Pirates Christmas Wish List: A Gregory Polanco Trade
During the early 2010s, the Pittsburgh Pirates were known for scouting and signing players in the international free-agent market. Some of their big signings included guys like Starling Marte and current Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco. When Polanco was coming up through the Minor Leagues, he had a lot of hype behind him and was going to be the next star for the Pittsburgh Pirates. When he first came to the Big Leagues in 2014, he showed good potential but never had that breakout season that the Pirates were looking for. His best season was in 2016 when he hit .258 with 22 home runs and 119 RBI. It was during that season that the Pirates rewarded Polanco with a five-year extension worth 35 million dollars beginning with the 2017 season.
Ever since signing that extension, everything has gone downhill for Polanco from on-field performance to injury troubles. Since signing that extension, he has only played in two full seasons and has made two significant trips to the Disabled List with shoulder injuries. Although injuries aren't Polanco's fault, it has cost the Pirates a lot of money and they will have to dish out 11 million dollars to Polanco in 2021. After a year where he hit just .153 with seven home runs and 22 RBI, that is an enormous price for a guy who is most likely not in the Pirate's future. This Christmas, the Pirates are hoping for a trade that eliminates that 11 million dollar contract and helps Polanco move on with his Major League career.
Polanco's Marketability
The problem with the Pirates trading Polanco is who would want a guy who has played in just over 90 games the last two seasons hitting just .196 during that stretch? Part of that poor performance is due to his shoulder injuries, but he has just never been that too prospect he was expected to be. Even at his height in 2016, strikeouts were always a problem with Polanco, but he balanced that out with power. That is one thing that is still there for Polanco, but it isn't coming on a consistent enough basis. He finished second on the team with seven home runs last season, and collected 13 total extra-base hits, with the other six being doubles. Polanco was on pace to hit 22 home runs last season, but his .153 average would not have been enough to make up for that.
However, some of that low batting average could have been attributed to just bad luck for Polanco. A look at his numbers shows a career-high hard-hit percentage of 51.6 and an average exit velocity of 93 miles per hour. Both of those put him in the top ten percentile of all Major League players last season. It was also a pretty even split in terms of groundballs, flyouts, and lineouts as Polanco grounded out 33.7% of the time, flew out 27.4% of the time, and lined out 30.4% of the time. If he is able to consistently hit the ball hard he could be an asset to the middle of the order of a competitor. However, the big problem with Polanco has always been the strikeouts and that was a big problem during the 2020 season.
In 157 at-bats during the 2020 season, Polanco ended up striking out 65 times for a strikeout rate of 41.4%, leading the Pirates by a big margin. He ended up chasing the ball out of the strike zone a career-high 34.4% of the time and made contact on those chases just over 40% of the time. He wasn't a very patient hitter at all, drawing just 13 walks all season, meaning that he is swinging way more than he should be. However, Polanco is in the Dominican Winter League trying to work on that. He is currently playing for Leones del Escogido and has been able to lower his strikeout rate to 21%. However, he still can't get that batting average up as he is hitting just .192 with two home runs and eight RBI in 20 games, which isn't a great site for Pirates fans.
Polanco Back For 2021
With Polanco not showing any growth in the Winter Leagues, aside from his strikeout rate, all signs indicate he will be back in 2021. However, the Pirates can still find a suitor for Polanco if he comes out with a strong first half of the season. Right now, Polanco is blocking prospects Jared Oliva, Travis Swaggerty, and other young outfielders from taking that next step to the Big Leagues. The Pirates are hoping that Polanco can turn things around in 2021, and then they can use him as trade bait at the deadline. If Polanco can raise his average even to the .240 to .250 mark and hit for power, he could generate interest from other teams.
Polanco enters 2021 as the longest-tenured Pirates player and according to a quote last year from Ben Cherrington the Pirates still believe in him. At the end of last season, Cherrington said "He's still very young and at a point in his career where there is no reason to think that he still can't be a great player." It sounds like the Pirates are going to give him every opportunity to succeed, and try to reap the benefits if he does. No matter what, the Pirates will lose Polanco to free agency after the 2021 season, so they might as well try to get something for him if he shows any sort of value this season.
When you're in a rebuild like the Pirates are currently in, getting the right prospects in deals is so important. If you have a player of any value, you trade him to stockpile talent for your next competitive run. Polanco was once one of those prospects back in the competitive years of 2013 to 2015, and now it is his turn to be the veteran who gets dealt. Polanco has been a part of two playoff teams here in Pittsburgh, but he just isn't panning out the way the Pirates had hoped. The one way he could end his Pirates career on a high note is to bring back a large prospect haul and help the Pirates get back on the road to playoff baseball in the near future.
Comments
Post a Comment