Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington owes it to this team to be active at the 2016 MLB Trade Deadline
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 17-8 in their last 25 games, the best record in MLB across that stretch.
Is that record enough to push general manager Neal Huntington firmly into the ‘buyers’ column at this year’s MLB non-waiver trade deadline?
If not, it should be.
The Keystone State Pipeline
Recently, our own Ethan Obstarczyk stated his case as to how the Pittsburgh Pirates might be okay if they do nothing at the deadline. From his editorial:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”#000000″ class=”” size=””]Fans like to see big splashy moves at the deadline because on the surface, it shows that the team is making a serious push for the playoffs. But the Pirates are in a position that many other teams should be envious of.[/perfectpullquote]Ethan makes a strong case. The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent years building up their farm system to establish a steady pipeline. Not only does the team have headline talent in prospects such as Tyler Glasnow, Jameson Taillon, Austin Meadows and Josh Bell, but they have a solid second tier behind them. With players such as Steven Brault, Chad Kuhl and Kevin Newman in tow, the team has a solid pipeline.
Is that not reason enough to spin some of that talent?
Prospects Get You Fired
Former New York Mets GM Steve Phillips is fond of the phrase “prospects get you fired.”
He’s absolutely right.
Baseball has the most unique personnel system in all of sports. Not only are executives tasked with putting the best 25-man roster on the field, they must also painstakingly develop and maintain several waves of talent simultaneously. Even the most meticulous of scouting departments and player development offices have horror stories of can’t miss prospects that they, well, missed on.
The pendulum swings the other way when a team does not see the inherent value of a player, ships him off, and regrets it later.
Joey Bautista, anyone?
Would it not make much more sense to trade the unknown for a proven commodity? For risk-adverse general managers, the ability to spin surplus talent for established veterans who can perform would not only allow the GM to sleep better at night, but would remove one more vague uncertainty – in a sport that is full of them – for something even a touch more concrete.
The returning haul would be able to help the team right away, in established ways.
And this particular Pittsburgh Pirates team could use the help.
Knowing What You Have
This Pittsburgh Pirates team is strong in many ways. When clicking, their lineup in slots one through eight can hit with any lineup in the National League. Their bullpen contains one of the best closers in baseball, and can be dynamic at times. Their starting pitching may be trending in the right direction, with Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano turning in vintage performances recently.
Why, then, would you not want to add to this core that is still just 1.5 games back of a Wild Card?
This would require a radical change in thinking from Huntington and crew. But if not this team, which one? If not now, when? The market is clearly gearing itself towards giving teams liek the Pirates and advantage. Their years of re-stocking the system and preaching patience has brought them to this point. With a bevy of controllable starting pitching available, the Pirates can gird themselves for this year while simultaneously trading promise for something as close to certainty as can be found in this sport.
And because of that, Huntington owes it to this team to strengthen its core.
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