Final Trade Deadline Thoughts: Who Stays and Who Goes
It is the time of year when Major League teams are wheeling and dealing either to build their roster now or get it ready for the future. For the Pittsburgh Pirates, they are in sellers mode and have proved that making three trades already this week where they have acquired a total of seven prospects for three Major Leaguers. Of those prospects acquired, two have landed in the Pirates Top 30 prospect list and one, Tucupita Marcano, ended up in the top 10 of the Pirates system. The biggest pieces the Pirates had to offer have already been moved in Adam Frazier and Tyler Anderson, but it doesn't mean Ben Cherington's wheeling and dealing is done. As the Pirates build for the future, they are still looking to add to their bolstered Minor League system.
With the trade deadline just hours away, there is certain to be a lot of movement as negotiations take place. There are several Pirates that have been rumored to be talked about, including Jacob Stallings, Kevin Newman, and Chad Kuhl. There are definitely deals to be made out there, but the question is whether or not the price is right for Cherington to pull the trigger. Then, you also have the issue of who are the Pirates going to keep and use as the core of the next winning team. There are a lot of questions that will be answered by 4 pm, as the Pirates get ready for the final two months of the season. Today, we look at who stays and who goes as the Pirates listen to offers up until, and slightly beyond, that 4 pm trade deadline.
Who Stays
When you talk about the Pittsburgh Pirates and the trade deadline, the normal question is who will be traded? However, we are going to start with the other side of the coin, who will be a Pirate after 4 pm? While several names are being discussed, the guys that are untouchable if you are the Pirates seem to be Ke'Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds, and I would even throw JT Brubaker into that mix. These are three young players who have several years of control and should be a part of the next winning team. Reynolds has already been an all-star this year, and the other two are working through their rookie seasons as Pirates. The leader of this group is the obvious, Bryan Reynolds who is having another strong season.
After appearing in his first MLB All-Star game, Reynolds has stayed strong hitting .309 with 18 home runs and 57 RBI over his 366 at-bats this season. His power numbers have been the biggest surprise, as he leads The team with 18 home runs and 24 doubles, and is one of just two Pirates with double-digit home runs. We knew he could hit for power, as was evident by his plus .300 average in every Minor League season, but the power is something that has recently come through. He is just 26-years-old and isn't set to become a Free Agent until 2026. I believe the Pirates will extend Reynolds beyond that anyways, but he will have had 6-7 years of Big League experience by the time the Pirates are set to be competitive again and can serve that leadership role.
The other two untouchables in my opinion are Hayes and Brubaker, both still in their rookie seasons. After a hot start in 2020, Hayes has cooled off a bit, but still is hitting .258 with four home runs and 20 RBI. Since the All-Star break, Hayes has been hitting .250 (12-48) and has not been nearly as productive as he was to start with no home runs and only two RBI. Every rookie goes through an adjustment period, and that seems to be what Hayes is going through now. How he responds is going to be huge as he sets the table to be a star of the future. On the pitching side, JT Brubaker has taken a step back as of late as he has not been as efficient as he was at the start of the year. He sits at 4-10 with a 4.67 ERA in 96.1 innings of work, but he is showing signs of improvement. He has allowed two earned runs in each of his last two starts and, with Shelton limiting his innings, hopefully, that gives him the confidence he needs to turn things around.
Who Goes
And now for the $1 million question, who will the Pirates trade before the 4 pm deadline? I think this falls into two different categories, the ones we know will be traded and the ones that we don't expect. General Manager Ben Cherington is definitely not done wheeling and dealing, with conversations going on about several players including Richard Rodriguez, Chris Stratton, and Chasen Shreve. However, as we have already seen, you can never trust the rumors. A few weeks ago, Frazier was definitely going to the White Sox and Clay Holmes was on no one's radar. However, both players are gone, Frazier to San Diego and Holmes to New York. Anything can happen before 4pm, and everyone needs to watch.
However, the people who are most likely to be traded today are Richard Rodriguez and Chris Stratton. Both are veteran relievers who have done good work for the Pirates, but won't be here in the future. Probably the highest value guy the Pirates have is Rodriguez, who is dirt cheap, $1.7 million, and still has two years of control. While he has struggled lately, he is still 4-2 with a 2.84 ERA and 11 saves in 14 chances this season. He brings a strong relief presence to a contender and will bolster the back-end of a bullpen for years to come. In Stratton, you have a reliever who can essentially do it all. He has been a long man, a middle reliever, and a set-up man and has performed well in each role. Stratton is flying under the radar this year, but is 3-0 with a 3.19 ERA even after a rough outing last night. Both relievers bring value to a contender and may fetch a good return for the Pirates.
However, you always have to prepare for the unknown, and I can see someone we don't expect get traded today. With the Pirates featuring so many middle infielders, one guy I'm looking at that might be moved is Kevin Newman. While his offensive stats aren't great, hitting .212 with three home runs and 18 RBI, but he has developed into one of the best defensive shortstops in the league. He has committed just two errors this season, and set an MLB record going 77 games without committing an error at shortstop to start the season. However, the other option would be for the Pirates to add a guy like Cole Tucker to a trade package. The 25-year-old is hitting just .209 in parts of three seasons with the Pirates and .125 this season. If another team thinks they can turn him around, he could sweeten the pot in a possible Rodriguez deal. A lot can happen, or may not happen, before 4 pm. With Cherington trading several people already, look for the Pirates to be a busy team all the way until 4 pm today.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (38-64) look to start anew as they welcome in the Philadelphia Phillies (51-51) tonight at 7:05 pm. Wil Crowe (2-5, 5.89) takes the hill for the Pirates coming off his best start of the season going against Vince Velasquez (3-5, 5.54) for the Phillies. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen on 93.7 The Fan.
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