When Gregory Polanco agreed to an extension, the Pittsburgh Pirates solidified their future outfield.
Or did they?
In the short term, yes. The trio of Polanco, Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte are now under contract through the 2018 season.
Things get unclear after that.
McCutchen’s contract ends after the 2018 season, and it is hard to say whether he will be re-signed. Does having Polanco in the fold until at least 2021 help prepare for McCutchen’s departure?
He is one of baseball’s brightest stars, and it would not be surprising if McCutchen wants to be paid like it. The 2013 NL MVP expressed that he wants to be a Pirate for life, yet likely will want more than his current $51.5 million deal.
However, when McCutchen’s deal ends he will be 32. His game is predicated on speed – bat speed, base-running speed, fielding speed – and by then he might be close to losing a step.
It would be understandable if the Pirates think by that point he might regress. It would also be understandable if they do not want to break the bank on him after doing so with Polanco.
And having top prospect Austin Meadows could lessen the incentive to gamble on McCutchen’s future now that Polanco is around for at least five more years.
The day McCutchen departs Pittsburgh, if he does, would surely be a sad one for fans. He was the face of the franchise’s change from a disastrous embarrassment to a perennial contender. Seeing him in another uniform is unfathomable, but might soon be a reality.
Yet, signing Polanco does not necessarily mean they are bracing for McCutchen’s departure. The door is not even close to shut on him returning, and it would hardly be surprising if him and the team strike a deal.
What of Meadows then?
He is arguably the club’s best prospect not named Tyler Glasnow. Meadows might be as far as Triple-A Indianapolis this year if the team had to be more urgent with his development.
If McCutchen were to be extended, Meadows does not have a future in Pittsburgh. At least as a starter.
That would leave Baseball America’s 22nd best prospect as an attractive trade option. Meadows has the tools to be a star in the majors. It is hard to see the Pirates wasting him as a fourth outfielder, and instead would trade him to another team.
Maybe for a top pitching prospect, or the centerpiece of a trade deadline deal for an established player. But they might regret that if he becomes an All-Star elsewhere and McCutchen regresses.
There is also Harold Ramirez.
Ramirez is Baseball America’s 95th best prospect in baseball, and they said he could be up as soon as next season. This past Spring Training, Ramirez hit .579 in 19 at-bats with a walk and two doubles.
Small sample size, yes. Spring Training competition, yes. Still not hard to be impressed, though, considering Ramirez has never gone above Double-A Altoona.
He profiles as a future starter. Not likely an All-Star, but a solid contributor nonetheless.
Even before the Polanco extension it was difficult to see Ramirez as a future starter with the Pirates. It would likely have to have been by way of Polanco flopping and being eventually released, plus one of either McCutchen departing or Meadows disappointing or being traded.
Ramirez might not fetch as much in as Meadows. Still, he is a valuable trade chip.
Now that Polanco has been extended, Ramirez’s future in Pittsburgh is even more muddled. Same as McCutchen, same as Meadows.
Re-signing Polanco now before his value skyrockets was a necessity for the Pirates.
It means the team is better prepared to brace for McCutchen’s departure. Or it means Meadows and/or Ramirez are now expendable.
Or it means neither, and that their future might never have been dependent on Polanco.
Even if that is the case it still does not give any answers. Yet.
