It is still too early to tell if the Pittsburgh Pirates will be buyers or sellers as the 2016 Trade Deadline looms
Even though the Pittsburgh Pirates just went through one of their most brutal stretches in recent memory, it is still too early to determine if they will be buyers or sellers at the 2016 MLB Trade Deadline. With the two Wild-Card system, more teams remain competitive longer into the summer. This results in more trades, but also can result in teams who are likely out of it to hold onto their chips longer.
In the case of the 2016 Pirates, their best trade chip could be dealt in either scenario could be the steal of the trade season, should they decide to deal him.
A Bargain Like No Other
When the Pittsburgh Pirates signed David Freese to a 1-year/$3 million deal, many regarded it as a bargain. Our own Ethan Obstarczyk had this to say as he advocated the signing:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”-Ethan Obstarczyk” link=”” color=”#000000″ class=”” size=””]In the off chance that he remains unsigned once spring training gets underway, the Pirates should definitely consider offering him a relatively cheap one-year contract. His numbers as of late may not be up there with what he did in his heyday, but he would improve the team that Clint Hurdle puts on the field each day this summer.[/perfectpullquote]If we accept the common valuation of 1 WAR costs about $7 million, the signing has already paid for itself, as the 2011 World Series MVP has already put up a 1.5 WAR as per Baseball Reference. His slashline of .294/.374/.439 leaps off of the page after several down years. He has added a new position after transitioning over to first base with relative ease.
Though his strikeout rate of 26.6 percent raises an eyebrow, the overall picture of Freese is one of tremendous value. The former All-Star is a complete player at the plate and in the field, and can be hit comfortably in several spots in the batting order.
It is that extreme value, combined with other more pressing needs, that may force the Pittsburgh Pirates’ hand into at least testing the market for the veteran.
Needs Versus Risk
For the Pittsburgh Pirates, the signing of Freese came about from a function to insure themselves against a shuffled return for Jung Ho Kang. Though Kang’s return ended up in line with his original timeline, there was no way of knowing at the time of the signing what to expect from Kang when he did return.
It didn’t take long for Kang to answer those questions. His performance since returning has been eye-opening, and it may result in significant reassessment on the part of general manager Neal Huntington.
Though Kang is still technically not at 100 percent, he gets stronger every day, and his readiness to face the rigors of Major League Baseball could open up the Pirates to explore trading Freese. While there has been nary a peep of the front office dipping their toes in the trade market, Jon Heyman agrees that Freese could be on the move.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”Jon Heyman, Today’s Knuckleball” link=”” color=”#000000″ class=”” size=””]He could be seen as a luxury for the Pirates. The Mets have injuries at both spots and could make sense.[/perfectpullquote]While we will save potential dance partners for a time closer to the deadline, the temptation to improve the team’s bullpen could be too much to resist for Huntington. The relief pitching unit’s struggles have been well documented to this point, with Huntington himself admitting his bullpen construction for 2016 was lacking.
Of course, dealing Freese would be a huge vote of confidence in Kang’s ability to continue his return at the level he has shown.
One thing that should not be a concern is the depth behind Kang and first baseman John Jaso. With Jason Rogers at Triple-A Indianapolis and Sean Rodriguez in tow, manager Clint Hurdle can continue to mix and match substitution patterns when Kang needs a day, or when the team faces a left-handed starter. Rogers’ stay with the big league club this year was not a long one, and Rodriguez is already coming back down to Earth after a hot start to the season, but these are both major-league capable players who could be seen as adequate depth pieces.
Perhaps the Pittsburgh Pirates would be willing to live with that bench to shore up the club’s biggest weakness?
David Freese may be dealt, and he may not. But there is no doubt that he is the best bargain of any position player that has even a chance of being available.
Featured Photo Credit – Justinknabb – Used with Flickr Commercial License
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