hot as the Nats were over an extended stretch at the end of the year
If other teams that controlled their own destiny didn’t fall off the Nats eouldnt have gotten there.
Not to mention trading for Marte would mean Ender would be expendable and can be offloaded in a trade to clear another 8$ million off the books.
meh
@Bravesfan88
I love that lineup with Moustakas in it! The one with Markakis still batting 5 is not acceptable!
I still think Inciarte, Wright, and Trey Harris would come close to being enough for Marte. If you go by trade calculator then Wroght would be more valuable then Mart by himself.
Also trade for Lindor
And BETTS!
Marte to the Twins for RHP Jordan Balazovic & Trevor Larnach.
No thank you
If Atlanta could get him that would be nice, what would it take?
The Pirates would need an OFer going back Drew Waters & they also need LHP so Kyle Muller as well. It may not happen but Ben Cherington is not going to trade Marte for nothing. If Marte is traded it will be to a contending team with a competitive offer that will include a piece that may sting a little.
So something like Inciarte, Wilson, and another lower-tier prospect would work?
Inciarte? They’re not gonna take on that contract. It would take a serious name from the ML roster and at least one or two of their major league ready prospects. The competition for him will be fierce, if they deal him at all.
Why not take on a big contract? But only if it increases the prospect haul
I’d deal Bryse Wilson and Austin Riley for Marte. I’d throw in Gohara, if need be. I feel like it’s important the Braves keep Donaldson, so dealing Riley wouldn’t bug me. I’m not trading Waters, though.
Gohara pitches for the Angels now
I’ll absolutely throw him in then. Lol. But seriously, I completely missed him getting released. Thanks for the info. I had just thought he fell off, and that’s why he’s been barely mentioned.
@Johnny Baseball
I think you are really over valuing Marte. It would not take any of the top 3…Pache, Waters, or Anderson.
Kyle Wright and another prospect would and should come close. Inciarte, Wright, and Teey Harris might even be an overpay the more I think about it. Wright and Harris is probably enough!
Well 1st off the Pirates need LHP as well as pieces that rebuild the farm so you can say it is an overpay all you want but that does not fit their needs. There are several teams in need of Marte’s services and he could very well be on the Mets or Phillies let alone a half dozen other teams all in contention. I seriously doubt that will be the best offer they receive. Supply and demand will raise his trade value and Niel Huntington is no longer in control to give away our talent anymore..
Johnny-NH was one of the best traders in baseball.That was not his failing.
You clearly are not a Pirates fan.
Sure NH had some good trades but I was responding as if the posters in here think that he is still our GM and will give away Marte like he did our top prospects for Archer. I can name several trades that fit both narratives but that is regardless of the point I was making. I meant that there are several contending teams in need of Marte’s services not to mention a situation where 3 teams in the same division like the Braves Mets & Phillies all in the market for Marte’s services. The market should enable Cherington to use several angles to leverage higher quality prospects for Marte than his perceived value. The question is, is it worth it to a team to give a Top prospect they want to keep to trade for Marte or face him on another team maybe even in the same division?..
Johnny-Thank you for your reply.
I am sensitive about NH in that his good trades were numerous and most yinzers just look at the Archer trade.
Marte is definitely worth at least one or two top prospects as I believe few posters actually realize that these players are just that-
prospects.My guess is that if you looked at the consensus top 100 prospects each year over the past ten years how many have turned out to be good players?Maybe half?
I am not sure that these gm’s analyze it other than determining if their player loss is less than acquiring Marte.
You have it all wrong, Pirates want catching. Keep giving up bogus trade ideas though
He’s going to the Mets for Dom Smith and JD Davis
JD should be the Mets every day 3B going forward.
would Pittsburgh be interested in Nimmo, Dom Smith and Luis Guillorme ?
What about Nimmo, Matthew Allen and Francisco Alvarez for Marte?
no shot! more like Nimmo, Gimenez, and Kilome
Way too much
I would make that trade Nimmo is worthless Gimenez is unproven Kilome coming off TJ surgery problem is Mets have no payroll room
I think the Pirates want young, controllable MLB pieces. Thats what they asked for in the Gerritt Cole trade anyway. Smith & Davis make a lot of sense as I think neither of them have a clear cut position on the Mets, whereas Josh Bell would play 2B and Smith at 1st on the Pirates. Davis would most likely play LF and fill in at 3B on occasion. I could be wrong, maybe they want prospects
Why in the world would Josh Bell, a defensively limited 1B, play 2B?
Tyler-That had to be a typo for Phillies as I do not believe that anyone who has ever seen Josh Bell play first base,indeed anyone who has ever seen a baseball game,would in the slightest believe that Josh Bell coulld play second base even in the Pony League.
That would be the most absurd statement that I have ever seen on this site.
Stop trying to send Dom to Pitt. It’s like people want to ignore the fact that Bell was just as good as Alonso.
If they try to unload Bell elsewhere, Dom would make sense for them. No chance Mets would include Allan. It’s more likely the pitcher in the deal could be Matz.
any deal with out Alverez is a non-starter. Davis possible option pending Ben’s time line.
I’m not sure about Smith, he has the control and had a good season at the plate, but it seems his glove is questionable? They might get better value from him at the deadline if he continues to hit and AL teams take notice?
I really don’t think they have what it would take to pull it off with out a third party involved.
That trade doesn’t make sense when Pirates already have a 3B in the system who will be up by July in MLB uniform. Drink another alcoholic beverage and come back to the table
Mets can send Nimmo, JD Davis and others. Nimmo and Davis fit right into the Pirates lineup next season.
@ throwinched10 – JD Davis should be the Mets 3B going forward, they should not trade him.
Davis isn’t going anywhere!
You must be a pirates fan because that’s ridiculous. 2 seasons of Marte making $11.5 a year when Nimmo, Davis and others are making almost nothing, forget Marte and invest that $$ in the bullpen and just Nimmo in Cf and Davis not great defensively but his bat coming off the bench will help.
You’re undervaluing Marte. He’s a badass CF in a market with a dearth of CFers. Nimmo is the only name you mentioned with any meaningful ML experience and I think there will be better offers out there than what you’re talking about.
Nimmo is coming to Boston in a JBJ trade.
@Rondon
Marte is NOT a bada$$ CF. He had a -11 DRS. That made him the worst defensive CF in baseball. He is definitely a corner OF, not a CF.
Wow, was not aware of the defensive numbers on Marte. The two gold gloves he won were as a LF and a few years back. Maybe not such a good fit for the Cubs after all.
And you can shove it up your …..
That may work, Cherington may try to piece a team together with veterans and try to contend but that would mean that they would probably keep Marte. If they are trading Marte they will need pieces for their farm w/ potential to help when their window arrives which would be 2021-2022.. The Mets want Marte as well and they have the farm to beat that offer as do other contenders that will be in on Marte.
Mets farm is bare
How about the Cardinals? I don’t think them being in the same division should hold up a deal in theory the Pirates benefit from making the Cardinals stronger now and themselves stronger in the future. It’ll also take away from the Cardinals farm and add to their own. The Cardinals have some options and guys with upside to take over Ozunas spot but none are any I’d want to put my faith in while trying to compete to win the central again. They may not be out of the Ozuna running but I don’t see it happening. They were noncommittal all season on trying to resign him during the season when twice he made it public he wanted to stay. With his market being rather large(rumored but heard enough to believe it to be true) I see the bidding to be too rich for them. Giving up some young talent for a really good outfielder with two years left on a contract with surplus value seems like a deal they would make(much like Ozuna). The Cardinals have more than enough to get a deal done and I see them with a greater need than a team like the Braves that have been commented on. He certainly makes the Braves better but the need isn’t there like it is with the Cardinals. If I’m the Braves I’d rather sign Moose and give up a salary just north of Martes without giving up prospects and filling the hole vacated by Donaldson(assuming they aren’t major players for him)
My thoughts exactly. Cards have to many young outfield players but non with enough big league experience for my liking. Martes could be plugged in and trade some of the young guys off to a rebuild team. Best for both
What about Philly? I mean would any team be willing to take Herrera and his contract if prospects are thrown in?
@ Phillies012TG – absolutely, when do you want me to tell Robinson Cano you will be picking him up at PHL ?
The pirates definitely are not able to pick up more money given their greedy owner
I think they would pick up a bad contract if it’s only a few years. Not like they will be paying anyone else!
Marte will be traded for a large package of prospects, not a position player some team wants to get rid of, especially if he’s over 25. I’d say minimum of 4 top 100 prospects or 3 if one is top 10.
We’re talking about Marte, not Betts, man.
Betts has one year left. Whose gonna give up the farm for one year of him. The Red Sox are gonna have to suck it up and keep him. That’s why Marte has so much value.
I’d take one year of Betts over two years of Marte. Marte is really good. Betts is a cant miss superstar
Agreed
You are talking about 1 year of the 2nd most productive player in MLB. Any team with farm depth and hopes to contend in that one season should think about going all in. They’d get at least one of those pieces back inevitably when Betts turns down a QO, unless he is traded during the season.
No doubt Betts is a superstar, but the Pirates would never trade Marte for one year of a player who they could never re-sign in a million years.
Lol!
You beat me to it ! Damn…
You beat me to it ! That’s MARTE not Babe Ruth
4 top 100 prospects? please pass me what you are smoking.
Lol right. Maybe 3 Top-30 ORganizational propsects.
Sounds about right. A top 5ish guy who will hurt a little, a 10-15 guy and then one 20-30 guy to round it out.
One guy to headline, a decent guy, and a lottery ticket type for 2 years of plus production at a reasonable cost.
Is this a serious comment? I can’t tell. Think you need to do some research on what 4 top 100’s are worth.
There is ZERO chance that a 31 year old Marte fetches 3-4 Top 100 prospects in a trade. First of all, there are maybe 2 – 3 teams tops that have that many Top 100 prospects. Secondly, Marte is an above average OF but he is not a star and does not move the needle that much. Marte would bring back 1 Top 100 prospect and 1-2 lower system prospects with upside, not much more than that. Every team knows this is a salary dump for Pitt and they are not going to overpay with top prospects for that. Throw Josh Bell into the trade and then we can start talking about multiple Top 100 prospects.
Dorothy-No salary dump for Pittsburgh and they do not have to trade Marte as he is well worth the salary.
You need to add one young controllable ML good pitcher to the mix for the Pirates to make the trade.That is the minimum that Ben C should be looking at to receive.Otherwise,no deal.
He can also always trade him at the deadline.
Are you high? 3-4 top prospects for Marte???
@dcahen
Marte is NOT getting 4 top 100 prospects LOL! They should get 1 top 50 or maybe 2 that are at the backend of the top 100.
Realistically Marte will bring a top 50 prospect plus another player outside the top 100 that is on the rise. Then MAYBE a mlb contributor on top of that.
You are bot getting the package back that the Pirates gave up for Archer!
Ian Happ, Albert Alzolay and one other lower level prospect from the Cubs might get it done.
There’s zero chance he goes for 4 top 100 prospects. I mean absolutely zero. That’s the type of package a club gives up only if they’re trading for a guy who can singlehandedly put the team on his back for a week, and win some games with a hot stick. That’s not Marte.
If Pittsburgh finds the right team, I could see Marte fetching 2 top 100s. That’s the most.
@ dcahen – 4 top 100 prospects ? Lol . . . . such a homer !!!
Marte should bring back 2 prospects from a teams top 30 one of which will be in the top 100 and a lower prospects. Depending on the pieces and how high ranked they are a third piece may be involved.
But yet you bring you Balazovic and Larnach for the Twins? Pretty big hypocrite if you ask me. So which one? 2 of an org’s top 5 prospects of 1 of the top 10 and a top 30?
His logic doesn’t apply to his favorite team.
I will help you out with comprehension. The Pirates need LHP and catching help but Balazovic and Larnach are a better offer than Wilson and Inciarte but not Muller and Waters. If the Braves want Marte then they have to beat offers from other clubs which as I showed the Twins offer would be more competitive unless it was Waters and Muller. No hypocracy just English comprehension.
I
Johnny, as a Braves fan, let me tell ya: we don’t want Marte all THAT bad.
I never said you did, all I am saying is don’t expect to get him w/out giving up a top prospect you don’t want to loose.
Imagine making public comments like this about your employer in a highly visible and professionalized sector? How many would lose their job over this and be unemployable in the industry? Shut your mouth and do your job
He was specifically asked questions about it and he handled it professionally. This is common in professional sports when journalists are constantly hammering players with questions like this. Imagine being employed by somebody and all you keep hearing about is how they want to send you to another company because they’re too cheap to pay you? And he’s the unprofessional one? Maybe you should shut your mouth.
He ABSOLUTELY did NOT handle it professionally. The ONLY professional answers to those questions are “no comment” or “I love playing for the Pirates.” Instead, he took away leverage in trade discussions from the team he is under contract with. Extremely unprofessional. He should be sued by the Pirates tbh. If he’s unhappy with what he’s getting paid he should have thought of that before agreeing to a six year $31MM contract for security when his career was less certain.
He took leverage away? Um what?
Yes generally when a player wants to be traded, other teams offer less knowing that the originating team is under pressure to make a move. You must be new here.
He signed a contract stating he’d play for the Pirates, not selling his free will to them. Sheesh. The correct answer is whatever he wants, just so long as he takes the field on opening day if he’s still in Pittsburgh.
Actually most contracts in major sports contain non disparagement clauses. So you have no idea what the hell you are talking about. Do you really think the contract says “player gets $x to show up to play on opening day?”
The Padres need to eat Myers’ salary, throw in Naylor, Potts and Baez and get Marte.
@ PadreB2011- Will Myer’s for Robinson Cano . . . .. . . tell your Padres to get it done ! Lol
Beisbolista-I think that you are talking about Marte.I see your point but I think that he was just being honest with the interviewer who I am sure that he felt comfortable talking to.Marte has always been a team player who is fairly mild mannered.He also said that he would try his best if he was not traded.I think it only human to want to play in a WS and once these guys get into their 30’s they see the time clicking by and realize that relatively few players ever get into one.
He signed his contract extension to stay in Pittsburgh for 6-7 years. He’s not entitled to a trade. “No comment” should have been his answer.
Urias for Marte? oh wait nevermind we got a couple guys nobody has heard of.
Gimenez,Peterson,Smith and lotto ticket low minors prospect for Marte…
If Pit needs more MLB ready talent..
Nimmo,Smith and Peterson for Marte
Both fair deals IMO
Wonder what kind of package it’d take for the White Sox to get Marte. Maybe Basabe, Burger and one of Hansen or Flores?
Interesting fit for the Jays along with Bell. Have to consider Cheringtons good relationship with Shapiro and Atkins. Marte and Bell for who from Toronto? Jordan Groshans, Anthony Kay, Anthony Alford and Gabriel Moreno?
The Jays need starters trading Kay wouldn’t be good
The Pirates 40 man roster is already full. They may prefer more lower level talent, that isn’t on the 40 man, than higher minor league level talent that is on a team’s 40. If that is the case Atlanta MIGHT could get their attention with an offer of Kyle Wright (on 40), Trey Harris, Greyson Jenista, and one of either Freddie Tarnock or Trey Riley. Who knows what the best fit could be?
Marte could play a corner outfield position with Acuna in center., until one of Drew Waters or Cristian Pache is ready. When that happens end the Markakis/Duvall platoon. Marte to Atlanta would also allow them to deal away Inciarte.
There’s a few players on the Pirates 40 man roster who could easily come off. Like Dovydas Neverauskas and his career 6.71 ERA in 61.2 innings, No idea why the Pirates keep giving him chances.
Heck….you could be saying that with most of the bullpen last yr. They stunk with all of these better players. Not sure that Josh Bell is the future with his terrible defense either.
Most of the bullpen last year was comprised of AAA pitchers.I was.critical of NH last off season for not signing decent ML relievers for low salaries as they could easily have done.He had no depth and was counting on pitchers to not get hurt and continue to pitch well.
I think that Bell may be traded more likely than Marte.
I liked Dovydas but he has pitched increasingly worse every year.He will evidently get one more chance.
I do not understand why they cannot clear the Vasquez roster spot.
The center field market is extremely weak this winter– almost nonexistent. If the Yankees had the stomach I’d say trade for Marte to fill in for Hicks, but the Pirates would probably pull the same stunt they did with Cole, back when he wasn’t racking up strikeouts like a slot machine does nickels
Pin-Cashman could have easily given up Andujar and Frazier,two defensively challenged but good hitting players,for Cole.
He would have had another WS title if he had done so.
He may be a good GM but he over rated his young prospects in a proposed trade for a former #1 draft choice in the entire draft.
GMs get no criticism for the trades that they did not make.
He was specifically asked questions about it and he handled it professionally. This is common in professional sports when journalists are constantly hammering players with questions like this. Imagine being employed by somebody and all you keep hearing about is how they want to send you to another company because they’re too cheap to pay you? And he’s the unprofessional one?
Yes he is
Marte might be open to a trade to a contending team, but that doesn’t mean he ends up with a contender if he gets traded. He has no trade protection. He goes wherever the Pirates trade him. If that’s a team like Toronto who is a year or two away from contending, then he goes there. If he gets traded to another bottom feeder, he does there. The Pirates trade him where they feel like they get the best deal.
Unless he has a NTC (which he doesn’t appear to) why does it matter who he is or isn’t open to being traded to?
It doesn’t matter at all, you are right. The only thing this comment accomplishes is to hurt his teams leverage in trade discussions and possibly breaches his employment contract.
Marte is open to winning. That’s a good sign. He’s the anti-Adam Jones.
As a Mets fan not sure what Pittsburgh would want back. Maybe Nimmo? I’m sure some minor league players. Do they have enough? To me a true Centerfield player that can hit is a must have. But the Wilson’s are coupon cutters. So I’m not holding my breath
As a Pirates fan I’ve been thinking the team should look into taking back a bad contract with one or two years of “dead money” left in any Marte trade to increase the prospect return on their biggest trade chip and jumpstart their rebuild. I originally wanted a trade with the Padres and taking back at least half of Myers’ contract but that ship has probably sailed since the Pads got an outfielder in the Urias trade. Maybe to the Giants with Cueto or Samardzija coming back? Or to the Mets and eating the last year of Cespedes’ deal.
Mets wont eat Cespedes deal I’m sure Cespedes will play this yr cuz its contract yr if he wants another deal of some sort Mets have no payroll room to take on anyone
Pirates eat the money so the Mets have payroll space for Marte and a bullpen piece to up the prospect return.
ahhhh gotcha lol was early jimmy when I was reading and writing forgive me Cespedes is owed 29.5 mil if the Mets pay Marte 11.5 and kick in 10 mil on Cespedes that could happen Pirates on the hook for 9.5 and should Cespedes not play then insurance covers 75% putting Pirates way ahead throw in Nimmo and Dom Smith and that could be a winner
Pirates on hook for 19.5 should Cespedes play and if he plays could be a good deadline piece
I do not see the Pirates taking on Cespedes’s contract let alone in a contract swap given the Pirates are not shedding payroll. If they were to accept that swap I doubt 2 bench pieces would headline the return, let alone Smith and Nimmo neither of which fit the teams needs. . I . .
To watch him consistently wave at curve balls in the dirt, not run out ground balls or other shots to the gap, to take off days for headaches and hang nails—well, if he needs help packing, just say the word
Sounds like Zack Wheeler of the Mets also
White Sox. Jimenez in LF, Marte in CF, Garcia in RF then after Robert gets called up you can either put him in RF or move Marte to RF and put Robert in center.
Marte would be a very good fit for the Cubs, but they do not seem to match up all that well for a trade. Even with his shortcomings, he would significantly upgrade the OF defense by enabling the Cubs to leave Heyward in right where he belongs. The problem is finding pieces the Pirates would want – Happ, maybe. He’s a Pittsburgh native and has performed pretty well when the Cubs play in Pittsburgh. What they would have to add to Happ to get a deal done is the question.
Don’t normally respond to my own comments, but I am indebted to Braves25 in a post up above for pointing out how statistically bad Marte has become in CF. Even allowing for the enormous CF territory in PNC Park, he would be of more help to the offense than the defense.
any center fielder would have worse defense stats when you got Reynolds in Left (who is not very good on defense compared to what we had before) and Melky who was horrible (but fun to watch at times) Pair him up with some average fielders and see what happens.
Regardless on if you ignore that, one poor year on defense after four straight years of being pretty darn good is most likely an anomaly and Teams will probably see it that way, but use it to try to get more bang for their buck.
How accurate are defensive metrics?
Was he that low in 2017 and 2018?
How much emphasis should be put on them as opposed to the eye test?How much more does Marte have value as a base runner and hitter?
How much value is his reasonable salary?
Marte has never and will never fulfill his high promise but he is still a good ML centerfielder.He is not particularly disciplined at bat,but has the talent to get a number of good players in return.Like Cole,the trade timing is very important.Hopefully Ben C can figure out the best course for the Pirates.
1b: Bell, 2b: A.Frazier, SS: Newman, 3b: T. Frazier, C: J. Castro, LF: Reynolds, CF: Marte, RF: Polanco
SP: Keller, Musgrove, Williams, Archer, Teheran
RP: Brault, Kuhl, Rodriguez, Feliz, Liriano, Crick, Burdi, Kella
Bench: Moran, Diaz, Tucker, Osuna, R. Martin (player/coach)
Any way. Contender roster… probably not. But has a good chance of being pretty good (compared to the past few years) A new Catcher along with Russell’s experience and new coaching staff could take the pitchers out of the bottom of the league.
Three fairly cheap signings (todd frazier, jason castro, Julio Teheran) + Liriano and Martin. Make a mini run of it.
If the run fails and middling in the league then you have more talent available to trade while still having similar or better value on Marte, Bell, Polanco, Archer, etc… the only one who would bring in slightly less, but he had hardly any value anyway with his contract and perceived personal issues. And all it cost you to try is about 10-20M
Really.. is not likely, Ben probably came in to late to make any real signings other than filling gaps cheaply to put in warm bodies… but really.. its about all we got to hope to not be bad in 2020.
Joe-Thanks for the well thought out post.
It is always nice to see ones that make sense.
I honestly believe that Nutting will spend the $10-20M as he has been embarrassed this year.
Musings include does Frazier have anything left?
Brault is a much better pitcher as a starter so he should be stretched out and ready to go.
Martin may only want to play for a contender or Toronto.
I would not want to lose Stallings as they really lucked out last year when they sent him down.
I recall that I do not think that you like Gonzalez but he actually played fairly well at the end of last year.
Tucker needs anothe half year in AAA to improve his hitting.
Remember Santana in the bullpen although he may need some AAA time to get back on track.
Does Kramer have any options left?
I forgot about Gonzalez, he was barely here. Yeah hed make a good bench option given his flexibility especially if Tucker doesn’t find his bat in spring.
Frazier, duno.. he still has pop and his defense is bound to be better. a 2year 10M (or lower pending his market) deal is cheap enough to find out and buy time for Hayes to find his bat.
I agree on Brault, with new staff/catching I feel he’ll be good if they can’t find another arm on the market, i’d have no problems with it, plus its nice to have a pitcher who has had some luck hitting starting
Martin probably won’t get a shot to play for a contender, if he wants to be in the MLB Ben being in toronto when Martin was there along with Pittsburgh loves him.. for good reason.. Super Russ might be willing.
Stallings Did great in short sample, I’m not sure but if Diaz has an option left after spring.. I could go with Stallings.who ever is doing better basically.
I forgot about Santana too.. duno how /smh.
Team has holes no doubt.. but the young core supplemented could surprise…. or fall flat.. Given Ben’s success with development… as Jim Carrey said in Dumb and Dumber… what you are saying is that there is a chance lol
I believe Kramer has options left, last year was his first “long” stint in the MLB. He need work yet though.
I am in a quandary about Diaz.Was his year bad because of his family problems and missing time in ST or was he not as good as previously shown.Perhaps ST this year will show and they can carry three catchers with the extra roster spot this year.They definitely missed Cervelli though and need to stabilize this most important position sooner rather than later.
If Brault starts he can be used as a decent pinch hitter which for some reason CH used Musgrove more than Brault last year.
As far as trade value for marte…. IMO Cubs make a lot of sense, except for the divisional matchup. Happ and Caratini as headlines along with Alec Mills and Adbert Alzolay..
Happ is fairly well blocked, especially if Marte is on the team. Caratini pretty much regulated to backup and the Cubs have a prospect on the way. Mills has been up and down and Alzolay’s prospect status fell off the map a new org might be able to bring him around. though they might need to send a bit of cash back to help keep the Cubs payroll “reasonable”
Given Marte’s larger trade market seems reasonable, sets the pirates up for 2021+
But the Padres would probably be able to beat out nearly any offer any team puts up if they really want Marte.
The mets really just don’t have what it takes with out a third party involved.
I guess my question would be, given the fact that the Pirates of the Huntington era were not able to develop talent—and everyone from Morton, to Cole, to Glasnow and Meadows would be illustrations, it appears—is there some hope that a change of characters will help Polanco?
Tired-Plenty of talented players were created during NH time,just not enough to compete regularly.
Polanco was serious about off season workouts two years ago,and I presume that he has matured as a result of aging and his recent physical problems.
He tried to come back too soon last year which showed to me that he is a ball player who is serious about playing and getting better.
Any change resulting from the new cast of characters will pale in comparison to improvement from his hopeful complete recovery from his substantial injuries which were even worse than initially thought.
Have to hope so, especially if Marte is traded. I’ve already heard a few people talk about moving Bell into RF if Polanco isn’t ready and their AAA stud shows he’s ready. Seems like a stretch. I like Bell as an individual and think there’s a lot of upside with his bat. Just can’t see him in the OF
Tired-He came up as an outfielder and that is why they are saying that as he makes a lot of errors as an infielder.
Josh Bell is a great guy and I think has worked very hard to field his position well.but unfortunately the antiquated thought that anyone can play first base is not true.He stretches as well as any Pirate first baseman since Donn Clendenon but just is not graceful at all as an infielder and absolutely has no arm.
If Polanco is not ready now he never will be which will be a shame.
Not sure who the AAA stud is as they traded one in 2018.
Regarding his hitting,is he the one from 2017 and April and May of 2019 or otherwise?There is a gigantic difference.That is why it may be good to trade him now.
New GM’s specialty is player development.
To be fair.. Cole was good until Ray had time to tinker with him. Meadows was also good but could never stay healthy.. thought it was ironic shortly after being traded Meadows got injured. but stayed pretty healthy last season.. great for him.
Polanco isn’t all that bad, his problem, like meadows is that he cannot stay healthy. ’18 he stayed pretty healthy and did rather well.. after one of his early injuries he got skiddish in the outfield (not that he was great before, but he was better)
I have many doubts about Will Craig, hopes but doubts.. hes got some power OR contact. hasn’t but it together.
bell used to be an (poor) outfielder but he was blocked so they moved him to a much needed position… first. As bad as he was there last season.. leaps and bounds better than Pedro.
The. Pirates have had a weakness at first base for many years and hoisted the position fairly quickly on Pedro Alvarez.They wanted to keep his bat in the lineup,which was smart,but he was making way too many errors at third base to allow him to continue to play there.
He had a chance to go to the Arizona Instructional League after 2014 to learn how to play first base but never took it.The Pirates needed a first baseman in the worst way and Pedro became a first baseman in the worst way.
His only other option was a DH and we all saw how his career has gone downhill since 2014.It is a shame as he had ability but he never tried to perfect his craft.
Joe-This proposed trade would provide some quality and quantity in positions of need and should serve as a minimum to receive although helping a division rival in 2020 and perhaps 2021.
They should not trade Marte unless they can get a good return.They probably will not be competing this year so they can always trade him at the trade deadline.
I agree, see if they can make a run.. if so keep’m if not then trade and hope the market doesn’t lessen
That proposed deal makes sense to me from the Cubs side of things, Joe. The catching prospect, Amaya, appears to be at least a year away offensively, so they might have to spring for a backup if they deal Caratini. To me, that would not be a deal-breaker. It’s not clear how Mills and Alzolay factor into the Cubs’ plans, so I think that would be a decent proposal. It might be at least matched, if not surpassed, by other teams who are not division rivals, but it would be a discussion starter for a trade that could help both sides.
He’s getting traded to whoever give up the best package and they may NOT be a contender …
Haha I hope he gets traded to a team that thinks they are a contender but are not…. Like the Angels
Hanshin Tigers maybe?
Mets don’t need him. Mets should play Smith in left, Conforto in center, McNeil in right. They have plenty of coverage for third base, second base, and the outfield. And who knows with Cespedes.
Contending teams open to trading for Marte if he isn’t on PED’s.
Cleveland.
Marte and Bell to the Rangers for Taveras/Thompson, Crouse, Palumbo, Wendzel Hernandez and Ragans.
Cards need to trade Knizner+ for Marte to get their Bat. Win win.