The Pittsburgh Pirates Five Best Trades Of The Neal Huntington Era

With Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline just a week away, I am looking back on Neal Huntington’s five best trades as Pirates’ general manager.

Neal Huntington is now in his ninth season as general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In those nine years as general manager Huntington has made plenty of changes to the Pittsburgh Pirates roster. Between the draft, free agent signings, trades, and waiver claims Neal Huntington has done an excellent job of accumulating talent in Pittsburgh.

Since we are just one week away from Major League Baseball’s non-waiver traded deadline (August 1st) and with the Pittsburgh Pirates once again in contention for the postseason and looking to add talent, today I wanted to do something different. I want to take a look back at what are, in my opinion, the five best trades Neal Huntington has made as general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. I’m sure there are some trades on here people will disagree with, and there will be trades I leave off that others believe should be on here. However, that is the beauty of discussing and debating sports.

The criteria for making this list is twofold. Both the player’s performance as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, as well as what Neal Huntington had to trade to acquire the player factor into who did and did not make the list.

So, let’s begin. Shall we?

Next: An Unheralded Reliever

Number Four: Pittsburgh Pirates trade relief pitcher Vic Black and Minor League second baseman Dilson Herrera to the New York Mets for outfielder Marlon Byrd (August 27th, 2013)

In late August of 2013 the Pittsburgh Pirates found themselves in a pennant race for the first time since the 1997 ‘Freak Show’ team. Despite having great pitching, this team was in dire need of help on offense. Further complicating things was that a young outfielder by the name Starling Marte was on the disabled list. So, Neal Huntington acted.

On August 27th, 2013, Huntington and the Pirates acquired outfielder Marlon Byrd and catcher John Buck from the New York Mets in exchange for relief pitcher Vic Black and Minor League second baseman Dilson Herrera. It did not take Marlon Byrd long to begin to make an impact on the Pirates’ starting lineup, and he played a key role in the Pirates earning their first postseason berth since 1992.

Marlon Byrd immediately became the Pittsburgh Pirates starting right fielder, and one of the most dangerous hitters in the team’s lineup. In 115 plate appearances with the Pirates in August and September of 2013 Marlon Byrd slashed .318/.357/.486/.843 with three home runs, a .366 wOBA, and a 138 wRC+. Byrd’s hot hitting would continue in the postseason as he hit .364 with a home run, .425 wOBA, and a wRC+ of 179 in six postseason games.

Since being traded to the Mets Vic Black has struggled immensely with control, and has not pitched in the Major Leagues since 2014. Dilson Herrera was a highly regarded second base prospect in the Pirates’ system, but due to players such as Neil Walker, Josh Harrison, and Alen Hanson there was no future for him at second base for the Pirates. Herrera has a .305 wOBA and a wRC+ of 97 in 169 Major League plate appearances for the Mets between 2014 and 2015.

While the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates probably still make the postseason without Marlon Byrd, I do not believe they would have hosted the Wild Card Game. Instead, I believe the game would have been played at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark and that the Reds would have won. So even though Marlon Byrd was only a Pirate for a little over a month, he still cracks the list of best trades made by Neal Huntington.

Next: The Closer

Number Three: Pittsburgh Pirates trade relief pitcher Joel Hanrahan and super utility man Brock Holt to the Boston Red Sox for relief pitcher Mark Melancon, and Minor League players Stolmy Pimentel, Ivan De Jesus Jr., and Jerry Sands (December 26th, 2012) 

This was another trade that many Pirates fans criticized at the time, yet has left Neal Huntington looking brilliant. Between 2010 and 2012 Joel Hanrahan was a lights out reliever for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and this included being the Bucs’ closer for the last two months of 2010 along with all of 2011 and 2012. In 198 innings pitched during those three seasons Hanrahan averaged 10.36 K/9, 3.55 BB/9, 0.68 HR/9, and he had a 2.73 ERA.

However, there was writing on the wall in the 2012 season that Hanrahan was going to begin to regress. In 2012, despite a strong 2.72 ERA, Hanrahan had a 4.45 FIP, 4.28 xFIP, his home rate jumped to a career worst 1.21 HR/9, and he had an unsustainable BABIP of .225. Luckily for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Neal Huntington was able to trade Hanrahan for great return before the ticking time bomb that was his right arm exploded.

In 2012 Mark Melancon was awful for the Boston Red Sox. In just 45 Major League innings, he spent big chunks of the season at Triple-A, Melancon had a career worst 6.20 ERA, 4.58 FIP, and 1.60 HR/9. Also, his 2.40 BB/9 and 50 percent ground ball rate were both way off of his career norms. So, it is easy to see why Pirate fans were not fond of this trade.

Well, Joel Hanrahan went to Boston and had elbow surgery after 7 1/3 miserable innings and he has not pitching in the Major Leagues since. As for Melancon, since coming to Pittsburgh he has been one of the best relief pitchers in all of Major League Baseball. In 260 1/3 innings pitched with the Pirates Mark Melancon has a 1.80 ERA, 2.27 FIP, 2.69 xFIP, a 0.93 WHIP, and a nice 6.9 WAR.

This season is Mark Melancon’s fourth in the Pirate bullpen, and it was the third time he was a National League All-Star. Melancon also has 130 saves, which is the most in the National League during this time. This included Melancon being named the National League’s top reliever in 2015.

Even though Stolmy Pimentel is the only other player that the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired in this deal to ever appear in the Majors with the Bucs, Melancon’s contributions alone make this trade a huge win for Neal Huntington. The Pittsburgh Pirates traded away a super utility player and a reliever with a faulty elbow, and in return got one of the absolute best relief pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.

Next: 'Catching' Some Help

Number Two: Pittsburgh Pirates trade left-handed relief pitcher Justin Wilson to the New York Yankees for catcher Francisco Cervelli (November 12th, 2014)

Even during the 2014 season Neal Huntington knew the Pittsburgh Pirates would need a new catcher for 2015. That is because starting catcher Russell Martin was slated to become a free agent, and was having the best season of his career. Due to this, Huntington knew Martin would make more in free agency than he was worth.

Due to this Huntington acted promptly after the end of the 2014 season. In early November, Huntington sent left-handed relief pitcher Justin Wilson to the New York Yankees for catcher Francisco Cervelli. In typical Pirate fan fashion, many fans loathed this trade when it first happened. However, in less than two full seasons as a Pirate Francisco Cervelli has quickly become a fan favorite.

Justin Wilson did a good job out of the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen between 2012 and 2014. The hard throwing lefty posted a 2.99 ERA, while averaging 8.26 K/9, 3.97 BB/9, and 0.52 HR/9 in 138 1/3 innings pitched during these three seasons. However, an everyday player is always more valuable than a relief pitcher and the Pirates got an everyday player in return for Wilson.

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Prior to joining the Pittsburgh Pirates Francisco Cervelli, partially due to injuries, was never given a fair chance at being an everyday Major League catcher. The Pirates have given him that chance though, and he has run with it. During his two seasons in Pittsburgh, Francisco Cervelli has become one of the National League’s best two-way catchers.

Francisco Cervelli currently owns a .284/.368/.371/.739 slash line as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cervelli also has a .330 wOBA, 111 wRC+, and a strong 10.6 percent walk rate. Cervelli is also a strong defensive catcher as he is one of the game’s premiere pitch framers and his dWAR the past two seasons is currently 12.4. All of this has led to Cervelli posting a 4.5 WAR the past two seasons, which is second among all Major League catchers behind just Buster Posey.

The biggest reason the trade to acquire Francisco Cervelli is so high on this list is because the Pirates traded a relief pitcher for one of the best two-way catchers in all of baseball. That my friends is an absolute steal. Also, it was not the first time Neal Huntington fleeced the New York Yankees in a trade.

Next: The Man Who Changed The Culture

Number One: Pittsburgh Pirates trade Minor League outfielder Exicardo Cayones and Minor League pitcher Diego Moreno to the New York Yankees for starting pitcher A.J. Burnett.  (February 18th, 2012)

In my opinion, February 18th, 2012, is one of the most important dates in the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Why you may ask? Because this was the day that Neal Huntington traded for starting pitcher A.J. Burnett.

From the time A.J. Burnett arrived in Pittsburgh he brought a much needed no-nonsense attitude to the Pirates. Burnett was not going to allow the team to have a poor attitude, or to accept being the National League’s punching bag any longer. Not only did Burnett talk the talk, he most certainly walked the walk as well.

Between 2012 and 2013 A.J. Burnett pitched 393 1/3 innings for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He averaged 8.90 K/9, 2.95 BB/9, 0.66 HR/9, and had a 1.23 WHIP. This led to Burnett posting a 3.41 ERA, 3.17 FIP, 3.17 xFIP, and a 7.2 WAR combined between these two seasons.

What did the Pirates give up in exchange for Burnett? Well, essentially, nothing. The Pirates sent the Yankees outfielder Exicardo Cayones who never played above High-A, and no longer plays professionally, and right-handed pitcher Diego Moreno who has a 5.23 ERA in 10 1/3 career Major League innings.

Following the 2013 season A.J. Burnett would sign a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. However, he would later admit he regretted doing this. As a result, he returned to Pittsburgh for a magical swan song in 2015.

In 2015 Burnett helped guide the Pittsburgh Pirates to 98 wins, while also making his first career All-Star Game, in his final Major League season. Burnett posted a 3.18 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 7.85 K/9, 2.69 BB/9, 0.60 HR/9 and a 2.8 WAR in his final season.

In his three seasons in Pittsburgh A.J. Burnett became one of the most popular players in the long, storied history of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise. He also became one of the best pitchers in the franchise’s history. Most importantly, he helped changed the culture around the entire Pittsburgh Pirates franchise. He helped take the Pittsburgh Pirates from being perennial losers, and turning them into perennial contenders. And it cost the Pirates, essentially, nothing.

Next: In Conclusion

In conclusion…

For whatever reason a lot of Pittsburgh Pirates fans like to criticize Neal Huntington. Personally, I think he is one of the five best general managers in all of Major League Baseball. And trades like these five go to show why.

That is why I am confident that Neal Huntington will do a good job of addressing the Pirates holes via trade before next Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline. And if he does not, as he proved in 2013 with Marlon Byrd, it does not mean there is not a move coming yet. Pirate fans need to learn to appreciate how lucky we are to have a general manager like Neal Huntington. That is, unless you like people like Dave Littlefield making trades such as Rajai Davis for Matt Morris. Personally, I prefer Huntington.

Next: Filling Out The Pirate Rotation