The Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets have discussed a potential trade for Josh Harrison in recent weeks. Though no trade is imminent, how do the two clubs line up as trade partners?
By now, it is a well-accepted notion that the Pittsburgh Pirates will continue their offseason re-shaping of their club by trading INF Josh Harrison.Due to make $10.25 million in 2018, Harrison suddenly seems expendable to a Pirates team that is embracing their younger talents. Though he did put together a 2.6 fWAR season
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The answer lies in the flexibility inherent in Harrison, but not in the way you might think.[/perfectpullquote]Though he has been linked to other clubs, the strongest ties at this time seem to be with the New York Mets. The Mets have plans of getting right back into contention in the NL East, banking on good seasons from Jacob deGrom and Yoenis Cespedes, while hoping out for Noah Syndergaard to return to his long-locked, flame-throwing self. They also look to rehabilitate Zack Wheeler and Matt Harvey. If they find a way to get that rotation back together, the Mets could be right there in their divison alongside the Washington Nationals. And we haven’t even mentioned Steven Matz yet.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Mets brought Jay Bruce back into the fold, and a quick look up and down their roster shows some considerable talent. We mentioned Cesepdes, but the club is likely anxious to get OF Michael Conforto back. Conforto broke out in a big way last season, posting a 4.4 fWAR on the back of a 146 wRC+ rating. The outfielder will just be entering his 25 year-season in 2018, and there’s no reason to think that he can’t get back to playing at the level he was at pre-shoulder injury.
The 2018 Mets will return six players with a wRC+ of 105 or better in 2017, and two of their other returnees – CF Juan Legares and C Travis d’Arnaud — carry good defensive value.
The preceding 300 some-odd words is a long winded way of saying that the Mets are closer to serious contention than many might think. Can it not be considered reasonable — hell, even prudent — for the Metropolitans to strongly consider Harrison? The team will have a hole at third base after the departure of Jose Reyes, after all.
If the Mets think that the stars have finally aligned with their pitching staff, they may very well believe in their heart of hearts that the now longest-tenured Pittsburgh Pirates hitter can be the final piece to push them over the top.
But do the clubs line up?
A tweet from Mike Puma of the New York Post threw some water on a potential Pittsburgh Pirates-New York Mets deal:
Hearing the Mets aren't particularly enthusiastic about trading Nimmo for Harrison; Mets believe the asking price should be less given Harrison's contract.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) January 17, 2018
The Nimmo in question is outfielder Brandon Nimmo, the 24 year-old left-handed bat who was ranked as high as the Mets’ number five prospect in 2017. He broke into the majors 2016 but saw significant action last season after the Conforto injury, appearing 69 games. Nimmo was able to put together a wRC+ of 117 and an fWAR of 1.1 across just 215 plate appearances. He tagged five home runs and carried and outstanding 15.3 percent walk rate, a figure that is amplified when considering how young into his career Nimmo is.
Though he did strikeout at 27.9 percent, there is no reason to believe that Nimmo can cut down on whiffs as he sees more major league pitching. Though he is not a classic five-tool player, Nimmo carried at least a 50 grade in all five tools as graded by MLB Pipeline, and his showing in the majors thus far gives no reason to think he won’t be a successful, everyday big leaguer in either corner outfield spot.
So why would the Mets want to trade him?
Again, look at the names listed above. The Mets are committed to Bruce and Cespedes while also reluctant to include Legares in any trade talks this offseason. Mix in Conforto’s return, and suddenly the Mets have a very crowded outfield.
Obviously, however, the Mets are falling into the trap that many clubs are succumbing to. They are overvaluing their own prospects despite how their current talent stacks up. As Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington is fond of saying, prospects are also developed to provide trade chips to bolster your big league club. Yes, the Mets have no real, pressing need for Nimmo in their lineup at the moment, so the question actually becomes this: Is Harrison really the piece to put them over the edge?
Flexibility in more ways than one
The answer lies in the flexibility inherent in Harrison, but not in the way you might think.
Harrison’s contract carries two player options, one for 2019 at $10.5 million, an an $11 million option for 2020. The 2019 option carries a very affordable buyout of $1 million, while the second option carries no club buyout. Thus, Jhay would be the perfect mid-range play for the Mets. The club can bring him in, and if he lives up to the contract, can work to bring him back. Or, he can serve as a valuable trade chip at the deadline should they see themselves fall from contention.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Though he has been linked to other clubs, the strongest ties at this time seem to be with the New York Mets[/perfectpullquote]But, even considering Harrison’s fungible contract, the Mets simply don’t feel the desire to pay Harrison’s 2018 rate. The Pittsburgh Pirates just saved $20 million or so between Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen, and I can think of no better way for the club to restore a bit of faith from its fanbase by reinvesting some of those dollars to acquire a considerable talent in Nimmo.
If the Pirates were to cover half – $5 million – or so of Harrison’s 2018 contract, it might be enough to turn Mets’ GM Sandy Alderson’s head and offer up Nimmo. If not, the sad truth is that the Mets’ farm system does not line up well with the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organizational needs. A quick look up and down New York’s Top 30 prospects shows a glut of middle infield farmhands, with six listed as having shortstop eligibility. The Pirates certainly have two prospects they have committed considerable time and energy towards in Cole Tucker and Kevin Newman. Kevin Kramer also turned some heads with a power-surge out of the second base position in 2017 at Double-A Altoona.
Long story short, none of the Mets’ prospects that can conceivably be worked into a Harrison deal fit any current Pirates needs, and would not serve as much of an upgrade either. The Mets do have an intriguing catching prospect in their number nine Tomas Nido, but a catching prospect is not something any club would want to build a trade around.
One non-Nimmo name to watch would be LHP Tomas Szapucki, the Mets’ number four prospect. Szapucki is still young at 21 years old, and just finished 2017 at Single-A ball. Despite his young age, he carries 60 grades in both his fastball and curveball, the latter of which is something the Pittsburgh Pirates’ rotation is currently lacking. Getting Szapucki would also likely require the Pirates to pick up some of Harrison’s contract, but Pittsburgh might be more apt to do so to get a legitimate left-handed starting pitching prospect into their organization to go alongside Taylor Hearn.
The Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets can line up well as trade partners, but before any real conversations can begin, Pittsburgh will have to likely commit to covering some of Harrison’s contract. If they find the courage to do so, it could open them up to some considerable talent from the Big Apple.
Photo credit – Daniel Decker
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
