Pittsburgh Pirates Offseason Simulation: Trade with the Phillies

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a lot of action already this offseason with trying to find a new front office.  What could they look to do with the roster this offseason?

For the last few years, the MLB Division at FanSided has put together an offseason simulation with the sites playing General Manager.  I am in charge of the Pittsburgh Pirates offseason simulation this year.  Each team has been able to submit trades to one another as well as trying to bid on free agents.

Trade talks started early this offseason and the most interest was in Starling Marte.  Marte represents an all-star caliber outfielder on a cheap two-year contract.  There is an expectation that many teams will be checking in on Marte during the actual offseason so this makes sense.  The centerfield market is one of the weakest free agent positions which makes Marte all the more coveted.

There were multiple teams in on Marte with the strongest interest coming from the National League East.  The New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies were all trying to work deals for the outfielder.  A few other teams called as well like the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres, but talks never picked up due to them not wanting to meet the asking price.

The final two teams were the Mets and the Phillies.  There was actually a trade worked out with the Mets, but the Phillies countered the Mets offer with exactly what I was looking to acquire.  Furthermore, I was able to work in another trade chip to expand the deal and get major league ready players.  I also included reliever Keone Kela who is entering the final year of team control and will likely be dealt this offseason.

Coming back from the Phillies (Phillies That Balls Outta Here), in this simulated trade are four prospects, three of which could make impacts at the big league level in 2020.  With the Pittsburgh Pirates having such a young core, the deal needed to add players that will align with these core players.  While value was important in the trade, it was also important to get specific positions.  The Phillies gave up exactly what I was looking for in the deal.

All in all, it ended up being a six player trade.  The Phillies are expected to be looking for an impact centerfielder after failing to make the playoffs last year.  They also signed reliever David Robertson to watch him miss the 2019 season and eventually undergo Tommy-John surgery in August which will put him out for most of 2020.  This made Kela an important part of the deal for the Phillies.

Coming back to the Pittsburgh Pirates are multiple players who could help this team in 2020. Adam Hasely, 23, is an outfielder who made his début last year after being taken in the first round of the 2017 draft out of Virginia and was ranked as a Top 100 prospect at one point.  He put together a solid stat line batting .266 with five home runs in 67 games.  Also, he provides plus defense and the ability to play all three outfield positions.  He essentially will replace Marte in the lineup.

The other two primary pieces are starting pitching prospect Adonis Medina and catcher Deivy Grullon.  Both these players play positions that were glaring needs for the Bucs last year.  Medina is the most valuable piece out of all the prospects.  He is a right-handed pitcher who is just 22 years old but will start the 2020 season in Triple-A.  Entering 2019, Medina was ranked as the number 56 prospect in all of baseball.  He struggled at Double-A pitching to a 4.94 ERA in 22 games.  The biggest issue was he was failing to strike enough hitters out, but he still does have strikeout stuff.

If anything, Medina’s off-year was an outlier compared to his overall career numbers.  His ERA has floated around the low-to-mid 3.00’s and, until this year, he has struck out close to a batter per inning.  Now could be a good time to get a potential top 100 pitching prospect who could help as soon as mid-summer.

While the Pittsburgh Pirates will likely trade Starling Marte and Keone Kela this offseason, it is hard to predict where and when.  There should be plenty of teams interested in both as they both represent impact players on cheap, shorter-term contracts.  It seems likely that the Bucs will get plenty of interest especially on Marte and it looks like the most interest will come from teams in the National League East.

The best thing that could happen for Ben Cherington and the Pittsburgh Pirates would be to get all three NL East teams in on Marte.  This could result in a bidding war among division rivals which will only benefit the Pittsburgh Pirates in the return.  Both the Phillies and Mets make a lot of sense so it very well could happen.

While this trade was just a simulation between two FanSided writers, it still is interesting to see how other fanbases value players.  Some teams that were interested in Marte didn’t want to give up much more than a couple of top 20 prospects, meanwhile other teams like the Phillies were ready to give up some of their top prospects to make a deal.

If the Bucs can get a package of multiple MLB or close to ready prospect talent with a couple being top 100 type prospects, then they will have done very well for themselves.  Hopefully, they can fill some of their organizational needs as well. This move also clears almost $15 million from the team’s projected payroll for 2020 and $12.5 million from their 2021 payroll.

This is just the first part of what will be a few different articles on FanSided’s offseason simulation.  There are a couple of trades that are in the works as well as a few free-agent signings that will be completed soon.  Check back tomorrow to see other moves I will try to make for the Pittsburgh Pirates.