Day one of the Winter Meetings wasn’t as busy as we saw in 2014, but the Pittsburgh Pirates were still involved in plenty of rumors as they look to make a move in the coming days.
The Winter Meetings are only one quarter of the way over, and while we saw a decent amount of activity leading up to these meetings, we didn’t see too much activity across the league. The biggest deal of the day was Aroldis Chapman getting traded to the Dodgers for a number of prospects. Or, at least, that’s what was reported earlier in the day, and later reports surfaced stating that the deal was not complete and may even fall through. Outside of the Chapman almost-deal, we saw the Pirates lose out on Joakim Soria, who signed a three-year deal with the Royals, who also snatched up veteran starter Chris Young on a two-year deal. Wade Miley was traded to the Mariners and Carson Smith was sent back to the Red Sox, and a few other small moves went down. But that was it. The Marlins are also rumored to be dangling Jose Fernandez, and any deal involving him would steal the show in Nashville. But what did the Pirates do on Monday, and where do they stand with trade talks and potential free agent signings heading into day two? Let’s have twitter guide us through Monday’s action.
The Pirates never expressed interested in re-signing Joakim Soria
From Sunday night into Monday morning, the Royals got a deal done to bring Joakim Soria to Kansas City on a three-year, $25 million deal. We know Neal Huntington doesn’t like to spend big money for relief pitchers, so it makes sense that the Pirates were never truly interested in Soria.
Pirates did not express interest in bringing Soria back after season, have had success building inexpensive bullpens before.
— Bill Brink (@Bill_Brink2) December 7, 2015
If the Pirates can use money elsewhere instead of in the bullpen, that’s a plus. They’ve had success building inexpensive bullpens in the past, as Brink notes, and that strategy won’t change moving forward.
Astros are looking at Mark Melancon, but might the Pirates keep Melancon?
We know that the Pirates are fielding offers on Mark Melancon, whose market could heat up now that Chapman looks to be gone. The Astros are one of the few teams in desperate need of a proven closer, and they could match up well with the Pirates.
Astros lookin at chapman, miller, melancon first. Storen could be a fallback option for them.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 7, 2015
But when talking later in the day, Neal Huntington didn’t seem urgent to move Melancon. This could be Huntington playing the market and trying to drive up Melancon’s price, but it’d be interesting to see how keeping Melancon would go over with the fans.
Huntington "We like Mark [Melancon]. We're not looking to move Mark. But if it's the right situation…it’s something we'd go forward with."
— Stephen J. Nesbitt (@stephenjnesbitt) December 7, 2015
Pirates and Rangers met to discuss a deal involving Mitch Moreland
The biggest news of the day for the Pirates was probably that the Pirates and Rangers were scheduled to meet to discuss Texas first baseman Mitch Moreland and how serious the Pirates are about pursuing him, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The Rangers would most likely want starting pitching or catching in return, and Grant suggests Charlie Morton as a possible fit to go to Texas for Moreland. If that would be the case, that could be a steal for the Pirates. At this point, the two teams may be seeking a third team to facilitate a trade involving Moreland and Morton, according to John Perotto. TR Sullivan, who covers the Rangers for MLB.com, threw Elias Diaz‘s name out there as a player that Texas was intrigued by. I personally think Diaz for Moreland straight up would be too much, but that’s just me.
Rangers like Pirates C Elias Diaz, strong defender, high ceiling offense. Pirates not motivated to move him
— TR Sullivan (@Sullivan_Ranger) December 7, 2015
Pirates sign six minor league free agents
While this won’t make headlines, the Pirates did sign six minor league free agents on Monday: Wilfredo Boscan, Cole Figueroa, Deolis Guerra, Danny Ortiz, Curtis Partch, and Robert Zarate. Boscan spent some time with the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate last season, and we saw Guerro out of the Pirates’ major league pen in the middle of the 2015 season before he was claimed off waivers by the Indians. Some of these players could be minor league depth options that could see time in the majors in 2016 because of injuries to players on the major league roster, so keep their names in mind moving forward.
Pirates were scheduled to meet with representatives of Scott Kazmir
One player that was rumored to be on the Pirates’ radar heading into the meetings this week was Scott Kazmir. He’s reportedly seeking a four-year deal in the $50 to $60 million range, which typically would be out of the Pirates’ budget. Maybe it’s just Huntington doing his due dilligence. But Kazmir would be only the second player that the Pirates would have reportedly met with on Monday (next to Moreland), and they desperately need a quality third starter, so I take their interest in Kazmir as serious and something to keep an eye on.
Pirates will meet with Scott Kazmir's representation here in Nashville, per source
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) December 7, 2015
The Orioles still have interest in Neil Walker
We heard a few weeks ago that the Orioles had some interest in Neil Walker, and then we saw those talks quiet down. Well, the Orioles still have interest in Walker, who could be an option at first or at DH for the O’s, who are looking to add a left-handed bat to their lineup.
Pirates remain interested in Justin Masterson
We know the Pirates love their reclamation project pitchers. Could Justin Masterson be one such option? We’ve heard recently of the Pirates’ interest in Masterson, and Jon Heyman reiterated that that interest still remains.
5 teams in on masterson, including Pittsburgh. Good bounce back candidate #Masty
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 7, 2015
If the Pirates end up flipping Morton or Jeff Locke in a trade for Moreland, they’ll need pitching help. Masterson could come cheap and would have more upside than either Morton or Locke.
Other news and notes:
Neal Huntington stated the coaching staff, as it stands now, will remain intact heading into the 2016 season, which makes sens considering the success they had last year.
Just finished talking to Pirates GM Neal Huntington. Coaching staff will return intact in 2016. More to come soon.
— Bill Brink (@Bill_Brink2) December 7, 2015
There are plenty of other intriguing names on the market. Jose Fernandez would require a haul to get, but if anyone has the prospects to get him, the Pirates do. Imagine a top two of Gerrit Cole and Fernandez. That could arguably be the best one-two punch in baseball. Fernandez’s former teammate, Henderson Alvarez, is drawing interesting after he was curiously non-tendered by the Marlins. He had a poor half of a season last year, but he’s young and had a great 2014. Cliff Lee is one name that seems to be flying under the radar, but he is also drawing interest from many clubs. Lee had his best years with Philadelphia but hasn’t pitched since 2014. The Padres are receiving calls on Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner, and James Shields; the former two would be nice options for the Pirates, but Shields is probably too expensive. The Pirates remain on the market for a lefty reliever (hint: Antonio Bastardo!), and are suggested as a good landing place for outfielder Jeff Francoeur if he doesn’t resign with the Phillies.
So the Pittsburgh Pirates have definitely been involved in many rumors. The biggest news of the day for the Pirates was the meetings they were scheduled to have with Mitch Moreland and Scott Kazmir; a Moreland deal seems like it could get done before the end of the meetings, and he would fill a short-term need at first base. Hopefully the activity picks up on the second day of these Winter Meetings; I’m looking forward to it.
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