The Pittsburgh Pirates took a longview approach to their bullpen in the latest acquisiton.
It has been reported by multiple outlets that the team has acquired left-handed pitching prospect Jesse Biddle from the Phillies.
Interestingly enough, Biddle was designated for assignment last week when the Phillies picked up former Pirates left-handed reliever Bobby LaFromboise.
Biddle comes to the Pirates system having suffered through elbow pain in 2015 that eventually resulted in Tommy John surgery in October. As such, Biddle is not expected to pitch at any level in the Pirates system in 2016. The 6’4″ 235-lb Biddle profiles as a reliever with some strikeout ability who is plagued with control issues. Over the entirety of his six years in Philadelphia’s minor league system, Biddle carries a 4.4 BB/9 (walks per nine innings rating) while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings.
Prior to his elbow issues, Biddle saw his rankings in various prospect services range from No. 53 overall (by MLB.com prior to 2014) to No. 94 overall (Baseball Prospectus, 2014). His struggles and subsequent elbow issues have conspired to remove him completely from any Top 100 Prospect lists. From the Pirates perspective, though the return sent to the Phillies is still unkown, Biddle’s velocity as a left-handed reliever is solid if unspectacular, with a fastball that can hit 95-96 mph but averages 92-93. While also employing a curveball and changeup, it will be interesting to see if the team’s player development staff tinkers any further with Biddle’s pitch selection.
The Pirates will have to put Biddle on their 40-man roster, so an expected corresponding roster move should be forthcoming. Once placed on the team’s 40-man, he can then be transferred to the 60-day disabled list.
UPDATE: Adam Berry of MLB.com reports that Yoervis Medina was sent back to the Phillies in the deal, with recent acquisition A.J. Schugel also designated for assignment.
