Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington has never been one for flashy transactions, and his approach at the trade deadline was no different.
And for now, that is OK.
Huntington has always been shy about trading his top prospects, but at the same time he said he wanted to improve the club via trade this year. So far he has managed to do both.
But how much the Pirates have improved now that the non-waiver trade deadline has passed remains to be seen.
Outside of the trade for reliever Joakim Soria, the Pirates appear to be banking on some bounce-back performances from their new acquisitions.
First off, let’s keep a few things about the trade deadline in perspective. Some fans were calling for the club to get starter Johnny Cueto from the Cincinnati Reds, but the Reds realistically would not have given up their ace to a division rival without asking for a king’s ransom in return.
Another big option could have been getting now Toronto Blue Jays pitcher David Price as a rental, but he may have cost more than what the Pirates wanted to pay. Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Adam Lind was not moved.
Now for who the Pirates got.
Paired with Mark Melancon, Tony Watson and Jared Hughes, Soria helps give the Pirates perhaps the best late inning combinations in baseball. It also gives them multiple late options if any of them need a night off. And even though JaCoby Jones, whom was trade for Soria, is a toolsy, athletic player that can play outfield and shortstop, the Pirates are deep enough at both positions that he became expendable.
While the deal for Soria has received mostly praise, the deals for pitchers Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ and first baseman Michael Morse have received mixed reviews, and for good reason.
Blanton is your typical Huntington acquisition: a low-key move for a pitcher that has had some past success while giving up little in return. This approach has worked with guys such as Vin Mazzaro, Jeanmar Gomez, Vance Worley and even Jason Grilli. Outside of Grilli, none of the aforementioned made a huge impact, but they still helped push the Pirates to the playoffs the last two years.
That is all Blanton needs to do this year. If he can keep up his numbers in his 11 relief appearances this year — a 2.74 ERA, 9.0 K/9 ratio and 7.67 K/BB – he will be a welcome addition to the bullpen, and would be an improvement over Worley. If not, at least they got him for nothing.
The deal to get J.A. Happ for pitching prospect Adrian Sampson, however, is a little more head scratching, and feels like a knee-jerk reaction in response to the Pirates needing to place A.J. Burnett on the 15-day disabled list. The Pirates needed a starter in his absence, Happ – a guy they have liked in the past – was available, and they did not have to give up too much, so it could have been a quick match.
Sampson has struggled the last few months, but Happ does not look like much of an upgrade. His advanced numbers also do not offer much hope that he was the victim of bad luck, as his fielding independent percentage has been over four the last five seasons.
Unless pitching coach Ray Searage can work his magic on Happ, it is tough to imagine him being any better than Jeff Locke or Charlie Morton.
Then there is Michael Morse. The Pirates wanted a right-handed hitting first baseman to platoon with Pedro Alvarez against left-handed pitching. Morse has had a miserable season at the plate, but is a .274 career hitter against lefties, and also hit .300 in the playoffs last year as the starting first baseman of the World Champion San Francisco Giants. They also were able to unload Jose Tabata and his bloated contract to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Pirates are buying low on Morse with the hope that he can be a good option against left-handed hitters, and revert back to the player he was in last year’s playoffs.
Remember, the Pirates still can make trades, so long as the players involved either get claimed on or clear waivers – Marlon Byrd and Justin Morneau were acquired this way in 2013. So if it seems like the Pirates did not make enough moves to upgrade the team, they still have until August 31 to strike a deal to get better.
What the Pirates did was pick up a few buy-low-high-reward players to fill their holes. If they work out, the Pirates upgraded the team while giving up a minimal return; if they do not they still have another month to fill these holes.
