In an already thin free agent pitching market, a low-key signing by the Atlanta Braves could have an impact on the Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates need starting pitching. That much is obvious. What’s not so obvious, however, is the affect that the Braves’ signing of knuckleballer R.A. Dickey will have on the Pirates’ plans this winter. The Braves signed the 42 year old former Cy Young winner to a 1-year, $8 million contract.
Not Quite Setting The Market, But Close
During this time of year in the baseball cycle, you often hear the words “setting the market.” The first, or first group of pitchers to sign can tell us a lot about how much other talent can get on the open market. Often, this term refers to the multi-year deals signed by the likes of Max Scherzer and others. Smaller signings can have this impact as well, and that should be worrisome for the Pirates.
In the case of Dickey specifically, we have a pitcher over 40 – granted, a knuckleballer whose style can lend itself to longevity – getting $8 million for one year of service. Dickey has been treading water since his award-winning 2012 season, posting a 4.05 ERA and a 4.58 FIP in the four seasons since 2012. He pitched 168 innings last year, but in the three years previous did hurl 200+ innings in each.
That type of starting pitcher now costs $8 million dollars. For a team like the Pittsburgh Pirates, that is very damaging to any deigns they might have had on picking up a free agent. Now, names such as Andrew Cashner, Derek Holland and even old friends Charlie Morton and Edinson Volquez can demand similar money.
Each case is different, but the Dickey signing can potentially cause the Pittsburgh Pirates to get into bidding wars for starting pitchers who normally wouldn’t be able to drive such contracts.
Braves Weren’t Done
As I was writing this, news broke that the Braves have also signed veteran Bartolo Colon to a one-year deal as well. Financial terms have not been disclosed, but it is safe to assume that Colon will get a higher salary than Dickey due to having a better year in 2016.
If that logic holds true, the Braves may have set both the low-end of the market and the middle of the market in the span of two days.
The Pittsburgh Pirates could mitigate the effects of these signings by moving quickly and decisively. In 2015, we saw that the slow-moving Pirates lost out on J.A. Happ in part because the Blue Jays came in with an offer, and the Pirates were slow to respond.
General manager Neal Huntington would do well to reverse that trend, and quickly decide if any pitching on the free-agent market is worth an investment. If he drags his feet, prices will invariably rise, and that spells trouble for the small-market club.
[irp posts=”10322″ name=”Pittsburgh Pirates GM Neal Huntington Hints At 2017 Budget Tightness”]Photo Credit – Keith Allison – Flickr Creative Commons
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
