Pirates Get Two Prospects Back in Finalized Tyler Anderson Deal
Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington had a busy day on Tuesday with the MLB Trade Deadline looming just three days away. It started in the afternoon as the Pirates scratched Tyler Anderson from his start, and presumably had a deal in place to send him to the Philadelphia Phillies. However, the deal ended up falling through when one of the Phillies' prospects had problems with their physicals. So, chaos ensued as Anderson was seen in the Pirates bullpen in Pirate gear, and Luis Oviedo was now tabbed to make his first career MLB start. Throughout Tuesday night's opener, there were questions as to whether or not Tyler Anderson was a Phillie or still a Pirate. However, those questions were answered this morning when Pirates fans woke up to the news that the Philadelphia deal fell through, and that Anderson had been traded to the Seattle Mariners.
The deal was finalized just around midnight as the Pirates came through on their plan to sign Anderson to a one-year deal, then flip him for prospects. The two guys coming back in the deal are two low-level lottery ticket-type players in catcher Carter Bins and right-handed pitcher Joaquin Tejada. Bins just made the jump from High-A Ball to Double-A and is having a decent season hitting .244 with eight home runs and 35 RBI. The second prospect, Tejada, has only pitched in two professional games with the DSL Mariners and is just 18-years-old. Both are lottery ticket-type players and come in with an FV grade of 40 each according to FanGraphs. Bins has been assigned to Double-A Altoona, while Tejada will most likely stay in the DSL with the DSL Pirates. Today, we take a look at both players and what they bring to the Pirates organization.
Catcher Carter Bins
The first piece coming back in the Anderson deal is 22-year-old catcher Carter Bins, who was in Double-A in the Mariners organization. After a sub-par 2019 campaign, Bins has come back and is beginning to hit more consistently in 2021. Overall between High-A and Double-A, he is hitting .244 with eight home runs and 35 RBI in 180 at-bats. One thing that has really helped his offensive ability, is the eye that he has developed at the plate. This season, he has an impressive walk rate of 23.3%, but his strikeout rate is way higher than you would like to see at 37.2%. When he does make contact it is usually hard contact as he has racked up 18 total extra-base hits, and some of that raw power he showed early in his career is starting to come through. He grades out as a 55 for power according to MLB Pipeline and if he can harness that power into making a little more contact, it will help him in the long run.
On the defensive side of the ball is where Bins has really shined throughout his career, especially when it comes to controlling the running game. In his two years in the Minor Leagues so far, Bins has a career caught-stealing rate of 26.7% between rookie ball, High-A, and Double-A. However, you do end up taking the good with the bad as Bins has been known to get crossed up with his pitchers from time to time. He has recorded 20 passed balls over his first two Minor League seasons, pointing to the fact that he needs to work on his receiving a little more. However, he is an athletic catcher with a good arm and will join what looks to be a rotation of catchers at the Double-A level. If he can work on his receiving and pitch blocking, he has the makings of a strong defensive catcher that can add some much-needed depth to the Pirates system.
The Pirates have already announced that Bins will be assigned to Double-A Altoona, where he is set to join a crew of catchers trying to show they can make it in the system. Some of the guys he will join include Jason Delay, Raul Hernandez, and Arden Pabst. None of those three players has laid claim to the starting catcher position, and Bins will have as good an opportunity as any of them to take over in Altoona. Bins has the power to add to an already power-packed lineup that includes Mason Martin and Canaan Smith-Njigba, but he is going to have to prove that he can limit his strikeouts and see better pitches to hit. After Jacob Stallings and Michael Perez at the Major League level, there is really no help in the upper levels of the Minor League at catcher. Bins has a chance to separate himself and prove he can handle being an everyday starter in Double-A.
RHP Joaquin Tejada
The second piece in this deal is someone that there is not a lot known about simply because he hasn't had a lot of time in professional baseball. RHP Joaquin Tejada was signed as an amateur Free Agent by the Seattle Mariners as a 16-year-old on July 2nd, 2019. However, after the shutdown in 2020, he never actually got to see a professional baseball field until this season. He was assigned to the DSL Mariners and in two games pitched, he has a 7.20 ERA over 5.0 innings of work while walking four and striking out eight. However, it isn't like he is getting hit around as he has only given up one hit in those five innings. His wildness has killed him over his first two starts and has led to the heightened ERA. It has been a tale of two appearances so far for Tejada, one good and one not-so-good.
He made his professional debut on July 15th against the DSL D-Backs and was outstanding in his first pro start. He lasted three innings and allowed just one hit, an unearned run, and ended up striking out four batters. He faced just three batters over the minimum and was sharp with his pitches on the mound while being just one error away from his first professional shutout. However, his second professional outing did not go nearly as smoothly, as he was tagged for five runs, four earned while hitting a batter, walking four, and striking out four. Through his first two innings, he had allowed just one run and was looking good, but it all fell apart with an error in the bottom of the fifth. He walked the next two batters to load the bases and a hit by pitch brought in another run. He was pulled, and all three runners would come around to score, ending Tejada's day on a sour note.
Much like he was in the Mariners system, Tejada was sent to the DSL Pirates to start his ascent through the organization. At just 18-years-old, he is still a raw young talent and will take some time to completely hone in his skills. So far, he has shown a power arm on the mound, with a strikeout rate of 33.3% this season and he has seemed to like to work up in the zone. He has a flyball rate of 50% in his short stint, and a groundball rate of 37.3% to go with a 12.3% line drive rate. He is likely to stay in the DSL for the rest of the season, where the Pirates can evaluate him moving forward. Tejada is going to be a hit-or-miss type prospect, but with a future value of 40 according to FanGraphs, it is a risk the Pirates were willing to take to be able to add some much-needed pitching depth to the organization.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (38-61) are back in action tonight when they take on the Milwaukee Brewers (59-42) tonight at 7:05 pm. Max Kranick (1-1, 5.73) will be making his fourth Big League start for the Pirates and is looking to bounce back after back-to-back rough outings, as he faces Adrian Houser (6-5, 3.88) for the Brewers. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet, listen live on 93.7 The Fan, or follow along with us on Twitter by following @Buccos_Cove.
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