Last week, we took a look at the Pittsburgh Pirates who are set to be free agents. Now, it’s time to check in on their players that are arbitration eligible this off-season.
The Pirates have 12 players that are eligible for arbitration, however first baseman Pedro Alvarez, second baseman Neil Walkand closer Mark Melancon’s situations will be broken down in greater detail later due to their significance. That leaves nine players the Pirates can tender a contract to.
These players can accept this contract, which would give them a raise over their previous deal, or decline and file for salary arbitration if they feel they should be paid more. During this process, the team and the player, usually with an agent representing them, will present to a three-person panel what each party feels a player is worth, and the panel decides which salary the players should receive. Many deals do not reach arbitration, and instead players that decline their tender often work out a separate deal with their club before arbitration.
If a player is not tendered a contract, they are essentially released into the free agent pool. Some teams do this to eventually re-sign these players at a lower cost, but risk losing them to another team. So without further ado, here is the list of arbitration eligible players for the Pirates.
Francisco Cervelli – Very few would have predicted that Cervelli would make Pirate fans forget Russell Martin, but he ended up doing just that. A high-energy player, he hit .295 with 17 doubles, seven home runs and 43 RBIs. He was the best pitch framer in baseball according to Statcorner, while also providing solid defense behind the plate. He is projected to receive around $2.5 million, which is a bargain for the season he just had. However, with Elias Diaz knocking on the door, the Pirates could opt to sell-high on Cervelli if they feel Diaz is ready to be the full-time catcher. If he isn’t traded, Cervelli is a lock to be tendered.
Chris Stewart – What happens with Cervelli could directly impact what happens with Stewart. If they move Cervelli, Stewart likely comes back to serve as Diaz’s backup. But if the Pirates keep Cervelli, Stewart may be out of a job with the Pirates if they want to keep Diaz in the Majors. Stewart projects to receive just shy of $2 million, which is a good contract for one of the better hitting backup catchers in the game. Stewart is also a good pitch framer, but does not offer much value otherwise defensively. Since Cervelli is a free agent after the 2016 season, the Pirates likely will want to spend time getting Diaz ready to be the starting catcher in 2017, which means Stewart’s time in Pittsburgh could be ending. Sorry, Gerrit Cole.
Travis Ishikawa – The hero of the 2014 NLCS returned to the Pirates mid-season after being released by the San Francisco Giants. He hit .224 with one home run and eight RBIs, mostly in a pinch hitter and spot starter role. He is only projected to make $1.2 million in arbitration, but it isstill hard to see the Pirates wanting to find a spot for Ishikawa again on the 40-man roster with a wave of top prospects set to become Rule V eligible. He may be a non-roster invitee in Spring Training Camp, but likely not much more.
Jordy Mercer – Mercer would have been in an interesting position had Jung Ho Kang not suffered an injury that will likely cause him to miss the first month or two of the 2016 season, but now Mercer is entrenched as the 2016 Opening Day starting shortstop. Mercer does not have a plus bat, nor is he a standout on the diamond defensively. But he provides stability to the position while Kang is out, and is only projected to get $1.8 million in arbitration.
Travis Snider – Who would have thought Snider would have had as big an impact for the Pirates as he did in 2015. The Pirates parlayed his breakout-2014 season into two left-handed potential starting pitchers in Steven Brault and Stephen Tarpley from the Baltimore Orioles, just to see Snider return to Pittsburgh to be a solid bench option. He is projected to make $2.4 million in arbitration, so he is a non-tender candidate, though it would not be a surprise if he is brought back on a lesser deal to compete for a backup outfield spot.
Tony Watson – The 2014 All-Star reliever once again put together a great season as the Pirates’ setup man, going 4-1 with a 1.91 ERA and league-leading 41 holds in 77 appearances. This should be a pretty easy decision for the Pirates to tender Watson since he is projected to only make $4.6 million in arbitration and could serve as the team’s closer if Melancon is traded.
Jared Hughes – Another key member of the Pirates’ bullpen, the sinkerball-throwing reliever went 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA in 76 games. Hughes stranded the fifth most inherited runners in baseball serving as the Pirates’ “fireman” to get them out of jams. Hughes projects to make $2.2 million in arbitration, and should be another easy decision for the Pirates to offer a tender to.
Vance Worley – After a surprising 2014 where he went 8-4 with a 2.85 ERA that netted him a $2.45 million arbitration-winning deal, Worley did not settle into a role with the Pirates in 2015. In the rotation, he struggled. In the bullpen, he was hardly used. Eventually, he was designated for assignment, and since Worley did not want to give his $2.45 million deal up and no team wanted to claim it, he was sent to Triple-A Indianapolis for a month before finishing the year in Pittsburgh. There is a slim-to-none chance he gets tendered and gets a raise on his 2015 contract, so expect him to be non-tendered. He could be re-signed to a lesser deal, however, and come back as a depth option.
Jeff Locke – This is where things get interesting. Locke did not have a good 2015 season, going 8-11 with a 4.49 ERA yet always seems to show just enough to give some optimism that he may pitch the way he did early in 2013 when he earned a spot on the NL All-Star roster. He is projected to make $3.5 million in arbitration, which is not terrible, but not a good deal for the year Locke just had.
The Pirates normally would be better off non-tendering him and letting him sign somewhere else. However, considering the injuries to prospects Jameson Taillon, Nick Kingham, Brandon Cumpton and Casey Sadler, the struggles from Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow not an option to start a year in the Majors, the Pirates may not have a choice but to bring Locke back for at least the start of the 2016 season. Ideally, they can re-sign J.A. Happ so they can non-tender Locke.
Next up will be a closer look at the situation the Pirates are in with Alvarez, Walker and Melancon.
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