Friday, May 16, 2014

Time to give up

Well that series loss by the Brewers was encouraging in some ways.  Lirano pitched well.  Wandy pitched well.  But we lost the series and so none of that matters.  The Brewers are not in free fall, and the Pirates are well out of first and while not out of the wild card race, it is not looking good.  The cruel truth is that the bullpen is not the same this year, and the rotation is worse.  And all of our bats are not doing what we had hoped.  Yes, we can expect Jordy Mercer to get better and Alvarez to hit more, but they did not do it in April and only slightly better in May.  You can't win a pennant in April, but you can lose it.  Now I think we have.

While there is still some great stuff to look forward to, such as the arrival of Polanco, the season itself is done.  I am hoping for an above .500 record, but that too looks difficult.  2015 should see us well positioned to make a playoff run and have a good draft choice to keep the coffers full.  I could like that. 

But it is time to start thinking of who can be traded this year to add some high  minor league help.  I am not sure the Pirates have big time trading cards right now.  Melacon and Grilli would probably draw interest from others and both or at least one of them could be traded with little loss to the team.  Closers can be signed in the off season as free agents and Duke Welker should probably make the bullpen next year.  Brian Morris might deserve a shot at closer too.  These two ought to bring back something. 

Jose Tabata or Travis Snyder could easily be traded too, but I am not sure how high the market on these two would be.  Most teams in contention are not going to have a hole in the outfield, and these two are not very suitable plugs.  I doubt they will bring much back even if a team wants them.

Russell Martin could be the biggest bait to dangle.  He has not hit particularly well this year, but he still has some pop in his bat, and he is a very good defensive catcher.  His contract is expiring so perhaps the Pirates need to get something and maybe another team will not feel so bad as they don't need him as a long term solution.  It seems Tony Sanchez is ready to go, so why not at the trading deadline.  It would not be unusual for teams down the stretch to want pop off the bench or a legit catcher even if it is only to get rest for their main guy.  Martin might could bring back a minor leaguer worth wanting. 

What the Pirates would be looking for is a bit more interesting.  Obviously you can never have enough pitching.  If a good pitching prospect were on the market, the Pirates would take it.  The hole at 1B is a major need, but it is doubtful that anything we have is worth a true plug to the hole over there.  That is going to have to be addressed in free agency.  Short Stop is another need as Mercer is not hitting like one hoped and I am not sure you can keep resigning Barmes as a back up.  But again, this is a highly coveted position and getting a short stop prospect would require more than just a major leaguer. 

I think a possibility would be second baseman.  The Pirates do not have a second base prospect in their whole organization unless you count Hansen because his defense is so bad at short.  And he is at least a full season at AAA (and at second) away from being able to help there.  A second baseman who could compete for a back up infield spot might be nice. 

However, I do believe the Pirates are going to be taking long term chances.  They will probably get players who are still fairly far away from the majors.  Maybe they can get Jack Lopez from the Royals.  Lopez has a great arm for an infielder, but not a great bat.  He is repeating High A, after being drafted out of high school in 2011.  Maybe they could snag a Yankee prospect since they maybe desperate to win now (although it is hard to find a name to like over there). 

It is a shame about the season, but I have high hopes for the trading deadline. 

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