Last year, the Pirates and their fans were hopeful that they’d be able to retain free-agent catcher Russell Martin. Then, Martin went home, as the Canadian signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, creating a hole — at the time — at catcher for the Pirates.
This year, the big question was whether or not the Pirates would be able to retain free agent pitcher J.A. Happ, and according numerous reports, the Pirates and Happ had mutual interest in signing a deal to keep the 33-year-old left-handed pitcher in Pittsburgh. Well, similar to Martin, the Blue Jays swooped in and signed Happ to a three-year deal worth $36 million.
Happ had a tale of two seasons last year, as he posted an abysmal 4.64 era in 21 games with the Seattle Mariners before getting traded to Pittsburgh. Once with the Pirates, however, Happ flourished in 11 starts, posting a 7-2 record with a 1.85 ERA.
For Toronto, it’s obvious they felt Happ’s second-half performance wasn’t a result of Ray Searage, but the track record says otherwise.
For the Pirates, the loss of Happ, along with the retirement of A.J. Burnett and the uncertain future of Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton, leaves questions about the starting rotation for the 2016.
