Francisco Cervelli’s future with the Pirates is at a crossroads.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported Thursday that the Pittsburgh was listening to offers on all seven players with one year left on their deal with the club, including the Pirates’ catcher. Heyman also said the Pirates are considering signing Cervelli to an extension.
The Pirates appear to be considering all options with Cervelli. And they should.
Heyman’s rumor did not specifically address Cervelli’s availability other than lumping him in with the other players with one year left on their contract, though considering his note about them considering giving him an extension it would be surprising if the team is actively shopping him. However, it would not be a surprise if they did listen to offers for Cervelli, who is a free agent after 2016.
The 29-year-old had a breakout year in 2015 with the bat, leading the club with a .295 batting average. Behind the plate, he was one of baseball’s best pitch framers, though one of the worst at throwing runners out. His fiery personality and clutch hitting helped give the Pirates a spark in many of their comeback wins.
But even having the year he did in 2015, he still may not have much of a future with the team. Elias Diaz is knocking on the door of the majors, and many reports suggest he is ready to be a starter. Behind him is Reese McGuire, who was one of the club’s first-round picks in 2013 and is likely to start the year in Double-A Altoona.
Since the Pirates do have a couple of successors in their system, Cervelli would likely have to sign a team-friendly extension. It is hard to say how much he would make in such a deal, since he does not have the body of work that would suggest 2015 was not a fluke.
His trade value for the Pirates is also likely at its peak, and if someone offers a player or two that could contribute to their major league team in 2016 it would be worth a listen.
However, there is also a downside to not keeping Cervelli. He is likely their most productive option at catcher in 2016, especially considering that Diaz may take some time adjusting to the major league level. Plus, there is no guarantee Diaz will develop into a quality starting catcher. A team that hopes to win the World Series taking a chance on a young, unproven player without much of a contingency plan is playing with fire. Locking up Cervelli also gives them the ability to move Diaz. Sure, Diaz will not fetch as much as Cervelli, but he still could provide a quality return.
So what should the Pirates do?
For starters, pay Cervelli the $2.5 million he’s projected to get in arbitration. After that, they should just keep all their options open. Listen to offers for Cervelli and pull the trigger if the offer is too good to pass up, but also don’t just trade him for the sake of trading him. Keep negotiations open with him, and make a serious attempt to sign him to a team-friendly deal that will keep him around for the next two or three years until McGuire is ready to take over.
Remember, the Pirates are built to win both now and in the future. Worrying about not getting anything for Cervelli, or closer Mark Melancon for that matter, if he walks as a free agent next year is not an excuse to trade him for less than what he is worth.
Again, it is worth noting that we don’t know how serious the Pirates are about listening to offers for the catcher.
But if they can get a deal that would better help their chances to win in 2016, it would be worth consideration.
