In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
Yesterday, MLB Trade Rumors had an excellent post outlining how January signings are often a mixed bag for clubs. But that hasn’t always been the case for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
January 2016
In January of 2016, the Pittsburgh Pirates quietly found two solid bullpen pieces in A.J. Schugel and Neftali Feliz. They plucked Schugel off of waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks as a low-cost, high-upside move and were rewarded with 36 appearances totaling 52 quality relief innings.
In the case of Feliz, the signing was another classic Neal Huntington move to lure a hurler in looking to rebuild value. At the time, many would have thought that Feliz’s $3.9 million dollar salary was something of an overpay for a reliever coming off of a 3.95 FIP/1.43 WHIP season. Feliz rewarded Huntington’s faith by increasing his K/9 from 7.3 to 10.2 while making 62 appearances.
The Pittsburgh Pirates also inked Chris Stewart to a low-cost extension that made him a value-laden backup catcher. They also took flyers on Daniel Bard and Trey Haley, two hard-throwing relief arms. Though those didn’t stick, they were worthwhile gambles.
January 2015
January of 2015 will be remembered for the signing of Jung Ho Kang to a valuable 4-year/$16 million contract with a fifth-year option. The Pittsburgh Pirates came out of nowhere to snag Kang, who was nowhere near a household name at the time, even among baseball circles.
Regardless of what may happen over the next three years, the Kang signing has already provided incredible value, with 6.1 WAR put up over two disastrous injury-shortened seasons.
That month also saw the naming of Stephen Tarpley as the PTBNL in the Travis Snider trade with the Baltimore Orioles. Tarpley’s stay in the Pirates’ system was shortlived, as he was flipped along with Tito Polo for Ivan Nova. Tarpley represented a prospect with sleeper trade value, which Huntington recognized.
The club also picked up minor league fodder in Chris Volstad, Charles Leesman and Wilfredo Boscan. Of the three, Boscan and Volstad made short-lived appearances with the big-league club. Leesman made 10 appearances at Triple-A Indianapolis and now plies his trade in the Independent League.
January 2017?
If we take a peak at the current landscape, we see a lot of names that might not fit the Pittsburgh Pirates needs. Numerous bullpen arms are still out there, and PBD reviewed a few options here. The club’s bench is also more or less set, though Huntington won’t hesitate to pull the trigger if an available bat represents a significant upgrade.
Though I would stop short of calling the lack of January transactions a market inefficiency, Huntington has shown an ability to find value while other clubs are still nursing hangovers.
Download Our Mobile Apps
The introduction of our new FREE Mobile Apps gets fans closer to their favorite Pittsburgh Pirates coverage than ever before. Click here to learn about some of the features of our new app – or, if you just can’t wait, click the corresponding app store for your device and grab your copy now.
Baseball Talk on the Web
- Rob Biertempfel checks in with Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle.
- John Sickels of MinorLeagueBall.com gives his take on the Pirates’ Top 20 Prospects.
- Call to the Pen handicaps the All-Time Pirates roster.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
