Pittsburgh Pirates: Derek Holland Could be an Interesting Trade Piece

With the Pittsburgh Pirates possibly being the only sellers in the National League, and many contending team’s pitchers hitting the IL, Derek Holland could become a really interesting trade piece.

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Derek Holland to a minor league contract back at the very end of January. So far, he’s been inconsistent. Through his first 11.1 innings of work, Holland looked really impressive. Though he did allow 6 earned runs, three of them were given up by poor defense, and Miguel Del Pozo’s lack of control.

Holland’s third start of the season was a disaster. Though he pitched 5 innings, he gave up five home runs, and 9 total earned runs. But he still struck out six batters, and walked just one. Plus, so far, he’s only had one truly disastrous inning with the Pittsburgh Pirates. That being the 1st inning of the game vs the Tigers. Three of the five home runs, and 5 of the 9 earned runs he gave up all came in the 1st inning of that game.

The last time Holland pitched, it was out of the bullpen. He threw 2 shutout innings, and struck out two batters. Hopefully, that 1st inning in the game against the Tigers was a fluke. Holland pitching out of the pen isn’t anything new to the lefty. He’s done it 75 other times in his career, so he does have value as a swing man as well.

Despite his 6.58 FIP, he has a much more manageable 4.58 xFIP, which is roughly league average. If you take out that one inning where he gave up four home runs, his actual FIP becomes 3.62. Holland is also inducing soft contact 20% of the time, which is well above the league average rate of 15%.

What makes Holland, in a season like this, intriguing is the fact he’s a durable left handed pitcher. Since the beginning of 2017, he’s only had two 10-day injured list stints. Many teams right now need durability.

Look at how many contenders have lost pitchers because of injury. The Braves currently have three pitchers who were supposed to be large cogs in their staff out. The Cubs haven’t seen Jose Quintana all year, and recently placed Tyler Chatwood on the injured list. Astros’ Justin Verlander, Chris Devenski, Roberto Osuna, and Brad Peacock are all hurt. The Twins lost Rich Hill for a good chunk of the year, and Homer Bailey is still on the injured list. Who knows what the Indians are going to do with Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac. The Tampa Bay Rays have eight pitchers who were on their MLB roster on the IL. Durability right now is a must, and if you can get a durable, semi-competent, starting capable pitcher, especially a lefty, they’re going to get some attention.

What also could make Holland an interesting trade piece is the lack of sellers this deadline. Teams that were projected to be sellers in a normal season, like the Tigers, Orioles, Marlins, Rockies, and Rangers all look like they could stand pat at the deadline. There are only three, maybe four true sellers this deadline. That being the Pirates, Red Sox, Mariners, and possibly Giants. This could potentially leave the Pittsburgh Pirates as the only true sellers in the National League.

Now, obviously, I don’t think we’ll get back anything like a top prospect for Holland. But that doesn’t mean that player won’t become an interesting prospect to watch. When the Pirates acquired Oneil Cruz for Tony Watson, Cruz was an extremely raw talent, but had a .635 OPS at Single-A. This is now one of the best trades Neal Huntington made in his tenure. Tahnaj Thomas wasn’t all that known of a prospect when the Pirates traded Jordan Luplow and Max Moroff for him, and now FanGraphs ranks him as the 79th best prospect in baseball with one of the best fastballs in the minors.

I could see the Pirates pulling a similar trade to last year when the Orioles sent Andrew Cashner to the Red Sox for two 17 year old prospects. A very raw talent that’s extremely projectable. Sometimes, those guys turn into top prospects. Even getting something back like international bonus pool money would be a plus as this upcoming 2020-2021 International class could be one to keep an eye on. Having extra bonus pool money to spend on that could help the Pirates sign a better prospect than one they could get through trade.