When the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Travis Snider to the Baltimore Orioles for two minor league pitchers in February, many questioned why the Pirates traded a Major League player for prospects.
The 27-year-old Snider looked like he was finally coming into his own last year, as he had a post All-Star line of .288/.356/.524 and added nine home runs after the Midsummer Classic.
He looked like a challenger for the right field starting job in 2015, or at the very least be a strong contributor off the bench for the Pirates. But with Gregory Polanco set to take over in right field, the Pirates sold high on Snider and received left-handed pitchers Steven Brault and Stephen Tarpley in exchange from the Orioles.
With the Pirates’ starting outfield under contract through the 2018 season, it would have been difficult for Snider to be more than a role player, and thus it was not surprising to see Snider traded. But whether or not trading him for prospects as opposed to a trade for another major league player remains to be seen.
The lack of quality left-handed pitching prospects helped lead the Pirates to pull the trigger, especially since left-handed pitching prospect Joely Rodriguez was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for reliever Antonio Bastardo a couple months prior to the Snider trade.
The danger in dealing with prospects is a team gambles on potential that may not be realized for a few years, if at all. But on the same token that is why a team would want multiple prospects in case one fails, especially for a lower budget team like the Pirates. Keep in mind too that the Pirates traded pitcher Buddy Borden for Sean Rodriguez along with the Joely Rodriguez for Bastardo trade over the winter.
Snider is posting a very respectable .274/.349/.395 line, though only has two home runs this year, while splitting time between left and right field. While he has been a positive contributor for Baltimore this year, the lefties the Pirates acquired are also having solid years.
Tarpley has shown promise with A West Virginia, as he has pitched at least five innings in five of his six starts with a 3.10 ERA, while consistently throwing his fastball in the mid-90s. Brault parlayed a 4-1 record and 3.02 ERA in 13 games with High-A Bradenton into a promotion to AA Altoona, though was rocked in his first start with the Curve.
Tarpley’s fastball gives him the higher upside of the two, though Brault has the better control right now. Both have the upside of quality back-end starters, but Tarpley could develop into a middle of the rotation pitcher if his command continues to improve.
But was it worth trading someone that could contribute to the Pirates this year for two players that might produce down the road? At the earliest Brault will not be in Pittsburgh until 2016, and Tarpley in 2017.
It would be nice to have Snider as a fallback option to have behind Polanco during his up-and-down season, but the Pirates’ depth helps lessen the blow of the trade.
The addition of infielder Jung Ho Kang gives the Pirates the flexibility to start him at third base and play Josh Harrison in right field if needed. Jose Tabata is batting .306 on the year, and while he has yet to record an extra base hit he has still been a quality backup option. Sean Rodriguez can also play right field in a pinch, and has seen some time there this year.
The trade also allowed outfielder Andrew Lambo to lock down a bench spot with the hope that he could have a breakout year similar to Snider did in 2014, though that breakout has yet to be seen.
Right now it is inconclusive to say which team got the better end of this deal, and it could remain that way for a couple years. It is easy to jump to the conclusion that the Orioles won the trade, but if even one of Brault or Tarpley becomes quality starters in Pittsburgh then the trade was worth it for the Pirates.
