Free Agent Friday's: Adam Wainwright
When the Pittsburgh Pirates enter the 2021 regular season, it will likely be with one of the youngest starting rotations in the league. Of the current five projected starters, three of them have yet to pitch in a full Major League season. Jameson Taillon and Joe Musgrove are the only two who have, and both of their names have been circling around the rumor mill as players to be moved this off-season. So, it is no secret that even if one of those guys is moved, you would like to have a veteran be able to step in and help this young rotation along. To fill this role, the Pirates may not have to look too far with a veteran free agent that they are very familiar with available this season.
In a little bit of a surprising move this off-season, the St. Louis Cardinals decided to not offer a contract to two of their long-time veterans. One of those guys was 39-year-old Adam Wainwright, who has been a member of the Cardinals since the 2005 season. He is reportedly looking for a one-year deal and hasn't gotten much interest from teams around the league, including the Cardinals. Now, it is hard to imagine Wainwright in anything other than a Cardinals jersey, but this could be the Pirate's chance to swoop in and grab a highly-touted veteran. Wainwright put up strong numbers during 2020, proving he could still pitch, and in 2021 he is looking to show that he still has some left in the tank.
An Old Dog Still Has His Old Tricks
Even though he turned 39-years-old last August, Adam Wainwright still showed he can pitch with the best of them. He made 11 starts for the Cardinals and went 5-3 with a 3.13 ERA over 65.2 innings of work. He may have lost a few ticks on his fastball, but he can still locate the ball and get batters swinging out of their shoes. He struck out 20% of the batters he faced last season while walking just 5.7%. The Pirates have struggled with control the last couple of seasons, and Wainwright would be a guy who comes in and doesn't walk that many hitters. Not only is he still missing bats at a high rate, but when he does allow contact it isn't very hard contact.
During the 2020 season, Wainwright had a hard hit% of just 36.6%, just two ticks higher than league average. It was the second-lowest mark for Wainwright over the last five seasons, and part of that is because he has switched from being a fastball first guy to relying more on his breaming stuff. His curveball was his top pitch during the 2020 season as he used it 38.3% of the time. Not only was it his most used, but it was his most effective pitch as well. He generated 28 of his 54 strikeouts on the pitch and opponents hit just .191 against the pitch while picking up just five extra-base hits all season. Wainwright's next two most-used pitches are his sinker and his cutter righties and lefties respectively.
As far as scouting goes, the Pirates have gotten a good look at Wainwright over the years, but from the wrong side of the mound. Wainwright has been a division foe for the Pirates since the 2005 season and has dominated them especially at Busch Stadium. When facing the Pirates, Adam Wainwright hasn't lost a game at home since the 2012 season. If the Pirates were able to swing a deal to bring the 39-year-old to Pittsburgh, he could slide in as a three or four starter behind Jameson Taillon, Joe Musgrove, and Mitch Keller. It would provide some consistency to the bottom half of the rotation, giving the Pirates a good chance to win every five days.
What Would It Take To Sign Wainwright
As a always the question with the Pirates, a big hurdle to a deal getting done would be what it would take to sign Wainwright. One thing in the Pirate's favor is the fact that Wainwright is looking for a one-year deal. Signing Wainwright wouldn't be a long-term move for Pittsburgh, and it might allow Pittsburgh to get a good deal on the veteran's services. Last season, Wainwright signed a one-year deal with the Cardinals worth two million dollars. That is well within the Pirate's price range and would give them a reliable veteran who is a shoo-in for the hall of fame whenever his career is over. However, it would be a big change for the right-hander as the Cardinals are the only team he has ever played for, a rare feat for this day in age.
The other question surrounding a possible signing of Wainwright is whether or not he will retire this season. Wainwright has spent the past 15 seasons in Major League Baseball and is third on the all-time longest-tenured Cardinals list. If he retired today, he would be walking away with a career, 167-98 record with a 3.38 ERA in over 2,100 Major League innings of work. He is just 33 wins shy of the 200-win club and has the stat line of a potential Hall of Famer. Anything he does from now on can only compliment those numbers and make his Hall of Fame ballot even more solid. Even if he were to completely tank in 2021, his numbers are still strong enough to garner the recognition of his peers.
The Pirates already have some talented young pitchers on their staff, and adding Wainwright could take that rotation to another level. A rotation of Taillon, Musgrove, Keller, Wainwright, and Brault would not be a starting five I would want to go up against every day. With pitching and defense being a priority for Ben Cherrington and his staff, this move would definitely show that the Pirates are committed to that mantra. Plus, it would allow a guy like JT Brubaker to fill a long-relief role and continue to ease his way into a full-time Big League starter. If Wainwright proves unsuccessful you could always flip-flop the two and put Wainwright in shorter bullpen stints. It would be a move to better the rotation, and it could be one that just might work out for the Pirates.
There is NO way that he will come here. I just wasted 2 minutes of my life.
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