Pittsburgh Pirates Trade Partners: Joe Musgrove & Philadelphia Phillies

Odds are high that the Pittsburgh Pirates will trade starting pitcher Joe Musgrove this offseason. Could their cross state rivals be a trade partner for Musgrove?

Sunday night, the 2020 MLB Winter Meetings kicked off virtually. At the meetings, general manager Ben Cherington and the Pittsburgh Pirates will have a list of what they want to accomplish.

A big factor of what the Pittsburgh Pirates will likely look to accomplish is to move their top trade chips. Arguably, their top trade chip is starting pitcher Joe Musgrove. We have discussed multiple teams that could be a trade partner with the Pirates for Musgrove.

There could, however, be a new team emerging as a potential landing spot for Musgrove. This team is the cross state rivals of the Pittsburgh Pirates – the Philadelphia Phillies.

Entering the 2021 season, Aaron Nola will be the ace for the Phillies. Zack Wheeler is currently slated to slot behind him the Philadelphia’s rotation, however, the Phillies might be interested in moving Wheeler.

Even in if the Phillies keep Wheeler, they will be in need of starting pitching help. If Wheeler is htraded they will likely be desperate for starting pitching help. This could make the Phillies trade partners with the Pittsburgh Pirates when it comes to Musgrove.

If the Phillies were to be interested in Musgrove, what could he land for the Pittsburgh Pirates? Well, as Musgrove continues to be a pitcher that is highly though of in front office circles, odds are, he would net the Pirates a strong return this offseason.

The Philadelphia farm system featues plenty of intriguing potential peices for a Musgrove trade. right-handed pithcers Francisco Morales (Phillies’ #5 prospect via FanGraphs, 45 future value) and Adonis Medina (#9 via FanGraphs, 40+ FV) are two players that immediately jump out.

Morales has reached Low-A in his pro career and Medina has pitched as high as the Double-A level. Morales would be a top 10 prospect in the Pirate farm system, according to FanGraphs, while Medina would crack the top 15.

Another player the Pirates could be interested in is outfielder Mickey Moniak (#7 via FanGraphs, 45 FV). Moniak was the number one overall pick i nthe 2016 MLB Draft and made his MLB dbeut for the Phillies this past September.

With the Pittsburgh Pirates looking for outfield help, Moniak is a player who could interest them. A package of say Moniak and Median would be a fine return for Musgrove, whose trade value is that of a pitcher that should net a pair of 45 FV players. Due to this, even Moniak and Morales, or Morales and Medina, would be a strong return for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Center fielder Johna Rojas (#8 via FanGraphs, 40+ FV), catcher Rafael Marchan (#10 via FanGraphs, 40+ FV) and  right-handed pitcher Mauricio Llovera (#11 via FanGraphs, 40+ FV) are all players the Pirates could also have interest in. However, they are slightly lower rated, so Cherington may look for three prospects in that case, and they are each further away from making a MLB impact than the other prospects discussed.

The Phillies have the farm system needed to swing a trade for Musgrove. Combine this with their need for starting pitching help and they could find themselves engaged in trade talks for the Pirate righty. If this proves to be the case, then it will be up to Cherington to swing the best deal possible for the Bucs.