Pirates Trade Deadline Possibilities
Patrick Smith/Getty Images
There is less than a week until the trade deadline passes, and only one domino has fallen for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Carlos Santana was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for 18 year old Jhonny Severino. However, the Pirates still have a lot more pieces they can move at the deadline.
Some of the less volatile options include Austin Hedges, who was reduced to a backup catcher role after the team called up Endy Rodriguez, and Rich Hill. Both players are on one year deals, and won't be a part of the future for the Pirates.
The Idea at catcher seems to be Endy as the everyday starter and Henry Davis getting some reps in. To replace Rich Hill, the Pirates have Jared Jones in AAA right now sporting a 3.34 ERA between AA and AAA this year. Jones struggled a little bit when he was moved up to AAA at first, but he has MLB level stuff. If Jones isn’t ready, the Pirates may look to bring Luis Ortiz or Roansy Contreras back up. However, Ortiz has had a tough go of it in AAA and Contreras hasn’t pitch a single game since being sent down to the Florida Complex League to work on his mechanics
While those two veterans seem to be the most likely on the trade block, the Pirates have a plethora of other options that they may move. One of those includes Ji-man Choi, who has come on strong since returning from the IL. Choi will also be an unrestricted free agent after this year, although he is much younger than Santana at 32 years old, and could be re-signed by whoever ends up with him.
Aside from those three options, if the Pirates really want to have a fire sale, they have a bunch of guys that could bring in much larger returns. Reports say they are receiving interest for David Bednar, Mitch Keller, and Colin Holderman.
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
The idea behind these trade possibilities is that everyone is always available for trade, and if Ben Cherington is blown away by an offer for one of these guys, he will take it. All three of these guys have multiple years of control left, as Holderman and Bednar are yet to enter arbitration, and Keller still has two years left in arbitration. This decision for the Pirates may be about when they feel they will be ready to compete.
As it sits right now, the Pirates have one of the top farm systems in baseball, but with a number of these young guys getting ready to lose their prospect tag, the pirates may be looking for a little more depth in the minor leagues.
