Pittsburgh Pirates’ early needs moving towards trade deadline

Jun 12, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jeff Locke (49) looks on from the dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Fifth starter

Jeff Locke hasn’t been getting it done, plain and simple. Don’t let his most recent performance fool you (six innings of shutout ball): it took him 95 pitches to get through six innings while logging only two strikeouts. Oh, and he was facing the Phillies. It was fluky outside of the result. If and when the Pirates are still in the NL Central division race come late July, they may not be looking to add a starter for a playoff run. With the way their top four is pitching right now (Gerrit Cole, A.J. Burnett, Francisco Liriano, and Charlie Morton all have ERAs under 4.00), they can go toe-to-toe with any staff in baseball. An additional starter could replace Locke at the back-end of the rotation, provide insurance in case of regression from the top four, and would help the Pirates’ push towards a division crown.

Pittsburgh may not need that fifth starter for the playoffs, but it goes without saying that the team would rather win the division than put its season on the line in a one-game playoff for the third straight season. Plus, a team can never have enough pitching. Needless to say, the occasional good start from Locke isn’t worth the rest of his sub-par performances. An upgrade is needed, and soon. Internal options will be explored first (Vance Worley, Clayton Richard, Casey Sadler, and potentially Jameson Taillon will all be looked at), but external options will be explored as well.

Next: An extra arm for the pen

Apr 26, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher

(59) throws during the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Bullpen help

Again, a team can never have enough pitching. Pitching carries teams more often than great hitting does (see: 2014 San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals). The back-end of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ pen is a strength for the team in Tony Watson and Mark Melancon, each of whom has turned around his early season woes tremendously. But who hands the ball off to those two?

Jared Hughes is a good middle relief option. He has a 3.25 ERA this season, which isn’t bad, and his 2.89 FIP suggests he may be under-performing so far. Vance Worley is a good long relief option and should be kept in the pen in case Jeff Locke continues to falter. Worley has only given up one run (albeit a costly one) since being moved to a relief role. Arquimedes Caminero has been a solid addition to the pen, and his velocity, coupled with his 0.99 WHIP and 2.50 FIP, suggest his performance so far is for real.

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Outside of those three, the bullpen becomes iffy. Rob Scahill has performed well overall this season (to the tune of a 1.50 ERA), but his 1.42 WHIP and the occasional rough outing doesn’t inspire confidence in his long-term success this season. Antonio Bastardo has been awful, but he doesn’t have any options left and his past success with the Phillies may give him a bit of a longer leash with the team.

An upgrade over Bastardo should be a top priority for the Pirates at the deadline. John Holdzkom could be the answer, but he hasn’t logged much game action in Triple-A due to shoulder fatigue and time on the disabled list. Another arm covers the potential regression from Scahill and could replace Bastardo in the pen.

Next: Some help for the Big Bull

May 9, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pinch hitter

(12) breaks his bat on a sacrifice fly RBI against the St. Louis Cardinals during the sixth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 7-5. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Right-handed 1st Baseman

Corey Hart has been a disappointment for the Pirates so far this season. He’s batting .186/.217/.279 with an OPS of .496. Yeah, that’s bad. His one home run on the year doesn’t help either, considering first base is a power-premium position and Hart has been known for his power in the past (he’s had four 20+ home run seasons). He’s regressed greatly since his decent start to the season and no improvement seems to be in sight. He’s only getting older, and his bad knees don’t inspire hope.

Pedro Alvarez will almost always rest against lefties, but Hart has been just as bad against lefties as Alvarez has (both are batting .100 in 20 at-bats this year vs. left-handed pitching). Sean Rodriguez can occasionally step in at first, but he may be needed elsewhere in the field against a lefty. Internal options don’t seem to be realistic at this point, as Andrew Lambo has been battling a foot injury and may be battling it for much of the rest of the season (not to mention his one for 25 start to the year doesn’t help his cause) and there aren’t good options in Indianapolis (Hunter Morris hasn’t seen major league action in his career yet and the recently-acquired John Bowker hasn’t played in the majors since 2011). A right-handed power bat off the bench would be strengthen a weak spot on the team and wouldn’t cost much. It’s one area I expect Neal Huntington to look into come deadline time.

Next: Shortstop? Right Field?

Jun 5, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop

(10) runs towards Atlanta Braves third baseman

(2) during a double play during the fifth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Other areas of need

Jordy Mercer hasn’t improved like many thought he would since his poor start to the year. Jung Ho Kang seems legitimate offensively, but he has occasional defensive issues. Moving Kang into a starting position may not be what management wants to do at the moment as well. A trade for a shortstop could be an out-of-the-box idea the Pittsburgh Pirates could explore, and one that could involve sending Mercer as part of the package.

Gregory Polanco hasn’t performed up to expectations in right field so far this season. He does get hot from time-to-time, but his .249 average and three home runs aren’t up to par. Jose Tabata can relieve Polanco every now and then, but another outfield bat off the bench that could spell Polanco would be one idea that could be explored. Tabata hasn’t proven himself at the big league level to the satisfaction of the Pirates, but there are other options in Triple-A (namely Jaff Decker) that will be looked into first.

The Pittsburgh Pirates will most likely add small pieces to improve the team, such as bullpen depth and bench help. But expect to hear rumors swirling come trade deadline time about the Pirates pursuing big names to improve the club, as we’ve heard with them and players such as David Price and Giancarlo Stanton in the past. It’s going to be exciting to follow this team heading towards July 31st.

Next: Pittsburgh Pirates to play home and home set with Chicago White Sox