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The Pirates Have One Of The Best Bullpen Chips On The Trade Market

By Steve Adams | June 18, 2021 at 10:59pm CDT

There are plenty of clichés about the usefulness of a closer on a rebuilding and/or last-place team, and for the most part they hold true. Locking down victories on the path to 100 losses — even if you’re doing your job well — often goes somewhat overlooked. A high-leverage reliever on a team that has few high-leverage chances isn’t going to get much national love.

Richard Rodriguez | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

This time of year, however, they should get plenty of love around the league as contending clubs look to bolster their relief corps. Enter relatively anonymous Pirates closer Richard Rodriguez, who has solidified himself as one of the most effective relievers in the game over the past few seasons.

Rodriguez, 31, is nowhere near the top of the saves leaderboard in MLB or even in just in the National League, which isn’t much of a surprise given the Pirates’ 23-44 record. He’s only had nine save chances all season, and he’s converted seven of them. He’s sitting on a 1.71 ERA through 26 1/3 innings so far in 2021, and dating back to his Pirates debut in 2018, he has a 2.83 ERA in 184 1/3 frames.

Of course, teams in 2021 aren’t going to be particularly wowed by a shiny ERA or a player’s save total/save percentage. Rodriguez shines in other areas, however. His 21.1 percent strikeout rate in 2021 is the lowest it’s been in parts of four seasons in Pittsburgh, but he’s also sporting a career-best 3.2 percent walk rate and has yet to hit a batter in 2021. It’s also important to note that while his punchouts are down in ’21, Rodriguez has shown in the past that he can miss bats in bunches.

Rodriguez whiffed 31.5 percent of his opponents in 2018 and a whopping 36.6 percent in 2020. In both of those seasons, Rodriguez threw his breaking ball roughly one in four times and his four-seamer the other 75 percent of the time. So far in 2021 — as was the case in 2019 — he’s throwing roughly six times as many heaters as breaking ball. Fewer sliders, fewer strikeouts — but also fewer walks.

The strikeout rate is rather pedestrian this year, but that’s in large part because Rodriguez has excelled at inducing mediocre contact with his fastball that he hasn’t much needed to lean on his swing-and-miss breaking ball. Opponents have only “barreled” two balls against Rodriguez all season, per Statcast, and what he’s lacking in punchouts he makes up for with harmless infield fly-balls. A pop-up to the infield is nearly every bit as productive as a strikeout; for a pitcher’s purposes, they’re both effectively automatic outs.

So far in 2021, Rodriguez has induced seven pop-ups to the infield — tied for fifth-most among all MLB relievers. The four pitchers ahead of him have pitched an average of 7 1/3 more innings than Rodriguez this year. (Again, being a high-leverage reliever on a team that doesn’t get high-leverage opportunities can limit your workload.) Statcast pegs Rodriguez’s average opponents’ launch angle at 25.5 degrees — fifth-highest among relievers — due to the number of balls that are skied against him. This isn’t a new phenomenon either; dating back to 2019, Rodriguez is tied for 12th among relievers in pop-ups induced. Six of the names ahead of him on the list have more innings pitched.

Rodriguez’s fastball isn’t overpowering, sitting at 93.4 mph on average, and it doesn’t miss bats in droves despite being a high-spin offering. But that high spin rate and his willingness to work in the upper portion of the zone (or above it) helps to generate those pop-ups and the occasional whiff. Spin rate is an increasingly dubious term these days, as the league cracks down on the use of illegal foreign substances, but there’s been no noticeable drop in Rodriguez’s spin since the league began warning of sanctions. Rodriguez has ranked among the league leaders in fastball spin since 2018, and his most recent outing, in fact, saw his four-seamer reach its highest spin-rate mark of the season (2680 rpms). Either he’s brazenly and blatantly still using some form of substance, or he simply has a more innate ability to spin the ball than most pitchers.

Taken in totality, Rodriguez is a high-leverage reliever with a solid fastball, a breaking ball that misses bats (but isn’t always needed), some of the best control of any reliever in the game, and what appears to be a repeatable ability to generate infield flies. All of that on its own would be appealing, but then there’s the matter of his contractual status and remaining club control.

Rodriguez is in his fourth full season with the Bucs and will finish out the year just north of four years of MLB service time. That gives him two years of remaining club control beyond the 2021 season. He’ll be up for a raise via arbitration in both of those years, but the Pirates’ lack of leverage opportunities for him will actually work to his detriment (and to a new team’s favor) in that regard. This is only Rodriguez’s first full season as a closer for the Pirates, and his limited chances this year have left him with all of 12 career saves. That lack of saves left his first-year arbitration salary at a highly manageable $1.7MM, and it’ll likely limit his raises in 2022 and 2023 — particularly if an acquiring team puts him back into a setup role.

In other words, the Pirates this summer can market two and a half years of control over a pitcher who has quietly been one of the NL’s most effective relievers since 2018, and those two and a half seasons ought to come at a combined price in the $7.5MM to $9MM range. Even in an extreme scenario where a new team plugged Rodriguez into the ninth inning and he went on to lead the league in saves, he’s starting from a low enough point that the price would remain eminently reasonable.

There are going to be plenty of high-profile relievers on the market this summer. Many will throw harder than Rodriguez, more consistently miss bats than he does, and have more saves/holds than he’s amassed on a persistently cellar-dwelling Pirates club. But there are few relievers with this type of track record at such an affordable price point and with multiple years of control remaining beyond the 2021 season.

Obviously, the former Pirates’ front office regime made its fair share of missteps. There’s a reason the Buccos are in the position they’re in, after all. But the signing of Rodriguez as a minor league free agent after he was cast off by the Astros and Orioles alike is a move that deserves praise. It’s also a move that has left new GM Ben Cherington and his staff one of this summer’s most appealing trade candidates.

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MLBTR Originals Pittsburgh Pirates Richard Rodriguez

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108 Comments

  1. bucsfan0004

    4 years ago

    RichRod hasn’t been as dominant as he was in he first 6 weeks of the season

    Reply
    • Robertowannabe

      4 years ago

      He always has been kind of odd that if it is a save situation, he is usually good. If he comes in for a non save, usually not so good. Not as many save situations lately and has blown a couple of those. Could be a case of not a lot of game action for him lately and could be just out of a rhythm lately cause he has been sitting.

      1
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      • rct

        4 years ago

        This seems to be true for a lot of closers. Good when the game is on the line, not so good when it isn’t.

        7
        Reply
      • mlb1225

        4 years ago

        You’re not wrong. He has a better opponent OPS in high leverage situations comapred to low leverage situations.

        1
        Reply
    • mlb1225

      4 years ago

      To be fair, one ER thorugh 30.1 innings dating back to late last season up through late May isn’t going to be completley sustainable.

      1
      Reply
    • VTGiant

      4 years ago

      Yeah I realize the site needs to generate content but this seems like a REAL stretch as a top notch guy that every contender will be going after

      1
      Reply
      • Robertowannabe

        4 years ago

        There are plenty of teams that will trade for a guy like RichRod. Will teams give up a ton like they do for a guy like Chapman? No. They will,give up a couple of decent prospects though. When he consistently works, he pitches very well. If he sits, like he has for the last several weeks for the Pirates, he is not as good. A contender will use him regularly in a set up role and backup closer. He will be very good for such a team

        Reply
        • deweybelongsinthehall

          4 years ago

          Exactly. The thing is if others believe he can be as good in meaningful late season games, a surprising bidding war could take place.

          Reply
  2. sdbaseballguy

    4 years ago

    They had the same situation a few years ago with Felipe Vázquez. They got greedy at the deadline, wanted a ransom and we all know what happened after that. Maybe they’ll be smarter this year?

    2
    Reply
    • Steve Adams

      4 years ago

      Vazquez was a better pitcher with more club control remaining via the extension he’d signed. No one could’ve foreseen what unfolded with him. That’s not to say they shouldn’t have capitalized on the opportunity, but they probably felt more comfortable waiting with him given the contractual situation. This summer is probably the apex of Rodriguez’s value, and it’s of course a different front office. I expect him to be moved, barring an ill-timed injury.

      17
      Reply
      • ChiSox_Fan

        4 years ago

        This P looks average.
        Doesn’t justify such a long article.

        1
        Reply
        • Steve Adams

          4 years ago

          I’ll be sure to consult with you next time.

          Really, though, a 2.83 ERA, 27.3 K%, 6.6 BB% and as many pop-ups induced as home runs allowed over nearly 200 innings is, objectively, quite a bit better than average.

          If you don’t want him on the Sox, sure, but Rodriguez is and has been quite a bit better than “average” for some time now.

          48
          Reply
        • For Love of the Game

          4 years ago

          For a reliever, I guess outs are outs. But for a starter it is refreshing to see quick outs with weak contact so a starter can go deeper into games. I see that with Casey Mize. Quick outs that keep his pitch count manageable and get him into or through the 7th inning.

          Reply
        • vtadave

          4 years ago

          You just got Adamsed.

          10
          Reply
        • ojtor

          4 years ago

          ojtor

          1
          Reply
        • Mendoza Line 215

          4 years ago

          This is where the downvote for ChiSox fan would have come into play.

          4
          Reply
        • Aaron Sapoznik

          4 years ago

          Adam Frazier and Richard Rodriguez are two players from the Pirates the White Sox would covet for the stretch run and into the postseason. They might pry both loose for a package of prospects among their top-10 which includes some decent high school arms taken in the top 3 rounds of recent drafts.

          Reply
      • amk1920

        4 years ago

        They wanted Gavin Lux for a relief pitcher. That’s beyond ridiculous and in ignoring his future no one saw coming

        Reply
        • mlb1225

          4 years ago

          Of course teams are going to start with high asking prices for a star player, especially if said player is arguably the best at his positon with 4.5 years of control remaining and making about $5-$13 million a year less than Aroldis Chapman. The Pirates didn’t have to trade you-know-who right then and there. It’s not like he was a rental, or had very little control remaining. Them starting with a high asking price then and then lowering it once the off season came around isn’t uncommon, nor a bad way to go about trading.

          4
          Reply
        • Perksy

          4 years ago

          Not that odd. Yankees traded Chapman for Gleyber Torres. Rod for Lux would be a toned down version of that deal.

          1
          Reply
      • szielinski

        4 years ago

        The Pirates didn’t get greedy with Vasquez, their potential trade partners were greedy. The Pirates could sit on Vasquez because they were unaware that Vasquez was sitting on a crime wave. Vasquez had the performance and stuff to bring back a strong return. If there was a flaw in the Pirates approach with putting Vasquez on the market, the flaw would have been asking for players who were near to the Majors. The Dodgers sent back O’Neil Cruz for Tony Watson who was declining as a reliever.

        1
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      • balboa10

        4 years ago

        He’s going to be moved. He might be moved with Frazier for a teams top 5 prospect

        Reply
    • Robertowannabe

      4 years ago

      For the pitcher who shall not be named, who will be sitting in jail for a long time and never pitch again in pro ball, The Pirates were actually right in demanding a ton for that pitcher. . He had several years of control still so his value was quite high. Much higher than RichRod.. His value would have gone up much more that offseason had he not been stupid and committed the crimes that led to his conviction. No one knew about his crimes at the time of the deadline that year.
      That said, RichRod has value and has a couple hears of control left. Since he is not as dominate as the former closer who shall not be named, the demands will of coulrse be as high and he will get traded much quicker.

      4
      Reply
      • bucsfan0004

        4 years ago

        They asked for Gavin Lux. So the Bucs got what they deserved…. a pitcher sitting in a jail cell.

        Reply
        • Robertowannabe

          4 years ago

          Any GM would have asked for something like Lux at the time. He was the dominate closer at that time. Had several years of control left with a fairly reasonable contract. He had and exceedingly high value so he deserved an exceedingly high asking price.. Had he not committed his crimes, they would have gotten a kings ransom that off season.

          7
          Reply
        • mlb1225

          4 years ago

          He had 4.5 years of control remaining, was only 27 at the time, and had led the league in fWAR from 2017-2019. Them asking for a at the time top tier prospect was reasonable.

          4
          Reply
        • TJECK109

          4 years ago

          @bucsfann please stop embarrassing the fan base any more than it needs to be. This has to be one of the dumbest posts I’ve seen in a while

          9
          Reply
        • bucsfan0004

          4 years ago

          Lux was a consensus top 5 prospect in the entire sport, and he Pirates wanted him for a relief pitcher. Maybe Vazquez was the exception like Chapman, Kimbrel, etc, but odds are his level of dominance would have lasted about 18 months like so many other relievers. So asking for the moon was ridiculous for a mere relief pitcher, and they got what they deserve….. nothing.

          Reply
      • mazbilleroski

        4 years ago

        As an ex-felon when he gets out, he could still land a job in the NFL

        7
        Reply
    • mlb1225

      4 years ago

      I hate when people bring up this situation as a reason why the Pirates should pull a knee-jerk trade. Acting as if that an extreme outlier event is why they should absolutley move Rodriguez is beyond insane.

      6
      Reply
      • SpendNuttinWinNuttin

        4 years ago

        Couldn’t agree more. ‘Well look at Vasquez just pull the trigger!!!’

        Yeah and look at Glasnow Meadows and Baz….

        Reply
      • oldmansteve

        4 years ago

        I think they are implying the Pirates should assume that all of their relief pitchers are child molesters.

        7
        Reply
        • TJECK109

          4 years ago

          Yeah look at Glasnow who is done with injury and meadows hitting .234.

          1
          Reply
        • SpendNuttinWinNuttin

          4 years ago

          Don’t be a wanna be troll… we all know that any organization is better with Glasnow and Meadows right now that Chris Archer. Oh and look where he ended back up anyways.

          2
          Reply
      • Todd Kemmerer

        4 years ago

        With him dodgers may have a title that yr instead of waiting til last yr. He was what the dodgers needed at the time, one of the best in bb. Looking at what chapman pulled just a few yrs earlier made that not a bad offer. The problem was dodgers were offering even lower top ten prospects.

        3
        Reply
    • SpendNuttinWinNuttin

      4 years ago

      Vasquez was a top 3 reliever in all of baseball the Pirates didn’t get greedy they didn’t wanna be fleeced again…. Why should they trade him for nothing when they believe he was worth a certain package? Hindsight is 20/20 and no one could’ve known dude was a predator.

      8
      Reply
    • 66TheNumberOfTheBest

      4 years ago

      You bring up a fair point. They might want to gentle probe the issue.

      “OK, for tonight’s team flight we can watch Basic Instinct, Clueless or a Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen movie, Rich Rod you pick tonight.”

      3
      Reply
  3. bot

    4 years ago

    I don’t understand why contending teams tend to wait to deadline to make moves. Many, if not all, contenders need bullpen help and looking at pirates history of asking prices – don’t he costs an arm and leg in prospects. Maybe a headline of a guy who ranks 6-10 in an organization and is playing well. That’s an easy price to pay for a dependable pen piece. How are giants or angels or Braves not all over this guy already ?

    Also serves pirates well to unload him as soon as possible. The worse your team is – the higher u pick and the closer u pick to 1 – the more of a sure thing you get.

    Reply
    • tim815

      4 years ago

      Teams don’t want to trade future value for present value, just to fall out of the playoff race (regardless if it was the new guy’s fault). For instance, Rex Brothers has had a good year so far with the Cubs. Not mind-numbingly, but good enough. Not many teams seem to be lining up to offer a legitimate upgrade (2019 or 2020 draft pick, doing well in A-Ball) for Brothers.

      Either the teams think Brothers will pumpkin (Could happen.), or he’s not worth it for another reason.

      Teams are very hesitant to part with useful long-term pieces, whether on most Top 30 lists or not.. Instead of trading for Brothers (or Rodriguez), the Cardinals signed Wade LeBlanc for no prospect cost.

      1
      Reply
    • bobtillman

      4 years ago

      bot, Absolutely. As Dan O’Dowd said yesterday, games you win in June count just as much as games you win in September. RichRod is likely at his apex RIGHT NOW; TODAY. And we all know how volatile relievers can be. Pitt should make the move ASAP, as well as any team looking to improve their bullpen, which is just about every contender.

      He may not be Chapman, but he’s pretty good. And “pretty good” can influence a lot of necessary wins.

      1
      Reply
    • UWPSUPERFAN77

      4 years ago

      If I was a Pirate fan,I would hate to see him Leave. But, you need starting pitching! He goes now for a couple of arms in Double A! Good points. I agree with you

      Reply
    • mlb1225

      4 years ago

      The Pirates have been much better with trades since Ben Cherington took over. I really can’t think of a bad trade he’s made. Many teams don’t trade for bullpen arms now because a good bullpen is only as valaube as the rest of the team. If you have a bad team, it doesn’t really matter if you’re bullpen is good because you’re not going to be holding many leads. That’s why teams wait until the deadline so they can get a better read on where their team is in the standings and what they could do for the rest of the season.

      Reply
      • Mendoza Line 215

        4 years ago

        Mlb125-NH was one of the best traders in baseball.Everyone camps on the Tampa Bay trade which ended up being very very bad but his other later trades were rarely bad and usually good to very good,
        He failed at selecting and developing players.
        Some of the BC trades may be good and some bad.With such young players involved we will not know for many years.

        2
        Reply
    • BeforeMcCourt

      4 years ago

      Takes two to trade

      If you have one of the highest value assets in the game, would you sell before you likely will get the most?

      Teams ALWAYS increase their offer at the 11th hour of 7/31

      Reply
      • Aaron Sapoznik

        4 years ago

        FYI: Per mlbtraderumors.com/2021/04/2021-trade-deadline-wil…: This year’s trade deadline will be slightly earlier than usual, with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reporting that it’ll fall on July 30 rather than the customary July 31. Major League Baseball preferred to have the 4pm ET deadline fall on a day where afternoon games aren’t scheduled to take place, so as to avoid scenarios where players head out to the field as the hours until the deadline dwindle. Doing so eliminates some injury risk and uncomfortable scenarios where a player could be injured during play as a trade surrounding him is completed.

        Reply
  4. Baseball 1600

    4 years ago

    I want him as a Giant. Giants have a deep offensive farm, surely they can get it done without trading a top guy.

    1
    Reply
    • bmcferren

      4 years ago

      Bart for RichRod gets it done

      4
      Reply
      • mlb1225

        4 years ago

        I’d love to get Bart, but I doubt that’s going to happen. If the Pirates and Giants were willing to do a one-for-one swap, I could see Luis Toribio being sent back the Pirates way. Gets them a big bat, although limtied defenisvely. If they want to get back more than one player, maybe a package of Ricardo Genoves and Sean Hjelle. Hjelle is nearly MLB ready and has been a really solid pitcher throughout the minors. Genoves is an above average hitter and projects as an average defender with a strong arm behind the dish.

        Reply
        • Baseball 1600

          4 years ago

          Hjelle is solid but just recently got hurt. Also since he’s so close to being MLB ready and has a relatively low ceiling compared to other prospects, Pirates could be turned off. Could definitely see the Pirates interested in Canario who is a fairly underrated OF prospect, but Toribio also fits that bill for the infield. Canario’s weakening numbers this year could have probably tanked his prospect value but the potential is there, Pirates could buy-low.

          Reply
      • Baseball 1600

        4 years ago

        RichRod alone for Bart isn’t enough, giants could likely get a controllable SP for him alone.

        1
        Reply
      • scottn59c

        4 years ago

        Giants definitely don’t need to give up Bart for a closer; they can wing it with what they have and then spend big in the offseason.

        1
        Reply
      • szielinski

        4 years ago

        Yep.

        Reply
  5. bot

    4 years ago

    I’m always a fan of players who can have success without a ton of speed on their fastball. Means they can be more of a long term piece as you don’t have to be as concerned w a dip in their fastball

    4
    Reply
  6. Judge Judy

    4 years ago

    Saves are a useless stat.

    1
    Reply
    • jimmyz

      4 years ago

      As a Pirates fan it’s a great stat, means the team actually won a game.

      16
      Reply
    • bot

      4 years ago

      Only an advance metric nerd could ever come to that conclusion. There’s no more pressure u could ever create for a pitcher than to send him out in the 9th inning to face the top of the order of an opposing team. Many who have succeeded in the bullpen – never do it in the 9th and those who do get paid 15 mil+ on multi year deals Bc every GM understands how important that role is !

      Cubs gave up Torres for Chapman and won a WS Bc of it! Cash man and theo both knew how important that role was when they made the trade !

      3
      Reply
      • mlb1225

        4 years ago

        I doubt the Cubs made the trade based on “well Chapman has saved 30+ games in the last 4 seasons”. I do understand that the role is important, but there are much better ways of seeing who’s good when it matters the most. Saves are more reflective of the amount of opportunities than how good they were. I’d much rather look how they did in high leverage situations, how they did with RISP, runners on base, or how they did in the 9th inning rather than saves alone.

        1
        Reply
      • junkmale

        4 years ago

        Save for that first season in New York, Torres hasn’t exactly been a world beater. Good in the postseason, though.

        Reply
      • StudWinfield

        4 years ago

        @bot: your example shows exactly why the save as a stat is flawed. Is the P who shuts down the top half of the lineup in the 8th accomplish something less than closing out the game in the ninth against the lower part of a lineup? I think one can make a solid argument that the value of a save can be highly suspect if the quality of opposition (thus a higher leverage situation) is greater in an earlier part of the contest.

        Reply
        • Mendoza Line 215

          4 years ago

          The save is flawed because it is watered down.But to have to retire the last batters in a game takes guts and that is what is reflected.
          Plus what you have suggested about the eighth inning is not definable.
          What happens if there are parts of the top and bottom halves in the eighth inning?
          It seems to me that the old method was defined as facing the tieing run at the plate at the start of the inning or coming in during the inning.
          That is the simplest method and the best in my opinion.

          Reply
  7. jimmyz

    4 years ago

    Rodriguez is obviously the biggest target but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bucs move a couple other relievers too in relatively minor deals. I could see any of Sam Howard, Chris Stratton, and to a lesser extent Kyle Crick or Clay Holmes on the move this summer.

    2
    Reply
    • Steve Adams

      4 years ago

      Agreed. Howard is interesting for all the strikeouts, but the huge walk rate and shaky track record aren’t doing him many favors. Stratton isn’t especially exciting, but he’s serviceable.

      I’d say anyone in the Pittsburgh ‘pen could plausibly be moved this summer. David Bednar is less likely, given that he’s controllable five years beyond ’21, but if some team wants to make a nice offer for any reliever at this point in the rebuild, the Bucs should (and presumably will) listen.

      1
      Reply
      • jimmyz

        4 years ago

        Yeah none would really bring back much of a return on their own I don’t think but I could see a pen arm added to an Adam Frazier trade or maybe Stallings if the front office decides to pull the trigger on him to slightly bump up the return. Doubt they move Bednar too for the contractual control reason but also because the team is gonna need serviceable back of the pen arms particularly after trading RichRod which I assume will happen. Plus Bednar is a local guy and just came in the Musgrove trade this offseason so it’d be a little tough for fans to see him go though that shouldn’t be a factor in Cherington’s calculus to move him or not.

        Reply
    • Mendoza Line 215

      4 years ago

      I think that Stratton will be traded as he is a good and underestimated reliever.
      The others have more control and have all fallen on hard times lately.

      Reply
  8. nailz#4life

    4 years ago

    do a survey MLBTR on teams folks think he could get traded to….. Actually do a survey on the top-10 likely players to be traded and to what team…..

    Reply
  9. bygserch

    4 years ago

    I hate to be THAT guy, but teams that want this guy should be waiting, as he is one of the main “suspects” in the foreign substance crap going on now. Footage of him fingering his glove, and with the glove having gunk on it out there.
    I haven’t looked up his spin rates on baseball Savant in a while, which I realize I should have done now before commenting, but I’ll do that after…

    Reply
    • Steve Adams

      4 years ago

      I addressed it in the article, albeit without referencing the specific game against the Royals earlier this season. But Rodriguez’s spin rate was at a high point on June 16, at a time when we’ve already seen spin rates drop precipitously. He’s either just brazenly continuing his usage, or whatever was on his glove that day (sunscreen, pine tar, or otherwise) isn’t a huge factor in upping his spin.

      6
      Reply
  10. junkmale

    4 years ago

    Going into the season, I had hopes Miami would be performing well enough midseason to acquire this guy to close, but….

    Reply
  11. jjd002

    4 years ago

    Welcome to Houston

    Reply
    • mlb1225

      4 years ago

      Could see the Astros getting Rich-Rod. Though I do wonder what they would be willing to part with. To me, the Giants seem like a better fit given their farm system and where their team currently is. Feel like another team could outbid the Astros.

      Reply
      • jjd002

        4 years ago

        I would agree, but it’s not like there is going to be any reliever out there fetching a blue chipper.

        Reply
  12. mlb1225

    4 years ago

    I think he eventually ends up with San Francisco. They have a good amount of decent prospects and they look like they could be buyers. I doubt they’ll deal any of their top 5 or so prospects like Luciano, Bart, Ramos, Bishop, or some of their young pitchers, but there’s still a handful of really talented players in that system that should intrigue the Pirates.

    2
    Reply
    • hopper15

      4 years ago

      Someone else will probably outbid SF.

      Reply
    • Todd Kemmerer

      4 years ago

      Toronto

      Reply
  13. jmi1950

    4 years ago

    Hell, last year the BoSox got Pivetta & Siebold for Workman&Hembree both of which were on expiring contracts. As a BoSox fan I would love to see them get Rodriguez & Bednar for Siebold.

    1
    Reply
    • Robertowannabe

      4 years ago

      If I was a BoSox fan,I would love them to trade a minor league IL with elbow soreness that has not pitched since 2019 for not one but 2 good bullpen arms, both with multiple years of control If I was the fan of the the team giving up the 2 relie3f pitchers, I w2ould scream. Cherington wiill not make that deal.

      3
      Reply
      • jmi1950

        4 years ago

        Sox offer Siebold. The Bucs ask for Houck. They negotiate and meet in the middle — East of Eden and North of ??? It’s Pitt, you know whoever they get will be traded in a few years as part of the ongoing rebuild.

        1
        Reply
  14. Cult of Dickie Thon

    4 years ago

    Pirates are at least 2 more years from being competitive. Maybe more.

    Given the uncertainty from the CBA, they should try to trade everyone they possibly can who has some value especially relievers.

    The Pirates fan base is already largely alienated and this won’t doing anything further to erode it. Already at a real nadir and the only thing that will bring them back is another winning at least an NL Central division title.

    Reply
    • mlb1225

      4 years ago

      To be honest, I think this team is a lot closer to competiting than many think. Call me biased, call me optimistic, but I don’t think I am unreasonable. Next year, they should see Oneil Cruz, Travis Swaggerty, Roansy Contreras, Mason Martin, Tahnaj Thomas, and late in the year, Canaan Smith-Njigba, Nick Gonzales, and Liover Peguero. That, combined with Ke’Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds, Miguel Yajure, and possibly Jacob Stallings. That’s a pretty decent set of players.

      Then by 2023, you should start seeing guys like Quinn Priester, Brennan Malone, Carmen Mlodzinski, Hudson Head, and Maikol Escotto. Imo, this team will be a surprise to many in 2022, finishing around 75-80 wins next year, and then a WC or potential divsion contender in 2023.

      6
      Reply
      • Gterm

        4 years ago

        As a huge Pirates fan I completely agree. Not to mention the number one pick this season(I’m hoping for Leiter). On our way to a top 3 pick again next season, as well as the returns Cherington can get us at the deadline. I’m thinking 2023 is our year to start the window.

        1
        Reply
      • jimmyz

        4 years ago

        Swaggerty’s shoulder injury was the biggest blow to the Bucs this year (so far) including the Will Craig-Javy Baez rundown which we will be seeing and reminded of for the next 20+ years. Also might wanna pump the brakes on Tahnaj Thomas a bit. His control is pretty bad and only averaging about 3 innings a start in A ball right now.

        Reply
        • mlb1225

          4 years ago

          Fair, but I’m not too worried about Swaggerty. His surgery was on his non-dominant arm and he was doing pretty solid at AAA. He cut down on his groundballs a whole lot and was hitting a ton of line drives. His small sample size bottom line wasn’t a good representation of how good he was doing. Thomas is a bit of a question mark, but I could easily say that Keller will figure things out, or Brubaker will improve.

          Reply
        • jimmyz

          4 years ago

          All fair points and I’m still bullish on Swaggerty too.

          Reply
        • mlb1225

          4 years ago

          Swaggerty has been a lot better than what his numbers suggest. He’s been hitting well since the second half of 2019. Imo, he’s the second most talented position player prospect they have behind Gonzales. FanGraphs is really high on him. He’s very athletic and has been praised for his raw power. He finally started to translate some of that raw strength into game results this year.

          Reply
  15. mlb1225

    4 years ago

    The Pirates are in a situation where they have some trade pieces with value, but nothing that is overly impressive. Like Adam Frazier’s value has gone up some, but the underlying numbers are closer to that of a league average to 10% better than average bat. Unless a team decides to go all in and overpay, I doubt the Pirates are going to get what some people are envisioning.

    Rich-Rod is a bit different. He has a solid track record and had a scoreless streak of 30 innings dating back from late 2020 up through late May 2021. He was getting plenty of strikeouts in 2018 and 2020, but not this year. Though he should still get plenty of interest. Seems like there’s one or two teams that will go all in on relief pitching every year. Hopefully that team goes after Rich-Rod.

    Reply
    • jimmyz

      4 years ago

      Yeah not expecting much impact talent coming into the organization from the trades this season. Which makes sense considering they traded most of their biggest chips in the offseason.

      Reply
  16. joew

    4 years ago

    could pull a couple solid prospects.. (or cash/int bonus equiv)

    Like Frazier, they can afford to sit on it. not like they’re costing a ton and they got control. Only thing they’re losing out on is playing time for younger folks but as of right now that isn’t a HUGE deal this season… though it very well could be in 2022.

    Make sure you get what you want (with in reason) and not just what they give you.

    Reply
  17. Dodger Dog

    4 years ago

    Remember last time the Pirates were in this position and they demanded both Dustin May and Gavin Lux as part of the deal? Good times.

    Reply
    • jimmyz

      4 years ago

      Vazquez was the best reliever in the game at the time and not just the best available reliever at the deadline. Huge difference

      3
      Reply
  18. samlumalo

    4 years ago

    Remember Pirates used to have Felipe Vazquez and was asking Dustin May, Gavin Lux plus a minor leaguer? Pepperdige Farm remembers.

    1
    Reply
    • Gwynning's Anal Lover

      4 years ago

      I put an industrial bag of Pepperidge Farm goldfish in a commercial leaf blower and turned it on. What a visual display. When you mentioned PF, I immediately thought of that.

      Reply
  19. Mendoza Line 215

    4 years ago

    Who really knows what NH wanted from the Dodgers.If he wanted their two best young players then he was dumb.I think that either Smith or Ruiz was invoked in the trade as the Pirate badly needed a young catcher.That would negate asking for both May and Lux.
    With Vasquez potentially the Dodgers could have won their WS a year earlier.
    And even if they wanted those two players the Pirates would have ended up with a 250 hitter and another TJS pitcher.

    Reply
    • Orel Saxhiser

      4 years ago

      It would have been dumb for the Dodgers to trade any of those three players for a one-inning pitcher. Btw, it’s silly branding Lux a .250 hitter and May another TJS guy when both are young players just getting started. In all likelihood, they both will be all-stars at some point — before the Pi-rots ever sniff the playoffs.

      Reply
      • Mendoza Line 215

        4 years ago

        They are both prospects until they will or will not emerge as bona fide players.
        Vasquez could have been the piece that took the Dodgers over the top.He was that good,better than Jansen at that point
        So one inning Mariano Rivera would not have been worth these players?
        NH almost certainly was not asking for both and maybe not either..He needed a young catcher badly.The Dodgers’ prospects,whoever they were,were just prospects,and not proven big leaguers like Vasquez was.
        And the Dodgers should be ashamed for not winning the WS for 32 years with the kind of money that they bring in.

        Reply
  20. Ghost of past pirates

    4 years ago

    Im glad cherington is the GM and not some of you wannabes. It was unfortunate about the Velazquez deal that fell through. Who knew what was to become of Velazquez. Lucky for the dodgers unfortunate for thr pirates. Everyone should be tradeablr except Reynolds Hayes and Bednar

    2
    Reply
    • clemente3000

      4 years ago

      Add Brubaker to that list

      1
      Reply
    • Orel Saxhiser

      4 years ago

      Vazquez, not Velazquez. If you’re going to play Pirates expert, get the name of the criminal right.

      Reply
      • joblo

        4 years ago

        Rivero

        Reply
      • Ghost of past pirates

        4 years ago

        Ok troll

        Reply
  21. Dustyslambchops23

    4 years ago

    Blue Jays bullpen is a tire fire but I have such a hard time justifying the price in prospects it takes to get guys like this.

    Id rather just go get a 2 starters with control and put Monoah, Stripling in the pen for the year

    Reply
  22. pantherfan73

    4 years ago

    I could see a Tony Watson type deal. Low level guy with high upside and pair it with a mid level guy with average upside.

    Reply
  23. KPar

    4 years ago

    Chris Archer straight up trade. Let’s get it done.

    1
    Reply
  24. Gwynning's Anal Lover

    4 years ago

    They should trade Rodriguez and name Jose Soriano as the closer. Not like there is going to be a save opportunity. Jose could then recover from surgery and eat up that Rule V time.

    Reply
  25. sufferforsnakes

    4 years ago

    He closed out the game against my Tribe last night, going from burning strikes, where he looked untouchable, to almost throwing it to the backstop, where he almost blew it, then back to throwing strikes. So he’s a lot like a lot of other closers.

    Reply
  26. worthington

    4 years ago

    There’s no pressure pitching with a loser. I’d be concerned he’s not battle tested.

    Reply
  27. JerryBird

    4 years ago

    The Cardinals should go for this guy instead of the bottom feeders they have been chasing. STL always looks for the cheap deal and hope they find a diamond in the rough. Fingers crossed.

    Reply
    • joblo

      4 years ago

      No trade in the division.

      Reply
  28. Orel Saxhiser

    4 years ago

    No team is trading for a pitcher before checking out his new spin rate, especially a one-inning pitcher. These relievers have very little trade value at this moment in time.

    Reply

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