Welcome to the weekly Pittsburgh Pirates Rumor Mill, where we update you on all of the latest Pirates trades, signings, rumors, injury news, promotions, demotions, and the like from the past week.
After a brief hiatus, we’re excited to bring back our weekly Pittsburgh Pirates Rumor Mill. Although the trade deadline is still a while away, it’s never too early to start dishing out juicy rumors (or creating our own) and discuss the goings-on within the organization as a whole. Let’s dish on the latter first, and then turn to some potential starting pitchers that are out there that could be trade targets for the Pirates come July.
Pirates will go back to five-man bench, seven-man bullpen soon
I've learned Pirates plan to switch back to 5-man bench this weekend at Wrigley. Have been rolling w/4 for a month because of 8-man bullpen
— Matt Gajtka (GITE-kah) (@MattGajtka) May 12, 2016
I feel that it was only a matter of time before this switch happened. The Pirates had been going with a four-man bench and an eight-man bullpen since they optioned down Jason Rogers, which isn’t the team’s traditional approach. The Pirates began the year with a five-man bench and a seven-man bullpen, and that’s how they’ve usually operated for the past few seasons. If I were a betting man, I’d say that A.J. Schugel gets sent down and Cole Figueroa gets called up. Jason Rogers could also be called up, but the Pirates already have David Freese as a corner infield option, and the Pirates value defense and middle infield options more than offense and corner positions off the bench.
Could Tim Lincecum be an option for the Pirates?
Huntington says they've done their "due dillegence" on Lincecum and confirms they did have a scout in attendance at his showcase last week
— Dan Zangrilli (@DanZangrilli) May 8, 2016
We know the Pirates love their reclamation projects, and we know that their pitching, both the rotation and the bullpen, hasn’t been ideal so far. Tim Lincecum had a showcase recently, and the Pirates indeed had a scout there. It sounds like the Pirates are just doing their “due diligence,” and I don’t expect them to take a flyer on him. He seems to be too much of a risk and he will likely go to a team that blows him away with an offer. If the Pirates plan on upgrading their rotation, they’ll rely on the mid-season call-ups of Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon or a less risky option in a trade with another team.
Remaining injuries
The Pirates have managed to stay healthy since Opening Day, and now that Jared Hughes and Jung Ho Kang have returned to the team, the only major injured players remaining are Cory Luebke and Elias Diaz. According to Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Luebke was scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday after pitching two-thirds of an inning on Tuesday. His rehab assignment ends on May 20th, and his return from the DL could complicate the bullpen. Brink goes on to say that Diaz is rehabbing at Pirate City with minor league rehab coordinator A.J. Patrick. Diaz’s injury seemed to be devastating at first, but the outlook has become much better as of late and he shouldn’t miss more than a couple months at most this season.
Potential starting pitching trade targets
This is pure speculation by yours truly, but there are going to be plenty of arms available come trade deadline time if the Pirates feel they need to upgrade their rotation. Maybe they’ll want a better fifth option behind Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, Tyler Glasnow, and Jameson Taillon. Maybe one of those four gets injured. Or maybe one of the two prospects struggles when he gets called up. In any case, it never hurts to look at some trade targets early in the season.
The Braves are downright atrocious this year, but Julio Teheran certainly looks appealing. They could be willing to part with him for the right price, and we know the Braves have been willing to move young players for even younger players and prospects. He has a 3.48 ERA so far this season and is signed through 2019 with a club option in 2020. It might take a haul to get him, but it doesn’t hurt to look into it.
Drew Pomeranz is a name to keep an eye on for the Padres. We saw him roast the Pirates’ lineup earlier this season, and he could be the steal of the deadline. He has a 1.80 ERA in seven starts so far this year but he’s never pitched a full year as a starter. He made 22 starts for the Rockies in 2012, but his next highest total was just ten starts in 2014. He’s been used out of the bullpen as well, but he also has had his share of injury issues. He’s making barely over $1 million this season, and has two years of arbitration eligibility left. He would come relatively cheaply, and could be the ideal fifth starter option.
Some pitchers just need to get out of Colorado, and for a team that’s not expected to do much this year, Tyler Chatwood looks like a nice option. He’s only 26 and has pitched to a 3.09 ERA in seven starts this season. He’s also only making only $1 million and has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining. Chatwood has a career 4.20 ERA, but he’s pitched four years of his career in Colorado, including 2013 when he held a 3.15 ERA across 20 starts.
There are plenty of other options out there as well, and as the season churns forward, trade rumors will certainly start popping up.
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