It is clear after the roster moves on Monday that the Pittsburgh Pirates are not serious contenders heading towards the stretch run of the 2016 MLB season. The puzzling thing is that the trades that were made at the deadline did not seem to improve the club, and made fans either pause to chuckle or stare in amazement that General Manager Neal Huntington has cashed in the chips for the season.
The team started with high hopes for the 2016 year and believed they could really challenge the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central.
Pirates deal Melancon to Washington
The first shoe to drop was the trade announced as Mark Melancon was shipped off to the Washington Nationals as they bolster their roster for the postseason.
In return the Bucs got reliever Felipe Rivero and pitching prospect Taylor Hearn. That was the first move that seemed puzzling since Rivero’s numbers are not that impressive (0-3 with 4.38 ERA) and pale in comparison to Melancon’s, a guy who just pitched in the 2016 All Star game.
While the hope is that Taylor Hearn develops into a MLB caliber pitcher, he is still a prospect that may or may not pan out for Pittsburgh. Many will question whether Huntington got enough in return for their former closer.
Bucs acquire Nova
On Monday, the non-waiver trade deadline, which included 19 trades, was the busiest since the wildcard was instituted in 1995.
The Pirates were busy and more puzzling (or comical) moves were made to improve the team. The Pirates nabbed Yankees pitcher Ivan Nova for two players to be named later. The Yankees were clearly sellers, but Ivan Nova has been plagued by inconsistency in 2016. Huntington may believe that a change of scenery will help improve Nova’s numbers (7-6 with 4.90 ERA and six bullpen appearances), but Nova will be a free agent this coming year so it’s unclear whether Huntington will increase the $4.1 million per year Nova is paid in 2016.
Let’s hope the prospects are middle of the road at best.
Pirates reacquire Bastardo
Next, the Pirates shipped Jon Niese back to the New York Mets for Antonio Bastardo in a straight one for one deal that made sense.
Niese was struggling and seemed not to fit in the in the Steel City, so he was returned to the Big Apple for Bastardo as the teams were able to do a “do over” and get players they shipped away during the off season. Bastardo has also struggled this year, but hopefully he can return to a more consistent form back in Pittsburgh.
Bucs deal Liriano, two top ten prospects for Hutchison
The last deal made by Huntington was a head scratcher, leaving fans in disbelief.
If you were not convinced they were giving up, this moved sealed it. Francisco Liriano, along with highly touted prospects Harold Ramirez and Reese McGuire was shiped away from the Pirates. In exchange the Bucs got Drew Hutchison, who is a mid rotation pitcher at best who has spent much of 2016 in the minors.
This deal makes sense only if Huntington was looking for a salary dump, but the inclusion of two solid prospects is puzzling or comical depending on your point of view. It’s clear on the surface that the Blue Jays swindled Huntington, so let’s hope there is a grand plan or Huntington will have much explaining to do to Pirate ownership.
Looking forward to the future
With a now young pitching staff, it’s clear that Pittsburgh is looking towards the future contrary to what is quoted publicly. The Pirates stand 53-52 after Wednesday’s loss in Atlanta but it’s onto the future for Neal Huntington to reshape this team moving forward.
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