The Quiet Off-Season and How It Effects The Pirates
Like just about everything else in 2020, the Major League Baseball off-season has been like no other in history. By late December, several major moves have usually been made with some of the top free agents already signing. However, here we are on December 23rd and guys like Trevor Bauer are still on the market looking for their next teams. The players are expecting the lavish contracts that they are used to seeing, but the owners don't have the money to dish out. It has led to a stalemate with both sides seeing who is going to blink first. For a team on the rebuild like the Pirates, this could open the door for a healthy trade market, as teams look to add to their roster.
The Pirates have several players that would fit a competitor's needs in almost every position on the field. While the main trade candidates are Joe Musgrove, Adam Frazier, and possibly Josh Bell it wouldn't be out of the question for the Pirates to listen on a few of their other players. If the right deal comes on the table, there is no way the Pirates can refuse a chance to rebuild their Minor League system. It is a mutual agreement that helps a competitor get that piece that takes them over the top and allows the Pirates to ask above market value for their players because of demand. Today, we look at how the trade market may affect some of the Pirate's most valuable trade chips this off-season.
RHP Joe Musgrove
Out of the five projected starters for the 2021 Pittsburgh Pirates rotation, Joe Musgrove has the most experience. He backed up that experience with a great month of September that saw him post a 2.16 ERA over five starts. Although he finished the year 1-5, the performance brought his ERA down to 3.38 to end the year. His best work came in his final two starts when he threw a combined 13 consecutive scoreless innings, picking up his first win in his final start. Musgrove had a higher-than-ever strikeout rate of 33.1% while walking just 16 batters in 39.2 innings of work. Because of his improvements on the mound after his injury, teams have been knocking on the door asking about the right-hander.
Of the starting pitchers available on the trade market, Musgrove is probably the second-best of the pitchers available, behind Blake Snell. Teams that lose out on the Snell sweepstakes could come to the Pirates for a second option. Musgrove is a gamer who you pretty much know what you are getting with when he takes the mound. He is good to deliver a quality start, and give your team a chance to win every time he is on the mound. With the market playing out the way it has, Musgrove could bring back a top prospect and a lower level prospect that the Pirates can develop. Ben Cherrington can be a little more selective in what he takes being that there isn't much better available right now.
IF Adam Frazier
The 2020 season was an unusual one for Pirates infielder Adam Frazier. After rumors circled about him on the trade market all off-season, he ended up coming back as the team's starting second baseman. He got off to a slow start, and that affected him the rest of the season. He went from starting second baseman to starting left fielder, completing the crazy year hitting .230 with seven home runs and 23 RBI in 58 games played last season. He was tied for second on the team in home runs and tied for the team lead with 23 RBI. He was also nominated for the Gold Glove Award for the second year in a row and finished second in voting behind molten Wing from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Frazier is one of the best second basemen not only on the Pirates but in the entire league. He also features versatility that you don't see from many top players as he can play both infield and outfield effectively. Because of this, it opens the market for more suitors for the 29-year-olds services. The hottest middle infield piece on the trade market is Francisco Lindor from Cleveland, but Frazier is a close second for a team in need of a middle infielder. Frazier has shown consistent hitting ability throughout his career, and that drives up his value. Frazier could garner a top prospect from a team, and a couple of Minor League prospects to help build the system. Frazier has helped the Pirates a lot over the last five seasons and now he can help the Pirates again in a trade.
IF Josh Bell
One of the biggest question marks this off-season is what are the Pirates going to do with Josh Bell. After a career-year in 2019, Bell absolutely flopped during the 2020 season. He struck out a career-high 26% of the time and hit just .226 with eight home runs and 22 RBI. With the power not showing up until September, when he four of his eight home runs, the strikeouts did not match his power potential. Plus with Colin Moran emerging as a strong first base option, it will put even more pressure on Bell to perform up to his potential in 2021. The only rumor we heard about Bell so far is he and Taillon going to the Yankees, but those talks died as quickly as they started.
While Bell may not be at his peak value now, a slow free-agent market might help the Pirates get a big return on investment on their star player. Bell is a power bat that has already had an all-star game appearance and participated in the Home Run Derby. His bat at it's best can be a power threat in the middle of the lineup for a competitor. The Pirates may have to wait for the season to start to get the most value out of Bell. If he can bounce back and get back to his 2019 numbers, he could bring in a huge return for the Pirates. He has the potential to be a 40+ home run guy and hitting that potential could bring a big payday for Pittsburgh.
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