The Pittsburgh Pirates were Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the 2016 baseball season.
It was a season that consisted of multiple swings that were not only tough on the fan base, but also on the players. It was a long season that was hindered by injuries, ineffectiveness, and inconsistency. Highlighted below will be some changes that must occur in the 2017 season if the Pittsburgh Pirates have any designs on winning the NL Central and representing the National League in the World Series:
A New Closer
Felipe Rivero must become the closer for the Pirates. Rivero showed excellent stuff in his time with Pittsburgh. He has a fastball that will sit in the 94-96 MPH range and a changeup that is almost un-hittable for right handed batters. Rivero utilized the change up 21.2 percent of the time according to Fangraphs. Believe it or not, Rivero actually posted a better ERA than Mark Melancon did with the Nationals after the July trade.
Rivero has all the intangibles you look for in a dominant closer. He is tall, athletic, and has a big wind-up. It would not be out of the question for Rivero to even see a small increase in his fastball velocity over the next year or two. Rivero may hit some bumps in the road early in the season, but he has the stuff to become the next dominant closer in Pittsburgh.
Tony Watson has been a reliable LHP out of the bullpen, but he is much more suited for the eighth inning role when compiling data over his career. While you cannot measure an individual’s ability to get “big” outs, Watson did struggle in the closer role over the final 2 months of the season.
On the other hand, it has recently been reported that Tony Watson could possibly be moved this offseason. That move could prove to be very lucrative for the Pittsburgh Pirates as there are not many left handed relief pitchers available on the market. Pittsburgh should take a strategic approach to this, though. It will be important to let other key relief pitchers clear the market before trying to engage with a trade for Watson. Supply and demand is the ultimate principal in play here.
Improving Starting Pitching is NOT Optional
The Pittsburgh Pirates must solidify their starting pitching thru Free Agency or via the trade.
It is really as simple as that.
The Pirates have players in their farm system that would be attractive pieces to any GM. The Free Agent market appears to be headed to ridiculous highs this offseason. Former Pirates starter Charlie Morton, received a 2 year $14 million deal yesterday that could wind up being $19 million with incentives.
In that light, Pittsburgh would probably be better off to stay out of that market with the tight budget Neal Huntington is working with. One pitcher that the Pittsburgh Pirates have been linked to is Derek Holland of the Texas Rangers. The Pirates have returned Holland’s interest, as first reported by Pirates Breakdown.
Pittsburgh does have the pieces in play to pull off a trade for a number 3 starter. A deal centered on Ke’Bryan Hayes and Mitch Keller would bring back a serious return, from what I understand. It would not be out of the question for the Pirates to pursue Jose Quintana with the players mentioned above. At this time, the Pirates rotation would look as follows: Cole, Tallion, Glasnow, Kuhl, and unnown. It will be interesting to see how the Pirates front office attacks the need for starting pitching over the winter meetings while other teams know that the club may have to overpay for one.
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