The Relief Market
The Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen fell of considerably in 2016 after serving as a team strength for the past several seasons. After tendering left-hander Wade LeBlanc to a team-friendly deal, the Pirates carry four bullpen southpaws. Antonio Bastardo, Tony Watson, Felipe Rivero and LeBlanc are all capable major league relievers at worst, and very effective arms at their best. Carrying four left-handers in a bullpen is about as unique as it gets.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the team will look to unload one of their left-handers for savings and better bullpen balance. Multiple reports have pegged the Pirates as willing to eat some of Bastardo’s contract, part of which was being subsidized to an unknown degree by the New York Mets. This all makes for a very confusing paycheck for Bastardo.
On the surface, it would seem counter-productive to deal Bastardo to achieve that balance, as he is a productive, proven major league reliever. However, with Watson in tow – for now – and Rivero serving as an electric late inning option, Bastardo would be relegated to something slightly better than LOOGY status. In that light, it would make sense for the Pirate sto trade him.
Bullpen arms are plentiful this year. The high end of the non-closer market features names such as Brad Ziegler, Joe Smith and 2016 Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Neftali Feliz.
As always, the Pittsburgh Pirates will look to comb through the mid-market and find the best value for their dollar. One name to keep an eye on is Jeff Manship. Manship struggled during his first few years in baseball, but over the past two seasons has put it together to the tune of a 2.07 ERA/3.63 FIP in 85 appearances. He carries a solid 7.5 strikeouts per nine, His velocity is not overpowering, but he carries an effective reliever-ready pitch mix, with a slider and sinker complementing a four-seam fastball.
Manship was non-tendered by the Indians, and as such would be very affordable. Another affordable name that may suit the Pirates’ needs would be Aaron Barrett, recently of the Washington Nationals.
Barrett did not pitch in 2016 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September of 2015. In August of last season, he felt a pop in that same shoulder, requiring a second surgery. Although Dr. James Andrews was involved, the surgery was unrelated to the ligament in his throwing elbow and as such was a temporary delay, not a derailment, to his rehab. By all accounts, he will be able to resume a normal throwing program and be ready for spring training.
When he did pitch, Barrett was raw and effective. He strieks out 10.8 hitters per nine for his short career of 00 appearances to date, and his velocity pre-surgery sat at 95 mph for his four seam, 92 mph for his sinker. He could be worth taking a flyer on, provided the medicals are encouraging.
The Pittsburgh Pirates will have some work to do at this year’s Winter Meetings. The storylines and rumors could be endless, but these three main areas of focus are the ones that Pirates fans should pay close attention to. As we saw last year with the surprise trade of Neil Walker, anything can happen.
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