Bob Dutton of The News Tribune is reporting that there is belief that the Pittsburgh Pirates have made Tony Watson available. Will the Pirates move him, and if so, how will that affect the makeup of the bullpen?
After Mark Melancon was shipped to the Washington Nationals last summer, the Pirates did not hesitate to announce that Tony Watson would take over the closing duties. He always seemed to be the heir apparent to Melancon if the team decided to fill the role internally, and in late July Watson finally had the opportunity to save games for Pittsburgh.
Watson put up an acceptable performance once he took over the ninth inning duties. He saved 15 games but also blew three saves (he had two blown saves earlier in the season as well). He gave up four runs in just two thirds of an inning on September 6th in a crucial game for the Pirates against the division rival St. Louis Cardinals. Fans were beginning to question if Watson was ready to be the team’s closer.
Now there are reports that the Pirates are believed to have made Watson available, with at least the Seattle Mariners showing some interest in the lefty. From Bob Dutton’s report:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The trade market is still developing, but one name to watch is Pittsburgh lefty Tony Watson, who is believed to be available.[/perfectpullquote]“Believed to be available” is not the same as “available” so at this point of the offseason it is difficult to tell how serious the Pirates are about moving Watson.
Why would the Pittsburgh Pirates potentially deal Watson, one of the stalwarts of the bullpen in the past few years?
Asset Management
One reason may be that Watson is entering his third year of arbitration and almost assuredly will get a pay raise on the $3.45 million contract he signed for 2016. The Pirates typically do not like to have a lot of money tied up in relievers and trading Watson would free up some money that can be spent elsewhere to improve the club.
Secondly, the Pirates received Felipe Rivero in the Melancon deal, a hard throwing lefty that could potentially take over as the southpaw out of the bullpen. Rivero struck out 39 in his 27.1 innings of work with the Pirates and will be set to make a fraction of what Watson will make in 2017.
Pirates Would Need to Be Bowled Over
However, I do not see the Pirates moving Watson unless they are blown away by an offer. While he would be one of the most expensive pitchers in the bullpen next year, he still has a lot to offer the team. They could always consider moving him back to an eighth inning role if they feel he is not cut out to close games. But given how cost conscious the Pirates are, especially when it comes to assembling a bullpen, I won’t be surprised if he is wearing a different uniform on Opening Day.
Photo Credit – Daniel Decker Photography
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