The Pirates are expected to make much of their roster available on the trade market this summer after stumbling to a 26-40 start this season that has left them more or less buried in the NL playoff picture. According to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale this morning, at least one player is already drawing interest on the trade market: infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa. It should be noted that Nightengale does not connect the infielder to any specific clubs, and there’s no indication that a deal is anywhere near close at this time.
It’s not exactly a shocking revelation. After all, Kiner-Falefa is enjoying quite a strong season in Pittsburgh; in 53 games this year, he’s slashed an impressive .304/.351/.381 (106 wRC+) while serving primarily as the Pirates’ shortstop. He’s not rated out especially well at the position this year, but he’s typically been a strong defender at both second and third base throughout his career and even won a Gold Glove award at the hot corner. Given Kiner-Falefa’s strong reputation as a defender, he’d be a very impactful addition for a team in need of infield help if he can maintain this above average offense going forward.
That being said, there’s clear red flags in Kiner-Falefa’s profile that suggest he’s likely to regress in the future. Kiner-Falefa’s .306 career BABIP is solid, but even it doesn’t compare to the .360 figure he’s put up this year. That’s all but guaranteed to come down at some point, and he’s actually hitting for less power than last season with plate discipline numbers that aren’t markedly different. Kiner-Falefa’s .298 xwOBA is almost a perfect match for the .299 wOBA he put up last season, which indicates he’s likely to resume being a below-average hitter going forward, although he may at least stay fairly close to league average considering last year’s 93 wRC+.
The good news for the Pirates is that even if Kiner-Falefa regresses to the mean, he’ll be a very attractive trade candidate in a market that looks fairly desperate for infield help. The Yankees are already known to be on the hunt for a right-handed bat who can play the infield, and Kiner-Falefa both fits the bill and is a player the club liked enough to acquire in the past. If the Red Sox end up buying this summer, an infielder could make sense for them depending on the status of Alex Bregman. The Mariners are always looking for help on offense, the Brewers could use an upgrade over Caleb Durbin, and the Astros could use infield help if they hope to make Jose Altuve a regular in left field.
Those are just a handful of contenders who could theoretically use an infielder like Kiner-Falefa on their roster. Perhaps some of them will prioritize addressing other needs this summer or end up not being buyers at all, but it’s also possible that some teams that weren’t mentioned here could enter the fray due to an injury in their own infield mix. In any case, it seems likely there will be at least some demand for infield help this summer, and that demand could outstrip the supply when it comes to rentals. It’s always possible that a team could surprisingly make a controllable piece available as the Rays did with Isaac Paredes last year, but that sort of deal would come with a much higher acquisition cost that could scare away some buyers.
With few surefire sellers, there aren’t a ton of quality infield options expected to be available. Amed Rosario of the Nationals, Thairo Estrada of the Rockies, and Josh Rojas of the White Sox are among a handful of potential trade candidates, but of that group only Rosario is hitting as well as Kiner-Falefa at present and none have his defensive reputation. That could put the Pirates in a fairly solid bargaining position when it comes to the infield market, especially given the fact that they have a second potential rental option for teams in need of infield help in the form of second baseman Adam Frazier.
How about extending IKF for another year with an option year for the following year? Instead our beloved cheapskate Bucs are trying to extract every drop out of a turnip.
Thats how they SHOULD play this, but wont be how it ends up.
What is retaining IKF going to do for the Pirates. Im not supportive of their tanking ways but actually getting value for IKF is better than still finishing 5th in the NL central with or without him. Its not like you can build around IKF lol
What could they possibly get for a light-hitting infielder at the trade deadline? The guy the Bucs gave up to get him is batting .199 at AA. But i guess when retaining a guy like IKF would likely cost $5M of their own money instead of somebody else’s, gotta trade him.
Opposite. They need to sell players. Arbitration going up. Reynolds Keller going up. One thing not going up is attendance. If you didn’t know Pittsburgh is a bad baseball market. Come on Pittsburgh. They traded for a no power platoon 1b and brought in Pham!!!!!! Are you not entertained????????????
Bednar at 8m looks like a luxury a 90m payroll can’t afford. Reynolds at 14m is easy picking. Corner outfielders are cheap to replace. Keller at 17m can really go with all the younger cheaper pitching.
Only concern should be getting 2 more years of Skenes. After that Cruz maybe. The difference between no power IKF and no power Cheng Peguero with superior defense is minimal. Even better more likely option Triolo. Or sign IKF trade Hayes. Team desperately needs power so it doesn’t matter what meh no power guy plays where. Hayes IKF Triolo Frazier all the same. Gonzales maybe a tier above but not a difference maker.
The difference between IkF and Peguero is 80 points and between IkF and Cheng is 120 points in batting average.
They will need to move Gonzalez to SS and bring up Yorke to play second base for an extended look.
Yes they should trade any player on his last contract year but Heaney and IKF are valuable so they should try to actually get a good young near ready ML player for both in a package deal.
Corner outfielders are cheap to replace but they are getting no one near as good as Reynolds even though his hitting is down and his fielding is too.They tried that crap last year after ignoring Andujar and how did that turn out?
Hayes should go and Keller but only if they get good ML ready players for each.
I would extend Bednar if they are ever going to actually be serious about contending.Also,keep Santana.Otherwise they will have to fill out the bullpen with the likes of Rainey and we know how that ended.
This team still has problems that need to be addressed before they are serious about eventually contending for something other than perhaps a 500 record.
They definitely robed the jays
I think you move him onto the next team really. He’s been great for the Bucs but I don’t think he’s someone moving forward they would want to run with. Unfortunately the Pirates don’t really provide much opportunity to their prospects. Cheng got like 9 at bats in and didn’t have a chance to show anything. The franchise seems to love Brannigan so much for whatever reason.
Bigger issue is, will they deal Cruz? His trade value may never be higher unless you believe that the Pirates can help him unlock another level of performance between now and the end of the year.
Unlikely. They couldn’t even part with Bednar Reynolds. If Skenes isn’t pitching Cruz exit velocity is only reason to watch the Pirates. Just a bunch of average 2b, underwhelming draft picks, failed prospects and some soon to be traded expiring so so players.
I am interested to see how they continue to perform under Kelly.
If they keep a 500 record they will finish 74-88 which is clearly better than where they were headed under Shelton.
This year was lost when Shelton was not fired a year or two ago.Only Cherington did not know that.
Maybe the Guardians if they stay in the wildcard race? If Arias and Rocchio continue to be unimpressive and no help coming anytime time soon from,the minors IKF could be a solid option. Second isn’t exactly locked in either..
With Hamilton, Gonzalez, Mayer, and even Rafaela and Toro i don’t see how another utility Infielder makes sense for the Red Sox unless it’s a true First Baseman.
If the Sox are buyers they need a starter who can make it out of the first inning without digging a massive hole and maybe a reliever or two who can actually get three outs in a blow out without letting the other team back into the game
He’d look great in pinstripes.
“It should be noted that Nightengale does not connect…” He also doesn’t dot his i’s nor cross his t’s.
With that said, IKF is a definite upgrade from Peraza and Reyes. DJL has recently been showing signs of life so I don’t think Cashman pays Nutting’s asking price.