More Pittsburgh Pirates trade deadline analysis

Another trade deadline has come and gone and Pittsburgh Pirates’ fans have a lot to be happy about. Neal Huntington has never been one to pull the trigger on a flashy trade, but the acquisitions he’s orchestrated over the past week have the Pirates in a better position to challenge the St. Louis Cardinals for the division title.

After adding much needed bullpen help by acquiring Joe Blanton from the Kansas City Royals and Joakim Soria from the Detroit Tigers on Thursday afternoon, the Pirates entered Friday looking for small pieces to complete the puzzle. They appear to have done just that with the acquisitions of starting pitcher J.A. Happ from the Seattle Mariners and 1B/OF Michael Morse from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

As anticipated, after acquiring Happ it was announced that starter A.J. Burnett would be going on the 15-day disabled list with elbow inflammation, which should come as no shock given his recent stretch of poor outings and lack of strike zone command. Perhaps the only surprise is that struggling starter Charlie Morton did not beat Burnett to the punch.

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The Pirates announced that left-hander Bobby LaFromboise has been recalled from AAA Indianapolis to take Burnett’s spot, but he will be wise to keep his bags packed as he will almost certainly be sent back down when Happ reports sometime this weekend.

In acquiring Happ, the Pirates parted ways with right-handed starter Adrian Sampson, a 2012 fifth round pick. Sampson, in his first full season of AAA ball, has a ERA just a couple notches under 4.00. While he appears close to being major league ready, Sampson seemingly has a low ceiling and profiles as a back of the rotation, ground ball pitcher that was not recognized as one of the Pirates top 10 prospects. The left-handed Happ will bring the consistency and experience that Sampson could not offer the 2015 Pittsburgh Pirates as they enter the home stretch of their playoff push.

Owner of a career 4.28 ERA, Happ has gone 4-6 in 20 starts with an ERA of 4.64 this season for the Mariners after posting an 11-11 record and a 4.22 ERA last year for the Toronto Blue Jays. While nothing about Happ is particularly impressive, he is the model of consistency and adds depth to a rotation that is in dire need if the struggles of Burnett and Morton continue. While Sampson is a young pitcher under team control, the deep farm system of the Pirates full of pitching prospects made Sampson an expendable commodity for the rental of Happ.

The Pirates also acquired Morse from the Dodgers, a day after he was designated for assignment after being picked up from the Miami Marlins after a down year in which he has only hit .213 with just four home runs on the season. However, in the addition of Morse, the Pirates are attempting to buy low on him while also finally ridding themselves of the burden of Jose Tabata‘s contract and his infamous neck tattoo in this swap of low risk, high reward players.

Neal Huntington has never been one to pull the trigger on a flashy trade, but the acquisitions he’s orchestrated over the past week have the Pirates in a better position to challenge the St. Louis Cardinals for the division title.

Since a breakout campaign in 2011 with the Washington Nationals, the 1B/OF has been in a steady decline, but still managed to hit .279 with 16 home runs for the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants last season. Given Morse’s positional flexibility, the Pirates are hoping he can be the right-handed platoon partner they were seeking for 1st baseman Pedro Alvarez or right fielder Gregory Polanco should his recent hot streak come to an abrupt halt. Signed through next season, a strong showing by Morse with a team in contention like the Pirates could give them the option to deal the embattled Alvarez in the off-season.

The addition of Morse will likely result in the end of a second tour of duty for another 2014 World Series winner, Travis Ishikawa.

While the additions of Happ and Morse add much needed depth at a small cost, the crown jewel of the Pirates trade deadline season is the addition of right-handed reliever Joakim Soria, who was acquired Thursday from the Tigers for infield prospect JaCoby Jones, a top 20 prospect with several question marks. Soria comes to the Pirates with experience in high leverage situations with 201 career saves, 23 of which he recorded this season along with a 2.85 ERA as the Tigers closer.

With Soria in the mix, nobody benefits more than the man holding the line-up card, manager Clint Hurdle. Hurdle now has as the ability to use relievers Jared Hughes, Arquimedes Caminero, and Antonio Bastardo in the situational roles that they are best suited to be in. Soria will help bridge the gap between Tony Watson and closer Mark Melancon. Meanwhile, Hughes, a ground ball specialist, can be used in situations where the Pirates are in need of a double play. The triple digit heat that Caminero’s live arm provides is best suited in strikeout situations or as a middle reliever against the bottom third of a opponent’s lineup and Bastardo can now be utilized as a left-handed specialist rather than the occasional middle relief/set-up man.

Signed through next season, a strong showing by Morse with a team in contention like the Pirates could give them the option to deal the embattled Alvarez in the off-season.

The nation saw last season how important a shut down bullpen can be when the Kansas City Royals won the American League Pennant with a dominant bullpen. With a trifecta of Soria-Watson-Melancon, the Pirates now have the ability to shut the door on opponents when they hold the lead after six innings.

While none of these moves, including last week’s reunion with Aramis Ramirez, make this Pittsburgh Pirates team a World Series favorite, they successfully added the rotation, bullpen, and bench depth that they were seeking while not parting with any top ten prospects. Injuries aside, this team is better than they were a week ago and in a better position to make a playoff push while not mortgaging their future to get that way.

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