Should The Pittsburgh Pirates Trade Felipe Vazquez?

Should the Pittsburgh Pirates look to move their dominant closer before next week’s trade deadline?

The July 31st trade deadline is now just a week away. The Pittsburgh Pirates currently own a 46-54 record and look ready to sell. Free agents to be such as Corey Dickerson, Francisco Liriano, Jordan Lyles, and Melky Cabrera all appear to be players that will be shopped in the next week. However, as the deadline approaches, there is one major lingering question – should the team trade closer Felipe Vazquez?

Vazquez is arguably the best left-handed reliever in the Majors. He is also under team control through the 2023 season. This gives him a ridiculous amount of trade value.

An argument can be made that his 2019 season has been his most dominant yet. So far this season Vazquez owns a 1.91 ERA and a 2.02 FIP in 42 1/3 innings pitched. This is the second lowest ERA of his career and the lowest FIP. His 6.3% walk rate is the second lowest of his career, and his 37.7% strikeout rate is a career high.

A combination of Vazquez’s dominance and his contract will make him a hot commodity in the next week. Especially with the Pirates out of contention this season. So, should the Pirates look to trade their bullpen anchor?

If they can net the right return, the answer is yes.

One team that is interested in Vazquez is the Los Angeles Dodgers. In fact, the Dodgers had a scout at PNC Park on Tuesday night. Additionally, we can confirm through sources that the Pirates have been scouting the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate the Oklahoma City Dodgers.

The Dodgers Triple-A squad is loaded. It includes one of the top infield prospects in baseball in Gavin Lux, one of the best pitching prospects in Dustin May, and two of the top catching prospects in the game in Will Smith and Keibert Ruiz. All four of these players would fill needs for the Pirates.

The Pirates need a middle infielder to go with Kevin Newman, the catcher position is a mess, and you can never have too much pitching. So, the Dodgers certainly look like a team that could match up with the Pirates. However, other contenders, such as the Houston Astros and New York Yankees, also make sense for Vazquez and have the farm system needed to lure him away from the Bucs.

It is not unreasonable to believe a team such as the Dodgers could get desperate. Outside of the bullpen, the Dodgers are as elite of a team as you will ever see. After losing in the World Series each of the last two seasons, anything short of a World Series Championship in 2019 is a failure for the Dodgers. This could give them the incentive to overpay for someone like Vazquez who could help sure up their bullpen. The Pirates could always throw in pitchers such as Liriano and Lyles to help with their bullpen as well.

Pirate general manager Neal Huntington should be working the phones hard in the next week. If he gets an offer he can’t say no on for Vazquez, then he needs to accept the deal. The Pirate have the opportunity to move one player and fix multiple holes in the process. The ball is now in your court, Mr. Huntington.