Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Stories for the 2017 Season

Editorial: The Pittsburgh Pirates 2017 season is under way!  What are the three big stories that will develop throughout this season?

The Pittsburgh Pirates enter 2017 with a different attitude compared to the way they entered 2016.  The Pittsburgh Pirates entered 2016 coming off a 98 win season.  Expectations were high, but some knew that the Pirates were due to regress.  After a very mediocre off-season, the Pirates entered the year with a poor rotation.  By mid-summer, the Bucs were floating around .500 and it did not seem likely that they would make a playoff push.

At the trade deadline, they made some unpopular roster moves.  They first traded away all-star closer Mark Melancon.  Many people viewed this as a white flag by the Pittsburgh Pirates, as they were conceding the 2016 year.  They then dumped a large salary in Francisco Liriano‘s contract.  They did this by parting with two prospects.  This infuriated a large part of the fanbase.  Why give up prospects to dump a salary, but not to get an actual asset?  However, they then parted with two top 30 prospects to get a veteran starting pitcher in Ivan Nova.  It was a mixed bag of moves at the deadline.

What the Pittsburgh Pirates did do at the deadline last year was set themselves up to be better for the 2017 season.  By clearing Liriano’s contract, the Bucs were able to make multiple moves.  First, they extended David Freese, which now looks even better with Kang’s current visa issue.  Then, they were able to retain Ivan Nova at $8 million per year.  Lastly, they gave Daniel Hudson a nice chunk of change at $5.5 million per year for two years.  General Manager Neal Huntington specifically mentioned that dealing Liriano allowed them to push a little harder on those moves.  They also acquired lefty reliever Felipe Rivero in the Melancon deal.  Melancon has moved on from the Nationals to a huge pay day with the Giants.  Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Pirates now have one of the top young relievers in the game.

Last year, the top stories to follow were how would the Pittsburgh Pirates play after a 98 win season.  Many expected them not to, and they did not.  The second story was when would Jameson Taillon, Tyler Glasnow, and others get the call to the bigs.  The last story was would the Pittsburgh Pirates sell at the deadline if they were out of it.  What will the three main stories be for the 2017 season?

Potential Trades

The Pittsburgh Pirates had an odd trade deadline in 2016, they sold off an expiring contract in Melancon but also acquired a starting pitcher in Nova.  This year they have a few trade candidates.  First is Tony Watson.  He is on an expiring contract and the Pirates already were talking with teams in the off-season about him.  Teams looking to bolster their bullpen with a veteran arm could look to acquire him.  Meanwhile, if the Pirates are able to make a similar deal to the Melancon one they could still acquire someone to help them right away.

The other player is Andrew McCutchen.  Technically McCutchen is under contract for 2018, having a club option, so he is not on an expiring deal.  Still, if the Pirates are floating around .500 and they get the right deal for him, they will deal him, especially if Austin Meadows is performing to expectations in Triple-A.  Now if the Pittsburgh Pirates are in the playoff picture like I expect them to be, it is likely that McCutchen would be a key part of that run.  So there would be no reason to trade him midseason.  Still, this is likely his last calendar year as a Pittsburgh Pirates player.  The main story on the trade front this year will be “how much longer will Andrew McCutchen be a Pirate?”

Prospects to Come Up

The last story will be when some of the top prospects make their debuts in the major leagues.  The biggest name to watch will be Austin Meadows.  As mentioned in the last slide, Meadows is considered the top prospect in the system, and he will eventually replace Andrew McCutchen.  That could happen as soon as this season.  Barring a serious injury or a trade of McCutchen, Meadows will likely stay in Triple-A so that he continues to develop and receive consistent at-bats.

The second prospect of note will be Nick Kingham.  Kingham was once a top 100 prospect in baseball but had a set back when he received Tommy John in 2015.  Kingham threw about 50 innings last season, and also made a few appearances this Spring.  He still is working on getting his command back, which was always considered a plus tool for him.  However, his velocity is back to normal sitting 92-94, and his curveball looks just as sharp as it did prior to surgery.  He is the next top pitching prospect who will reach the MLB, as he will be Triple-A this season.  One note is that he is starting the year on the disabled list with an ankle injury.

The other notable prospects that could help this year are not as big named, but they still have upside.  Two relievers like Dovydas Neverauskas and Edgar Santana are two top 30 prospects who will be relied on as bullpen depth.  Meanwhile, Steven Brault and Clay Holmes could be relied upon as starting pitching depth when injuries occurred. The other depth options will be Spring Training star Jose Osuna, Max Moroff, and Elias Diaz.  The other prospect of note who could push to the major league roster is shortstop Kevin Newman.  Newman played half the season in Double-A last year and is starting there this year.  If he has immediate success, he will likely get called up to Triple-A quickly and could set himself up to get called up late in the season if an injury occurs.

Final Thoughts on the 3 Stories

The Pittsburgh Pirates should be a better team in 2017.  However, they are still not a team without question marks around them.  There will be plenty of stories to follow as the season goes on.  The main one obviously will be if they can get back into the playoffs after missing it last year.  They have a better rotation this year, potentially a better bullpen, and have more upside in their lineup.

The Pirates also potentially could make blockbuster trades this season.  First off, if they are in the race they very well could look to acquire a starter like Jose Quintana.  However, if they are falling out of the race they could look to trade some of their pending free agents.  A player like Tony Watson could be dealt either way.  While Andrew McCutchen could go at any point this season, but if they are in it, that will most likely not occur until the offseason.

Next: 2017 Predictions

Even if the Pittsburgh Pirates decide to sell this season they have prospects to help fill the holes.  If Andrew McCutchen goes, they will replace him with top prospect Austin Meadows.  If the Pirates decide to trade Watson they could call up Edgar Santana.  Regardless, some of their top prospect at Triple-A will eventually get called up to help at one point or another this season.  The Pittsburgh Pirates have quite the season ahead of them, one that will have plenty of action on and off the field to follow.