The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Top Five Trade Pieces

April 18, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Batting practice balls await use by the Atlanta Braves before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Pirates begin the second half of the season primed to finally catch the St. Louis Cardinals and win the National League Central crown.

It is July 29th, a scant two days before the MLB non-waiver trade deadline. The time is ripe to ask ourselves – do the Pirates have enough to do it?

We’ll save that question for another day. What we are here to do now is identify the Top Five trade pieces currently in the Pirates organization. To accurately set our expectations for any potential acquisition, we need to look at our own cupboards to see what we have to barter with. This year is a unique one during this resurgence, as the team does not have any absolutely glaring needs. The debate gets very philosophical very quickly. It very neatly boils down to need vs want.

Of course we’ve been here before. Last year by all accounts the Pirates were in on David Price but balked at the asking price. In one of Travis Sawhik’s recent Starting 9 pieces, he reminded us of that:

Recall, the Pirates were in the mix last year to land David Price, who is earning $19.8 million this season. The Pirates offered a prospect-laden package — and believed it was competitive — but the Tampa Bay Rays preferred young major league-ready talent and traded Price for a package of players that included Drew Smyly and Nick Franklin.

2014 was a borderline need/want year. Obviously we saw that the Pirates did not need an addition to make the playoffs. But would an additional pitcher have helped save Cole for the wild card game? Yes. Probably. Maybe. We will never know. But for the purpose of this article we are going to assume that this is a need year. That the Pittsburgh Pirates need that one last piece to truly vault past the Cards.

Here are the top five pieces that will help us get there.

We start with a very surprising choice.

Next: #5 - Never discount the value of a left hander

Jul 9, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jeff Locke (49) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Locke is likely the most polarizing Pittsburgh Pirate in recent memory. Despite a rocky last outing against the Nationals, Locke has pitched very well as of late, with a 2.53 ERA in his last eight starts. Control remains an issue for Locke as his 16 walks in that same span shows (46.1 IP). Many will be surprised that he made this list, but we cannot discount the fact that he is a proven big-league capable left handed pitcher.

Locke has had a peculiar 2015. After a horrendous April and June, Locke has rebounded to the tune of a 2.84 ERA over the last thirty days. From a year-over-year perspective, Locke has drastically reduced his HR/9 (home runs per nine innings) by half, from 1.1 to 0.6. In fact, Locke ranks tied for fourth overall in qualifying starting pitchers with just seven home runs allowed on the year. These are the highlights. The lowlights include a bloated 1.41 WHIP and a 9.3 H/9 (hits per nine innings), which are hefty increases over his 2014 numbers of 1.27 and 8.7 respectively.

Despite all of that, Locke is a valuable trade chip who’s stock may never be as high as it is now. Under team control until 2019, Locke would not be a centerpiece of any deal but would be a very attractive major-league level chip in any potential deals involving starting pitching.

Our next spotlight is a great talent who is going to have a hell of a time breaking through the logjam at his position any time soon.

Next: #4 - Deal from a position of strength?

Mar 21, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates helmets and bats lay in the dugout prior to the game against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Austin Meadows is an outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Ranked 28th overall by MLB’s prospect ranks coming into the season, Meadows has worked his way back from a hamstring injury that lingered through 2014, and has shown great promise in Advanced-A Bradenton. By most accounts, Meadows is excelling at an all-fields approach. As a left-handed hitter, it’s easy to see the value here. While not profiling as a traditional power-hitting outfielder, Meadows’s swing is solid.

With Meadows there is a strong link to the philosophical debate I alluded to above. With the MLB-level outfield locked up for the near-future, there would be no real need for Meadows to break through any time soon. So do the Pirates deal from a position of strength? Some would argue that answer to be yes with Harold Ramirez being not far behind Meadows. Do the Pirates hold onto Meadows should Andrew McCutchen bolt after his deal is up? Many would say yes.

No matter what sign of the coin you fall on, Meadows is a very attractive trade chip at just 20 years old.

Our next trade chip has some deficiencies, but has offensive promise to spare.

Next: #3 - Ring the Bell

Sep 17, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates minor league outfielder Josh Bell (35) of the Altoona Curve in attendance as he was named the Pirates Minor Player of the Year before the Pirates host the Boston Red Sox at PNC Park. The Pirates won 9-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Bell is a name that excites many Pittsburgh Pirates watchers, and rightfully so. Many see Bell as the first baseman of the future to replace Pedro Alvarez. At the plate, there is a ton to like – the switch hitter shows tantalizing power when batting left and is improving when batting right. While not showing as much power as a righty, the left vs right splits overall are pretty close, as Bell bats .291 vs LHP and .316 vs RHP.  After earning a promotion to Altoona last year, one expects another year of seasoning – possibly at Triple-A Indianapolis – could help Bell increase patience at the plate.

As many know, Bell made the move from the outfield into 1B this year. It has been a mixed bag. By all accounts, Alvarez looks like a gold glove candidate at the position when compared to Bell. When considering the future of the first base position, Bell’s slow grasp of 1B can present a few problems for the Bucs’ long term plans for the position. Still, Bell would be a very valuable trade chip for an organization that doesn’t necessarily need him to play first base.

Our next trade chip is hotly debated to say the least.

Next: #2 - Injuries be damned

Feb 26, 2015; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Tyler Glasnow (77) poses for photo day at Pirate City. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Note: before you come after me with pitchforks and torches, please know that the focus of this article is on the pieces in the organization that I believe carry the most value. This does not mean that I believe the Pirates should trade him, in fact I believe that my most valuable trade chip is closely approaching untouchable status.

Tyler Glasnow is one of the ‘big three’ pitching prospects often mentioned in the same breath as Taillon and Nick Kingham. By virtue of some amazing progress and also by being able to stay on the mound, Glasnow has now clearly leapfrogged both of those to set himself apart from the pack in terms of starting pitching prospects currently in the system. Shaking off an ankle injury that led him to a later start to his season, Glasnow has excelled for the Double-A Altoona Curve, and news just broke today that Glasnow will now get to ply his trade at Triple-A Indianapolis.

With games much like the 12-strikeout effort he displayed recently, his rise should not be a surprise.

MILB.com recently caught up with Curve pitching coach Justin Meccage, who had this to say about Glasnow’s progression with his changeup:

“He was in the strike zone with all three pitches. Today was probably the best his changeup has been in two seasons. He threw 10 of them and eight out of 10 were really effective,” Curve pitching coach Justin Meccage, who also worked with Glasnow last season in the Florida State League. “He got some swings on them and he got a ground ball or two on them. And then just the ability to put people away was pretty good, too. So, overall, it was a really good outing.”

Glasnow has always showed promise, but now is starting to solidify his control, as a 82:19 K-BB ratio would indicate. This has led to a microscopic .95 WHIP at Altoona in 2015.

All of this is fluff as we come to this main point: with A.J. Burnett retiring and the back end of the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation still shaky at best, Glasnow has quickly reached untouchable status and as such would have to welcome a king’s ransom in return. While he remains the Pirates’ most valuable trade chip at this very moment, don’t expect him to even be whispered in any deals as we near the deadline.

So there you have it. One man’s list of the top five trade chips from the Pirates organization. Disagree with any of my rankings? Please let us know on twitter, our Facebook, or on the comments below. We would love to hear from you.

Next: The five BEST trades in Pirates history