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Pittsburgh Pirates: Teams That Could Be Interested In Steven Brault

By Noah Wright

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 30: Steven Brault #42 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on August 30, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day, which was postponed April 15 due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 30: Steven Brault #42 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on August 30, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day, which was postponed April 15 due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 27: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on September 27, 2020 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 27: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on September 27, 2020 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies have a solid starting staff, but, like the Nationals, are really lacking when it comes to the last spot in the rotation. Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler might be the most underrated 1-2 combo in baseball. They combined for a 4 fWAR across 142 innings (71 innings each) in 2020. If Nola and Wheeler pitched 180 innings each with the same fWAR/inning rate, they would have totaled 10.14 fWAR.

They have one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, that being Spencer Howard. Though he did struggle in his first taste of big league action, Howard is still ranked as one of the best prospects in baseball. FanGraphs ranks him at 32 and the 11th best pitching prospect. MLB Pipeline ranks him at #28. Their number four starter, Zach Eflin, has been inconsistent throughout his career, but had a good 2020 where he had a 3.97 ERA and 3.39 FIP.

It’s the final spot that many fans are concerned about. Vince Velasquez hasn’t had a notable season since 2016, the last time he had an ERA+ of 100 or better (101). Adonis Media could be another arm they turn to, but completely skipped Triple-A in 2020 and threw 4 innings in the bigs. Plus, he also struggled at Double-A.

With so much money on the books between Bryce Harper, Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen, still wanting to resign J.T. Realmuto, and needing bullpen help badly, the Pittsburgh Pirates might be able to work out a trade where they send both Brault and Richard Rodriguez to the Phillies for a worthwhile package.

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