Pirates Ship Liriano, Two Prospects to Toronto For Hutchison

The Pittsburgh Pirates Rounded out their day of weeling and dealing by completing a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays that sent left-hander Francisco Liriano, Catcher Reese McGuire, and Outfielder Herold Ramirez to the Blue Jays in exchange for right hander Drew Hutchison.

The Pittsburgh Pirates capped off their trade deadline day by completing a deal that has me scratching my head. I liked the pick up of Ivan Nova from the Yankees and I understood the trade for Antonio Bastardo, but this trade just leaves me wondering what in the world Neil Huntington was thinking. The Pirates currently sit in the middle of the pack in the National League just four games out of the wild card race. So, your not really looking to buy big and your also not trying to sell out the team. This move, however, puzzled me greatly.

The Pirates sent left handed starting pitcher Francisco Liriano, Double A outfielder Herold Ramirez, and Double A catcher Reese McGuire to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for right handed starting pitcher Drew Hutchison. Liriano had struggled his last time out against the Milwaukee Brewers and the change of scenery might help him get back on track.

Drew Hutchison only played three games with the Toronto Blue Jays this season where he had a record of 1-0 and a 4.97 ERA in two starts and three games total for the Blue Jays. He struck out 12 and walked four batters through 12.2 innings pitched this season. The 15th round pick of the Blue Jays in 2009 has pitched a total of four seasons in the big leagues and to this point has had little success.

His career was highlighted by a 2015 campaign that saw him go 13-5 with a 5.57 ERA in 30 games, 28 starts, for the Blue Jays while while striking out 129 and walking 44 in 150.1 innings of work. He has spent two full years as part of the Blue Jays rotation back in the 2015 and 2014 campaigns and has a career record of 30-21 with a 4.92 ERA.

With Huctchison, you get a young right handed pitcher who is under team control for several years and could develop into a good starting pitcher for the Pirates. Hutchison only appeared in three games for the Blue Jays this season and was optioned down to Triple A earlier in the year where he posted a record of 6-5 with a 3.25 ERA.

With Hutchison one thing that worries me is his high ERA. Over the course of his four year MLB career he has never had an ERA below 4.48 and that was back in the 2014 season. If he wants to be successful at the major league level, he is going to have to work on lowering that ERA. We have talked about it time and time again the Pirates love reclamation projects in terms of pitching. Ray Searage, one of the best pitching coaches in all of major league baseball, will have his work cut out for him as he tries to bring Hutchison to an elite level.

If you're going to look at positives in terms of Hutchison, the big one is he is still young and developing. At age 26 he is still under team control for the next four seasons by the Pirates and if he stays in Triple A until August 30th they will have another year of control for Hutchison. The young right hander will go down to Triple A and have time to develop before coming up to the Pirates in September with the September call-ups.

I wouldn't have as much of a problem with this deal if the Pirates had not given up so much to get Hutchison. Liriano was struggling so that part of it didnt bother me as much. Liriano had a record of 6-11 with a 5.46 ERA striking out 116 and walking 69 in 113.2 innings pitched for the Pirates this season.

Liriano's walk numbers were up this season and he looked really bad in yesterday's start against the Milwaukee Brewers where he only went 5.0 innings in the game giving up four runs on six hits while walking three and striking out seven. Liriano had some bright spots throughout the course of the season but has not been the Liriano he was in the 2014/2015 campaigns for the Pirates. He is signed through 2017 with the Blue Jays and will be a free agent in the 2018 season.

If the trade stopped there it would have been a great move for the Pirates, however, the Pirates gave up two other players both in their top 10 prospect list when they gave up their number nine ranked prospect in outfielder Herold Ramirez and their number eight rated prospect catcher Reese McGuire. Both were going to be staples in the Pittsburgh Pirates future.

Ramirez was currently in double A with the Pirates where he was hitting .299 in double A with two home runs and 49 RBI. Ramirez was the top prospect outfielder in the Pirates organization and was two  years away from time in the major leagues. Reese McGuire was in double A as well and was hitting .259 with one home runs and 37 RBI on the season.

This deal is one that I dont really like at all. I was good when I heard it was Hutchison for Liriano, but when I head that McGurie and Ramirez were involved that is when I got frustrated. They gave up two of their top pieces for the future for a guy who has not had any proven success in the major leagues. This deal opened up some salary room for the Pirates that will hopefully be used in the off-season to grab a bigger piece.

Only time will tell if Hutchison ever pans out for the Pirates and hopefully for their sake he will. The Pirates projected rotation now looks like this:

Gerrit Cole

Ivan Nova

Jameson Taillon

Juan Nicasio

Jeff Locke

With Nova due to be a free agent after 2017, Hutchison could be the replacement option for Nova if he walks in free agency. This move has me scratching my head now but only time will tell whether or not this deal will work in the Pirates favor. We will just have to trust in Neil Huntington and hope his plan works out for the best. 

Pirates Bring Back Bastardo To Help Bullpen

The Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets completed a dealt that brough back relief pitcher Antonio Bastardo to the Pirates and sent reliever Jonathan Niese back to the Mets. Bastardo pitched for the Pirates out of the bullpen last season helping them reach the wild card game for the third year in a row.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were put right in the middle of the pack going into today's trade deadline. They currently sit four games out of the second National League wild card race and 9.5 games back of the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central. So, the Pirates had to plan for the future, but didn't want to throw away the 2016 season in the process. As a result, we saw a lot of low profile moves that help the team both now and in the long run.

In their second deal of the afternoon, the team sent left-hander Jon Niese back to the New York Mets in exchange for another familiar face as they got left-hander Antonio Bastardo. With the Pirates having lost their closer Mark Melancon in a deal to the Washington Nationals, the Pirates needed some more proven bullpen help to finish this season. Bastardo pitched for Pittsburgh last season and was effective out of the bullpen.

This season for the Mets, Bastardo is 0-0 with a 4.74 ERA collecting 46 strikeouts in 43.2 innings of work out of the bullpen. Last season for the Pirates, Bastardo went 4-1 with a 2.98 ERA and was very effective striking out 64 in 57.1 innings worked. The move gives the Pirates now three left handed options out of their bullpen in Bastardo, closer Tony Watson, and newly acquired reliever Felipe Rivero.

Bastardo is very good at striking out batters and has been throughout his major league career. He has a K/9 ratio of 9.48 and this season is averaging to strike out 1.06 batters every inning. This is something the Pirates desperately need out of the bullpen. Currently, the only guy in the bullpen with more strikeouts then innings pitched is set-up man Neftali Feliz who has 47 in 40.0 innings of work. Now you throw Bastardo into the mix and it gives you another reliever with strikeout ability to come into a big spot and get that punch out when it is needed.

Another plus with Bastardo is that he is signed through the 2017 season, so he will be back next year to help anchor this Pirates bullpen. With the trade of Melancon, the Pirates will be looking for a full-time closer for 2017 and Bastardo could step-in and bring some closing experience to the Pirates as he was the closer for the Philledelphia Phillies back in 2011 when he converted eight of nine save chances and could offer some competition for Tony Watson.

In return, the New York Mets reacquire left-hander Jon Niese for their bullpen. For the Pirates on the year, Niese had a record of 8-6 with a 4.91 ERA in 110 innings of work between the starting rotation and the bullpen. The Pirates acquired Niese from the New York Mets last off-season in a trade that sent Neil Walker to the New York Mets.

Niese had started the year in the Pirates rotation and got off to a good start leading the Pirates in wins at one point with a record of 5-2 on the season, but his ERA was a problem as it sat at 5.08. This consistently high ERA would later effect him and caused him to have a very bad month of June in which he went 1-4 with a 6.21 ERA,

This lead to a demotion to the Pirates bullpen, and Niese accepted the demotion and actually has been pretty good in that role for the Pirates. In five games out of the bullpen, Niese had a record of 1-0 and a 2.25 ERA in eight innings pitched. He would be the pitcher who picked up the win in the 18 inning game against the Washington Nationals when he threw three scoreless innings allowing just three hits in the game.

Bastardo should help bolster this already good Pirates bullpen as the season moves on. The key to this deal for me is that the Pirates have a proven, reliable arm in the bullpen next season that can compliment guys like Tony Watson and A.J. Schugel. One thing that has remained consistent over the years for the Pirates is the quality of their bullpen. With the addition of Bastardo, that trend looks to continue here in 2016 and through 2017.

Bucs Add Nova To Help Bolster Rotation

The Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees completed a deal today that will bring right handed pitcher Ivan Nova to the Pirates in exchange for a player to be named later. Nova will step in and try to help a Pirates rotation that has been struggling and hampered by injury as of late.

The Major League baseball non-waiver trade deadline is always a fun time of year. You get to watch some of the best players in major league baseball find new homes, and watch contending teams scrambling to make moves in order to bolster themselves for a playoff race. The Pittsburgh Pirates entered the trade deadline in that awkward middle of the pack status where they are not mathematically out of the race yet, but would need a lot of help to get back into the picture.

The Pirates were rather quiet leading up to the trade deadline with the only major move sending closer Mark Melancon to the Washington Nationals for reliever Felipe Rivero and minor league pitcher Taylor Hearn. Well the Pirates were active today making a trio of moves to both dump some salary and bolster the team for the future. 

In a move that was announced just after the 4:00 p.m. eastern trade deadline, the Pirates acquired right handed starting pitcher Ivan Nova from the New York Yankees for a player to be named later. Nova had been struggling a bit for the Yankees on the season where he had a 4.56 ERA, but this move makes a lot of sense as the Pirates needed starting pitching and went out and got a quality guy who can be inserted into the middle of the Pirates rotation.

This season with the New York Yankees, Nova had  a record of 7-6 with a 4.90 ERA in 21 games, 15 starts, with the Yankees while striking out 75 batters in 97.1 innings pitched. Nova is currently in his seventh season, all spent with the Yankees, and has a career record of 53-39 with a 4.31 ERA in 729c career innings pitched. Nova projects to be the Pirates number two or three starter after the moves that were made today.

Nova has had very good control numbers over the course of his career as he has never walked more than 56 batters in a season. That's a plus for Nova as he will get the opportunity now to work with Ray Searage, one of the best hitting coaches in the MLB, to try and help him with the amount of hits he gives up. Nova has bounced in and out of the Yankees rotation this season, and now he can find a permanent home in the Pirates starting rotation.

Nova struggled early in the season for the Yankees, but has since picked things up following the all-star break where he has a 1-1 record and a 3.36 ERA in three starts. He has picked himself up nicely after posting a 5.08 ERA in the first half and looks to be on the rise as the season goes on.

A plus with Nova is he does not allow many home runs, a plus in PNC Park with the short porch in left. He has only given up nine home runs to left handed hitters and has a HR/9 stat of 1.76. If he is able to keep the ball in the yard and trust the Pirates great outfield defense he can have success with the Pirates.

Nova features a four pitch arsenal with a fastball that he can throw in the mid 90's, a curveball, a change up, and a slider. He can throw all four pitches for strikes and does a good job of changing speeds. The Pirates have had success revamping pitchers into great starting pitchers and they will try to do that with Nova. 

The big problem I see with Nova is the amount of hits he gives up on the mound. This season through 97.1 innings pitched he gave up 107 hits to this point. This has been Nova's main problem this season is once he gives up one hit it seems like innings snowball on him. This could improve as he goes from a Yankeed team ranked 13th in the league in defense to the Pirates who are rank eighth in the league in terms of defense.

Overall, I like this move a lot. The Pirates get a young starting pitcher who is signable after the season. Nova is currently making  4.1 million on this contract and the Pirates could bring him back next season to help anchor what looks to be a young Pittsburgh Pirates rotation. We still have to wait for the player to be named later, but for right now this deal is one I'm very excited about.

What Does McCutchen's Future Hold In Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh Pirates star center fielder Andrew McCutchen is in the midst of one of the worst seasons in his major league career. This has left many fans questioning the future of McCutchen here in Pittsburgh. Should general manager Neil Huntington pull the trigger and trade him, or keep him around for the long haul.

I havent announced it on here before, but I am the radio play-by-play announcer for the frontier league's Washington Wild Things baseball team. Our game got rained out tonight and as I was driving home 93.7 the fan brought up the question of what does the future hold for Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen?

After hearing the arguments of many fans calling into the station, it got me thinking "what do the Pirates do with McCutchen?" He was the National League MVP in 2013 and was a five time all-star for the Pirates over his eight year career and has been the face of the franchise since his 2009 call-up. However, he is in the midst of his worst season of his MLB career in which he is hitting .246 with 15 home runs and only 42 RBI and we are in the latter half of the month of July.

McCutchen is signed with the Pirates through the 2018 season and is owed 14,500,000 next season and is due to be a free agent before the 2018 season. McCutchen has been a star for the Pirates, but you could get a very healthy return for the former NL MVP's services. However, before we say lets ship him away there are a couple of factors we must consider.

First of all, we have to look at the minor league talent in the Pirates system that could come up and replace McCutchen if he would be traded. You have two future stars in Gregory Polanco and Starling Marte in the corner outfield spots, but you need someone who will be able to step-up and compliment these two in the Pirates outfield.

Taking a look at the Pirates farm system the three candidates available in Triple A right now are Willy Garcia, Danny Ortiz, and Austin Meadows. The name that stands out most out of these three options is Austin Meadows. Meadows was the 2013 first round draft pick by the Pirates and was tearing it up in double A earlier this year hitting .311 with six home runs and 23 RBI. However, his start to his triple A career is lack luster as through 12 games he is hitting .239 with two home runs and six RBI.

Also, Meadows just made the transition to the Triple A level and is at least a year away from appearing in a Pirates uniform. He still needs time to develop and grow in the higher levels of the Pirates minor league system before he can make his presence felt on the Pirates. I would say he has to appear in at least 250 triple A games before we see him in a Pirates uniform.

The other two options, Ortiz and Garcia, are subpar major league talent at best. Garcia is hitting .258 with four home runs and 33 RBI while Ortiz is only hitting .222 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI. Neither of these players would have the capabilities to come up and perform as an everyday outfielder for the Pirates.

In Double A the only option with any pull is Harold Ramirez, however, being that he is in double A he is still at least two or three years away from joining the team. And, with an organization void of many outfield prospects, there are no reliable replacements for Cutch. The next factor you have to look at is what can they get in return for their star center fielder.

Prior to this season, you could get a huge return for McCutchen as he was the NL MVP and a five-time all-star. You could have gotten at least two major league ready players and a haul of minor league talent. However, with McCutchen's average at a career low, his value has dropped immensely and may deter the Pirates from any thoughts of trading their star centerfielder. 

If you wait until 2017 and see if McCutchen rebounds and returns to form, you can get a much bigger haul for the star. The worst case scenario would be that McCutchen continues his downward spiral in 2017 and he walks in free agency. If your the Pirates, you would rather get something in return for your asset rather than having him walk. It is not likely that Cutch will resign with the Pirates and you would rather see the Pirates get something for McCutchen rather then letting him walk.

In conclusion, if I were the Pittsburgh Pirates, I would keep McCutchen through 2017 and trade him at the deadline next season to see what I can get in return. Yes, McCutchen has been the face of this franchise for the past eight seasons, but as the famous saying goes all good things must come to an end. For McCutchen, I'm afraid his time in Pittsburgh is almost up and we will usher in a new generation of talent at PNC Park.

Chad Kuhl Facing Tough Competition to Start Career

In his first four starts Pirates starting pitcher Chad Kuhl has had to face some tough competition at the major league level. However, he has shown the ability to hold his own at the major league level against some of the toughest teams in the National League.

It was a quick rise to the majors for Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Chad Kuhl as he spent one year at each level of the Pirates minor league system. The 2013 9th round draft pick rose through the minor league system with an ERA consistently in the mid 2's and striking out 100 batters twice in his four years through the system.

Kuhl's hard work finally paid off as on June 26th 2016, Kuhl got the call to the majors to make his MLB debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then Kuhl found out he would be facing one of the top pitchers in the National League in Clayton Kershaw. Then, to add to the pressure, he was pitching on ESPN Sunday night baseball.

Talk about a high pressure situation, but as they say big players step up in very big games and that is just what Kuhl did. He ended up going six innings giving up three runs on four hits while walking four and striking out five. He got into trouble in the first inning as he loaded the bases with two outs but was able to get out of it and settle in.

He would end up picking up the win in that game as the Pirates scored him four runs and Kuhl picked up his first major league win. Manager Clint Hurdle was quoted after the game as saying "That was a great team win." Kuhl had no time to relax however as his opponents would only get tougher as his starts continued.

In his next two starts he had to face off against Oakland Athletics ace Rich Hill and he faced Jon Lester in what has seemed to be an all-star Chicago Cubs rotation. He did very well against the Athletics giving up only two runs in seven innings of work, but he hit his first bump in the road against the Cubs going 1.2 innings giving up four runs.

Then we come to last night's start, once again Kuhl was faced in a tough situation having to go up against Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer. Once again he was up to the challenge throwing 86 pitches in six shut out innings of work while striking out five and not walking a batter in the outing. Unfortunately, Kuhl did not pick up the win as the Pirates would need 18 innings to defeat the Nationals by a score of 2-1.

Kuhl was a pitcher not on many people's radar before the season started because of stars like Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow making their MLB debut, however, he has come on to the scene and performed well in his first four major league starts. He has made himself a main stay in the Pirates rotation and looks to help them make a playoff run.

Kuhl has collected 13 strikeouts in his first 19.1 innings of major league work compared to five walks. Kuhl has very good control on the mound not walking a man in two of his four MLB starts. Kuhl has been able to keep his cool in some high pressure situations and it will pay off later in his career.

With the trade deadline approaching, the Pirates have been scouting some top starting pitching including Chris Archer from the Tampa Bay Rays, Nathan Eovaldi from the New York Yankees, and Rich Hill from the Oakland Athletics. If Kuhl can continue his early success he will be a key part to the Pittsburgh Pirates 2016 playoff run.

Should Pirates Buy, Sell, or Stay at Trade Deadline

With the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline quickly approaching, the Pittsburgh Pirates currently sit in third place in the National League Central with a record of 42-41. The question on everyone's mind right now is whether the Pirates go all in to win or try to sell and rebuild for the future.

One week ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates were struggling mightily having lost three of four series and looking like they were far out of the race. However, since then they have won three out of four against the Los Angeles Dodgers, split a two game series with the Seattle Mariners, and swept the Oakland Athletics to go above .500 and play themselves back into the playoff race. While they still have a lot of work to do to get where they need to be it is not an impossible task.

If you would have asked me two weeks ago whether the Pirates should buy or sell at the deadline, I would have most certainly said sell low and build a team to win next season. However, with the recent success of the ball club, I am starting to change my mind and think the Pirates should start preparing for a playoff run. Now I don't think they should go after premier names for only half a year, but for the two-three year deal that can help them continue the success they have had over the last couple of seasons.

The biggest need for this Pittsburgh Pirates team right now is a starting pitcher. The Pirates have been plagued with injuries as Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon are both on the disabled list, and as a result they have had to plunge into their pitching prospect depth as we have seen the debut of Chad Kuhl and Steven Brault will make his big league debut tomorrow.

So far, the results from these rookies have been really good as Kuhl has a 1-0 record and a 4.09 ERA in two starts and Taillon in his first five starts had a record of 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA. While we will wait and see how Brault does tomorrow, these rookies cannot propel the Pirates into a deep post-season run as there is just not enough experience to help the team. And, with Francisco Liriano in a down year and the extreme inconsistencies of Jeff Locke the Pirates rotation is in desperate need of an upgrade and I think Neil Huntington should pull the trigger and see what he could get.

One name that sticks out to me and I think would benefit the Pirates is Tampa Bay Rays starter Jake Odorizzi. The Rays currently sit in last place in the American League East Division and are far out of the race. Odorizzi has been consistent in the middle of the Tampa Bay Rays rotation and could bring a consistent presence in the middle of the Pirates rotation.

Odorizzi currently has a record of 3-3 with a 3.91 ERA while striking out 90 and walking 31 in 94.1 innings of work. Odorizzi has been very consistent this year not giving up more than five earned runs in a start this season. He has also pitched at least five innings of work in 15 of his 17 starts on the season. His salary is team friendly for the Pirates as well as he is only making $520,700 a year for the Rays.

Odorizzi's strikeout numbers are what jump out most to me with 90 strikeouts in 94.1 innings pitched. If the Pirates can get Odorizzi to come to Pittsburgh, Ray Searage could work his magic and turn Odorizzi into a premier starter for the Pirates. Odorizzi would be under team control for the next three seasons and could step into a rotation of young starters who are ready to bloom and succeed in the future.

If Odorizzi can come to the Pirates the rotation down the stretch would be Cole, Liriano, Odorizzi, Niese, and Taillon. This would be a rotation that excites me and, with the offense that this Pirates team has, could lead the Pirates into a deep playoff run. While many fans are still skeptical about this team, I still have hope that this team could be a success this season.

Only time will tell whether or not the Pirates will buy or sell at the deadline, and this month of July will be a big factor in determining the status. This next week they play a three game series with the Cardinals, they won game one today, and a three game series with the Chicago Cubs before going on the all-star break. If this team can win four out of those six games they will be putting themselves in good position going into the pivotal trade deadline.

Pirates Select The Contract of Nick King From Frontier League

The Pittsburgh Pirates added depth to their system yesterday selecting the contract of Nick King, a short stop for the Schaumburg Boomers of the Independent League. King is a very defensive minded short stop and brings his talents to the Pirates.

The Pittsburgh Pirates added to their middle infield depth by purchasing the contract of Nick King yesterday. King comes to the Pirates after playing four games with the Schaumburg Boomers of the Independent Frontier League. King had signed with Boomers out of the University of Georgia just five days before.

King only played four games with the Boomers and went 1 for 14 at the plate striking out twice and not walking. Prior to joining the Boomers he had a .236 average with 2 HR and 20 RBI with the University of Georgia. He also had 13 stolen bases and was caught three times with the University of Georgia.

King is not a very highly talented offensive player having only the .236 average earlier this season. However, he does have some speed behind him as he picked up those 13 stolen bases a year ago. His speed will suit him well in affiliated baseball as it gives him the chance to move around the infield and play some corner outfield positions.

Nick King also gets on base at a high rate as in the NCAA he had a career .335 on base percentage with 64 career walks and 148 strikeouts in his time in the NCAA. His speed also helps him reach base when the ball is put in play as he has a career BABIP of .338. He uses his speed to reach base on infield hits and leg out singles that other wise would be routine outs.

What King is most known for, however, is his defensive abilities at the short stop position. He committed no errors in four games while with the Schaumburg Boomers. In his time with the University of Georgia he only committed 10 errors in 210 total attempts while starting 53 games at the short stop position. 

Defense is always a good thing to have as a short stop. The Pirates have a history of having good defensive short stops as they have had names like Jack Wilson, Ronny Cedeno, and currently Jordy Mercer. King is also added to a long list of short stop prospects down in the minor league system including Cole Tucker, Alan Hanson, and Gift Ngoepe.

I have seen Nick King in action as I am the announcer for the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League and his defensive statistics do not lie. He made several great defensive plays against the Wild Things and held down the short stop position very well. King was the fourth player signed out of the Frontier League this season. Boo Vazquez signed with the Kansas City Royals and Conner Oliver and Josh Gardiner both signed with the New York Yankees.

The Frontier League is a league of 12 teams not affiliated with any of the major league organization. These are the players who did not get drafted out of college trying to make it in the major leagues. There are many players in the Frontier League that are vying for a shot at redemption so they can continue their professional careers.

As for King hopefully the jump to affiliated baseball will serve King well and he can thrive at the major league ranks. He will most likely be assigned to either the West Vriginia Black Bears or the Bradenton Marauders. We will watch his rise through the ranks and one day possibly see him in a Pirates uniform.