Pirates Rumors

The Pirates have been trading big leaguers for prospects for years, but this summer is different. Pittsburgh is just a game out of first place with a 47-43 record and GM Neal Huntington says the Pirates are searching for “the right piece to add to the club” every day. 

"In theory we would absolutely like to add to this club," Huntington told Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Under the right circumstances, the Pirates would even deal prospects for Major Leaguers.

"[One of the reasons] you have a deep and talented farm system is to make trades to add to your major league club when you don't have the right piece," Huntington said. "We are to a point where we've got some prospects in the system that we're willing to talk about."

Huntington says he’s monitoring the trade market and has noticed that there are still more buyers than sellers at this point. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes explains what could happen if the Pirates become buyers and Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says the Pirates should acquire a power bat.

The Pirates have never been considered buyers for any of the five trade deadlines MLBTR has covered, and in fact less than two percent of the United States population had Internet access the last time they made the playoffs.  So, I'm excited to have a new contender to discuss this year.

The Pirates are currently in third place in the NL Central, just one game back of the Brewers and Cardinals with 44% of their season remaining.  They rank tenth out of 16 NL teams with 3.93 runs scored per game.  The Bucs are tenth in OBP and 14th in SLG.  They've got position players Jose Tabata, Ryan Doumit, Ronny Cedeno, and Chris Snyder on the DL, with Snyder's return a ways off.  How can GM Neal Huntington improve this offense?

• Catcher: Counting on Doumit or Snyder seems unwise.  The Pirates could look into the same names I mentioned in the Rays post: Chris Iannetta, Ronny Paulino, and Geovany Soto.  The Reds would have to fall out of contention and be willing to deal with a division rival for Ramon Hernandez to enter the picture, so that's a long shot, as is Soto.
• First base: Lyle Overbay has not gotten the job done, and I've explained why Carlos Pena would be a good match for Pittsburgh.  Derrek Lee, James Loney, and Brad Hawpe could be had, but they've been worse than Overbay.  Chris Davis would be a nice addition for the longer-term, but he'd be harder to obtain.
• Shortstop: The Pirates have been looking for a long-term answer at short for a while now.  If the team believes in Rafael Furcal's health, they could take a little salary off the Dodgers' hands for a possible short-term fix.
• Third base: Pedro Alvarez is trying to get on track at Triple-A after a rough start and an injury layoff, and getting him back would be the best solution.  Josh Harrison and Brandon Wood haven't had success in his absence.  The trade market might feature Mark Reynolds, Wilson Betemit, Casey Blake (when healthy), Mark Teahen, Mike Aviles, Ian Stewart, Davis, and Aramis Ramirez if he changes his mind about approving a trade.
• Outfield corners: There's some room for improvement, but the Pirates probably don't consider this an urgent need.

The Pirates rank fifth in the NL with a 3.62 rotation ERA, getting it done with Paul Maholm, Kevin Correia, James McDonald, Charlie Morton, and Jeff Karstens.  Four of them carry ERAs of 4.01 or below, though SIERA shows that most of the starters belong in the mid-4.00s.  While it's easy to suggest the Pirates need better starting pitching, it'd be tough for Huntington to replace guys who have gotten good results so far.  The Pirates' bullpen has been strong, so I wouldn't expect a major change there either.

The 45-41 Pirates are in second place in the NL Central and, for the first time in a long time, they could be buyers this summer. Manager Clint Hurdle told Karen Price of the Pittsburgh Tribune Tribune-Review that team management will meet today to determine what moves to make this month.

"We're just trying to be smart with the moves we make," Hurdle said. "We want to make sure we bring in a good skill-set that fits in the clubhouse as well."

The Pirates have ten players on the disabled list, including Joe Beimel, Ross Ohlendorf, Ryan Doumit, Chris Snyder, Pedro Alvarez, Ronny Cedeno and Jose Tabata, so Hurdle believes help could come from within. If some injured Pirates return later in the season, the team could improve without forfeiting prospects or taking on salary.

It’s been a while since the Pirates were relevant. Top Pittsburgh prospect Jameson Taillon was less than one year old when the Pirates last posted a winning record in 1992. A generation of Pittsburgh sports fans has had to rely on the city’s football and hockey teams for excitement. 

Some things haven’t changed in the last 19 years – members of the '92 Pirates like Miguel Batista, Tim Wakefield and manager Jim Leyland are still around – but it’s been long enough that we aren’t used to the possibility that Pittsburgh could be a buyer at the trade deadline. The 45-41 Pirates are now legitimately in contention, so it’s time to entertain the notion that GM Neal Huntington will be looking to add Major Leaguers rather than prospects this month.

The last time the Pirates made the playoffs, GM Ted Simmons completed a pair of midseason trades that helped deliver Pittsburgh to its third consecutive NLCS. First, Simmons sent minor leaguer Tony Mitchell to the Indians for speedy outfielder Alex Cole on July 4th. A week later, the Pirates sent third baseman Steve Buechele to the Cubs for left-hander Danny Jackson. 

Looking back, it’s easy to see that the deals helped Leyland’s Pirates to a 96-win season. But at the time, they weren’t considered blockbusters.

“I would consider them trades that no one was even paying attention to,” said Simmons, who is now a senior advisor to Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik. 

Simmons knew Cole as a strong defender who could get on base, and wanted to add him to a Pirates outfield that already featured Andy Van Slyke in center field and Barry Bonds in left. Cole became an everyday player for the Pirates, posting a .278/.335/.361 line down the stretch, and Mitchell, the prospect he was traded for, never made it to the Major Leagues. 

Jackson appealed to the Pirates, who wanted to add a southpaw to their rotation, yet Simmons wasn't completely confident in the left-hander's health. After scouting Jackson in depth, the Pirates were convinced that the former first rounder and 20 game winner had recovered from earlier injuries and regained his form. Fifteen starts later, Jackson had a 3.36 ERA with 4.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 for Pittsburgh.

Though the deals worked out well for Simmons and the Pirates in 1992, circumstances could not be more different this summer. Few expected the Pirates to be in contention before this season and now that they have a chance to end their streak of losing seasons at 18, ownership may push for an attempt at a playoff run.

Huntington could follow Simmons’ example and make modest acquisitions for the pennant race, or he could even look to supplement his roster with splashier trades. As long as the Pirates continue contending, Pittsburgh’s current GM will have the support of one of his predecessors.

“Everybody’s rooting for the Pirates,” Simmons told MLBTR. “Everybody – including me."