Pittsburgh Pirates: The Team Can Improve By Selling

Josh Harrison

Then there is Josh Harrison.  Harrison has long outperformed his initial expectations.  At one point, Harrison looked like he was going to be a AAAA player.  Instead, he produced an all-star season in 2014 and has turned into a respected well-rounded player who can play multiple positions.  That was his making being a super utility player, but slowly he developed into the Pittsburgh Pirates everyday second baseman.  While Harrison is not a high OBP guy, he still has done enough to be an effective player.  His career batting average is .280 and he is good for 25 plus doubles and at least 10 plus stolen bases per year.

Harrison Already Wants Out

However, this past offseason Harrison stated that he wanted to be traded if this team was not going to contend.  Here the Bucs are sliding out of contention so he may get his wish.  However, the team may not completely miss him. First off, he is injury prone.  Harrison has not played more than 140 games since 2014 (the year he became a starter).  Also, his numbers at the plate are not meeting the expectation for him.  He is batting .256/.292/.350 through 55 games.  Of course, Harrison missed time this year with an injury so his sample size is somewhat small. He still grades out relatively well in the field with a 7.6 UZR/150.

With all of that being said, there are many teams in contention who could use a second baseman or third baseman.  These are two positions that Harrison has played the most at.  He also is still viewed by some as being a super utility player, so any team looking to improve their bench could have interest in him.  He also has a friendly contract that has a club option for 2019 and 2020 at $10.5 and $11.5 million respectively.