Pittsburgh Pirates: Top 10 Trades Of The 2010s

With the 2010s now in the rear view mirror, it is time to reflect upon the top 10 Pittsburgh Pirates trade of the decade. So, what were the best trades of the decade by the Pittsburgh Baseball Club?

While the Pittsburgh Pirates made a handful of questionable trades throughout the decade of the 2010s, they made a handful of ones that go unnoticed, or underappreciated. Many of them were very beneficial to the team, and the team’s future.

While Neal Huntington’s tenure as Pirate general manager ended in flames, it had plenty of high water marks. These high water marks included some excellent trades by the ex-Pirate GM. And these trades set up some of the best moments of the 2010s for the Bucs.

Here at Rum Bunter, we took a look at the Pirates best trades of the decade. We based this on the impact it had on the team as it pertained to their current situation, and the future impact it had. We also factored in what the Pirates had to give up, and how they performed with their new team.

All of that said, let’s dive in to the Pirates’ top 10 trades of the decade!

Number 9 – Pirates Acquire Joe Blanton

Veteran right hander Joe Blanton was having a nice bounce back season in 2015 with the Kansas City Royals. However, they apparently viewed him as a spare piece they did not need. As a result, Blanton was designated for assignment by the Royals on July 28.

Due to the DFA, all the Pirates had to give up for Blanton was cash. This turned out to be one of the best trades the Pirates made during their 2015 run that ended in 98 victories. Blanton pitched in 34.1 innings in 21 games, and posted a 1.57 ERA, 2.11 FIP, and 1.02 WHIP. He gave up just 1 home run, while walking just 9 batters. He had struck out 39 batters in the short amount of time.

Because of his performance, he was thrown into more high-leverage situations down the stretch by then manager Clint Hurdle. This was a move that would pay off for Hurdle. By the end of the season the Pirates had one of the most dominant bullpens in team history, and one that consisted of 7 reliable relievers. Blanton was a big part of this bullpen and team.

Number 8 – Pirates Acquire Vance Worley

Once seen as a future key piece of the Philadelphia Phillies rotation, 2 years of sub-par performance knocked his stock way down. After struggling with the Twins in 2013, the Pirates purchased his contract from the Twins. The man we are talking about is Vance Worley.

Worley was one of the unsung heroes of the Pirates’ 2014 season. He pitched in 110.2 innings, posting a very good 2.85 ERA, 3.44 FIP, and 1.21 WHIP. He walked just 1.8 batters per 9, and gave up just 9 long balls. He went on to finish the season with a 1.4 fWAR. Hid 2014 season also included a complete game.

In 2015, Worley’s honeymoon would start to come to an end. He pitched 23 games for the Pirates, only 8 of which were starts. The Worley Bird posted a 4.02 ERA, 3.82 FIP and a 0.4 fWAR in these 23 games. Worley pitched 71.2 innings in his 23 games. While he struggled, he still played a role in the Pirates winning 98 games and making their third consecutive postseason appearance.

While he did struggle during parts of 2015, Worley’s impact in 2014 helped the team reach the postseason for the 2nd straight season. Without Worley helping to settle down what was a struggling Pirate rotation early in the season in 2014, odds are, the Bucs would not have made the postseason.

Number 7 – Pirates Acquire Marlon Byrd

This next trade is one that is on the list both due to the on and off field impact it made. Not only did it add a middle of the lineup thumper to the Pirate roster, it also saw the Pirates add the best hitter available on the trade market while fans groaned about the Bucs not doing enough on the trade market.

The Pirates acquired Marlon Byrd from the Mets approaching the September deadline to fix one of the few holes the 2013 Pirates’ team had which was right field. The trade had a few moving pieces as the Pirates acquired Byrd, and catcher John Buck from the New York Mets for infielder Dilson Herrera, and relief pitcher Vic Black.

Buck didn’t make much of a difference for the Pirates but Byrd did. He batted .318/.357/.486 with 3 home runs in 115 PAs. He also posted a +2 DRS in right field with the Bucs. Byrd was also one of the largest contributors during their postseason run, having a home run during the Wild Card game, and 6 hits during the NLDS.

Herrera eventually became one of the Mets’ top prospects, but he only played 49 unremarkable games with the Mets before being traded to the Reds for Jay Bruce in 2016. Vic Black did pitch well for the Mets in 2014, posting a 2.60 ERA, 3.77 FIP, and 1.30 WHIP in 34.2 innings, but constant injuries have kept him from pitching in the Majors after that season.

Number 6 – Pirates Acquire J.A. Happ

The Pirates were 59-42 coming into the 2015 July deadline. They could have used one more bat, and starting pitcher. While the Pirates passed on the flashier David Price, they acquired a much lesser known name – lefty J.A. Happ.

Happ looked like a number 5 starter when he came to the Pirates, but he turned out to be one of the saviors of the second half of the Bucs’ season. In 63 and a third innings, Happ posted a 1.85 ERA, 2.19 FIP, and 1.03 WHIP. Happ even posted a better ERA (2.30), and FIP (2.22) than Price, while also posting the same amount of bWAR (2.6) after each were traded at the deadline.

The Pirates didn’t have to give up much for the lefty. They had to surrender right-handed prospect Adrian Sampson to the Mariners. While Sampson finished out 2014 as the team’s 19th best prospect, he was unranked in 2015. Sampson only pitched just one for the Mariners. This lone outing saw him pitch just 4.1 innings in a game in 2016. In the 2016-2017 off-season, Sampson was claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers, thus ending his Seattle tenure.

At the time of the trade Pirate fans were upset. They ripped the Happ trade to no extent and viewed it as the Pirates not doing enough to help with their postseason push. Well, Happ wound up pitching better than any other starting pitcher moved at the trade deadline that season and helped the Pirates win 98 games.

Number 5 – Pirates Acquire Trevor Williams

This one is a bit strange. On paper, Trevor Williams was acquired by the Pirates for Richard Mitchell. Mitchell never even played a game in the Marlins organization, but there’s more to this story, or even a professional game of baseball since 2015. Since the Marlins hired former Pirates’ front office pitching consultant Jim Benedict, the Pirates wanted something in exchange. Trevor Williams was who they got. Strange trade, I know.

Williams has been up-and-down since coming to the Pirates. Although he did struggle party due to injuries in 2019, Williams was very good in 2018. In 170.2 innings, the right hander put up a 3.11 ERA (13th in the MLB), 3.86 FIP, and 1.18 WHIP. Williams’ 0.79 HR/9 ranked 8th in the Majors, and tied with Astros lefty Dallas Keuchel.

While it is unknown just how much impact Benedict had on the Marlins pitching, he was part of the fire sale and complete re-organization of the Marlins during the 2017-2018 off-season. Currently, he is a special assistant to baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs.

Moving forward Williams will continue to be a key cog for the Pirate starting rotation. He owns a 6.2 fWAR the past three seasons and remains under team control through 2023. This trade was truly one of Huntington’s best.

Number 4 – Pirates Acquire Francisco Cervelli

With Russell Martin hitting the free agent market, and returning to his native Canada, the Pirates were left with a hole at catcher following the 2014 season. With the free agent market was thin, the Pirates went out shopping and acquired what would be their primary catcher for the next half decade.

For Francisco Cervelli, the Pirates sent to the New York Yankees left-handed relief pitcher Justin Wilson. Wilson had struggled the season prior with the Pirates (4.20 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 1.32 WHIP), but was still just 27-years-old, and did well in 2013.

Cervelli on the other hand had always showed the potential of being an everyday catcher, but was blocked by the likes of Martin, and Jorge Posada. When Cervelli finally did get the chance to play regularly in 2015, he hit for a strong .295/.370/.401 line, and posted solid defensive numbers (+8 DRS, 0.5 dWAR). He was also a plus pitch framer, all of which led to him post a 5.9 fWAR.

While Wilson was productive in his one season with the Yankees, it only lasted 61 innings. Cervelli, on the other hand was fairly productive with the Pirates when he was healthy. Cervelli became a fan favorite and fell in love with the city of Pittsburgh as much as the city did him. Early in the 2016 season he signed a contract extension with the Bucs that kept him around for three more seasons.

Overall, he finished his Pirates tenure with a .264/.362/.374 line in 1734 PA’s. You can read more about Cervelli’s tenure with the Bucs here: Top 10 Pirates Players Of The Decade: 6-10

Number 3 – Pirates Acquire A.J. Burnett

Now we’re getting down to the final 3. A.J. Burnett was one of the best Pirate pitchers of the early-to-mid 2010’s. All it took to acquire him from the Yankees was taking on $13 million of the remaining $33 million that was owed to the right hander, and two minor leaguers.

The two minor leaguers who the Yankees received in the deal, Diego Moreno and Exicardo Cayones, played a grand total of 4 games in the Majors for the Yanks. Cayones never even reached the majors.

Burnett on the other hand was excellent for the Pirates. During 2012 and 2013, Burnett posted a 3.41 ERA, 3.17 FIP, and 1.23 WHIP. He was 17th in pitcher fWAR among all qualifying pitchers during this time frame as well. His strikeout total of 389, and K/BB% (15.7%) ranked 15th in the MLB, while his FIP ranked 12th.

Burnett’s love of Pittsburgh even helped the Pirates resign him during the 2014-2015 offseason after struggling with the Phillies, and turning down his player option to stay in Philly. Although he pitched in an injury limited 26 games/164 innings, Burnett’s send off tour included an outstanding 3.18 ERA, 3.36 FIP, a 1.36 WHIP, and the one and only All Star game of Burnett’s career.

The impact of the Burnett trade was not felt just on the field. He helped change the culture in Pittsburgh and was the leader of the pitching staff and the clubhouse while on the North Shore. Burnett became one of the most popular players in franchise history and helped change baseball in Pittsburgh.

Number 2 – Pirates Acquire Bryan Reynolds And Kyle Crick

You’d be pretty hard pressed to find a Pirate fan who wasn’t upset when news broke of Andrew McCutchen being traded. Ironically, the trade might go down as the best trade Huntington made during his tenure.

The fan favorite and 2013 MVP was coming off a solid 2017 season (.279/.363/.486, 28 home runs, 123 OPS+), but it was a far cry from the numbers he was putting up in the peak of his prime between 2012-2014 (.320/.405/.534, 162 OPS+). Plus with and the Pirates not in direct contention for a playoff spot, McCutchen was traded to the Giants for two players – reliever Kyle Crick and outfielder Bryan Reynolds.

Reynolds had a great rookie season in 2019. He posted a .314/.377/.503 batting line in 546 PAs. While he wasn’t going to be a finalist for a Gold Glove, Reynolds posted a +1 DRS in his primary position of left field. He ranked 5th in fWAR among all position player rookies last year with his 3.2 fWAR, and 5th in rookie wRC+ at 131 (min. 300 PAs). The switch hitter will enter 2020 as the team’s primary left fielder, and a legit All-Star candidate.

While Kyle Crick struggled for about 42% of 2019, he still was one of the better set-up men in 2018. In 60.1 innings Crick posted a 2.39 ERA, 3.14 FIP, and 1.13 WHIP. While he struggled with control in 2018, Crick walked just 3.4/9, while striking them out at a 9.7/9 rate. Crick is still only 27 years old, and looks to play a major role in the Pirates bullpen plans in 2020.

McCutchen was solid in San Francisco, posting a .255/.357/.415 line and 15 home runs, but he played just 130 games/568 PA’s. He was traded at the August deadline to the NY Yankees for two minor leaguers, one of which isn’t even in the Giants’ system anymore.

A big part of this trade is projecting the future for Reynolds. All signs point toward Reynolds becoming one of the best outfielders in the National League and a potential face of the franchise type of player.

Number 1 – Pirates Acquire Mark Melancon

Mark Melancon will go down in history as one of the best relievers in Pirate franchise history. To fill in the void of set-up man, the Pirates traded then closer Joel Hanarnhan, and utility prospect Brock Holt to the Boston Red Sox for Melancon, right-handed pitcher Stolmy Pimentel, infielder Ivan De Jesus, and outfielder Jerry Sands.

Initially, the trade was met with skepticism in Pittsburgh. Melancon was coming off a down season and Pimentel was viewed as the big piece in the trade. Furthermore, Hanrahan was coming off an All-Star season. Well, Melancon became a three-time All-Star while Hanrahan saw injuries derail his playing career.

After a rough 2012 season, Melancon bounced back in a big way in ‘13. He pitched to the tune of a 1.39 ERA, 1.64 FIP, and 0.96 WHIP. He gave up just a single home run and 8 walks in 71 innings of work. All told, Melancon posted a 1.80 ERA, 2.27 FIP, and 0.93 WHIP with the Bucs in 260.1 innings across three and a half seasons.

Melancon’s 6.7 fWAR with the Bucs is the third most of any Pirates relief pitcher of all time only being passed by Kent Tekulve and Roy Face. The right hander also has the 5th most saves (130), and the single season save total (51 in 2015) in franchise history. He more than made up for De Jesus and Sands never playing a game for the Bucs, and Pimentel barely making an impact in the 42 innings he did pitch with the Pirates.

As for the Red Sox end of the deal, former Pirates’ closer Joel Hanarhan may have pitched good for the Pirates between 2011-2012, but he only pitched 7.1 of baseball where he gave up 8 earned runs. Unfortunately, Hanarhan would throw his last pitch at just 31 years old in ‘13 after his career was cut short by multiple Tommy John surgeries.

Brock Holt put up a decent tenure in Boston. Overall, Holt posted a .272/.342/.378 line including a 94 OPS+ and a 2015 All-Star nod. While Holt wasn’t going to rival David Ortiz for the big bat in Boston, Holt recorded innings every position on the diamond aside for catcher and pitcher. Holt is currently a free agent.