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Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Under-the-Radar Trade Chips
While the Pittsburgh Pirates have multiple trade chips that have been discussed at length, they also have their fair share of under-the-radar trade chips that could help net them young talent before the end of the month
With the July 30 trade deadline slightly over three weeks away, few teams figure to be as busy as the Pittsburgh Pirates. Fully entrenched as sellers, the Pirates have multiple good trade chips that could net them strong returns.
Among these trade chips players such as Adam Frazier, Richard Rodríguez, Chris Stratton and Tyler Anderson have been talked about plenty. However, these are not the only trade chips the Pittsburgh Pirates have.
The month of July will be a vital one for Ben Cherington. Between the Pittsburgh Pirates owning the number one overall pick in the draft and trade deadline, Cherington will have multiple opportunities to add more young talent their already deep farm system.
Sometimes under-the-radar trade chips can help add pieces to the farm system that may seem like minor pieces but prove to become big-time prospects. An example of this was when Neal Huntington landed Oneil Cruz in exchange for Tony Watson in 2017. That said, let’s dive into looking at three under-the-radar trade chips the Pirates have.
Outfielder Ben Gamel
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Ben Gamel in early May after he was designated for assignment by the Cleveland Indians. Gamel’s overall numbers this season are nothing special. In 156 plate appearances Gamel is hitting for a .225/.297/.391 slash line to go with an ISO of .167 and an 89 wRC+.
Since joining the Pirates, however, Gamel has been a much better hitter. His struggles early in the season with the Indians is what has led to Gamel have poor overall numbers thus far in the 2021 season.
Gamel is hitting for a .242/.304/.419 slash line to go with a .177 ISO and an wRC+ of 98. Gamel has drawn walks at an 8.6% rate with the Pirates to go with a 9.4% extra base hit rate in 139 PAs in the black and gold.
A veteran outfielder who can play all three outfield spots while providing some left-handed pop is something teams in the postseason race will value. Gamel can also play first base which also adds to his value.
While the odds are low that Gamel would garner interest as an every day player for a contending team, he could provide a ton of value as a fourth outfielder and a reserve first baseman. Gamel can also add value as a pinch-hitter and a left-handed bat off the bench. It would not be a surprise to see the Pittsburgh Pirates swing a deal involving Gamel by the end of July.
Left-handed reliever Chasen Shreve
This past offseason the Pittsburgh Pirates signed left-handed reliever Chasen Shreve to a minor league contract. It came as a bit of a surprise that the Pirates were able to sign Shreve to a minor league deal, it was also a surprise when he did not crack the Opening Day roster.
Shreve started the season with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. In early May the Pittsburgh Pirates promoted Shreve to their MLB roster. Since then, Shreve has done nothing but pitch well for the Pirates.
After having successful seasons in the past with the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets, Shreve is putting together a strong season once again. In 23 appearances this season Shreve has pitched 20 innings. He’s walked 8.9% of batters faced, struck out 20.3%, has allowed just 3 home runs and has limited opposing batters to a .194 opponent batting average against.
All of this has led to Shreve posting a 2.25 ERA and a 4.56 FIP this season.
Shreve’s biggest value comes in his ability to limit left-handed hitters. LHHs have hit just .152/.237/.152 off of Shreve this season. He has not allowed a home run to a left-handed hitter this season and has struck out 18.4%.
In his career Shreve has struck out 27.6% of LHHs faced while limiting them to a .221/.320/.397 slash line. So while his strikeout rate against LHHs is down this season, he has improved in limiting power, as he has not allowed an extra base hit.
At the trade deadline teams are always looking for bullpen help. This is especially true when it comes to left-handed bullpen help. Due to this Shreve could have a strong trade market this month.
Starting pitcher Chad Kuhl
Chad Kuhl was tabbed the Opening Day for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After just four starts, Kuhl landed on the injured list. This led to Kuhl missing over a month of action as he did not return to the mound until May 31.
On the season Kuhl has made 10 starts. He’s pitched 45.1 innings, posting a 5.16 ERA and a 5.65 FIP. Kuhl’s long battle with control has continued as he has walked 13.9% of batters faced and his strikeout rate of 17.3% is a career-low. However, he’s allowing home runs at a rate of 1.19 HR/9 which is his lowest since 2017.
What could make Kuhl intriguing to teams though is his stuff. Kuhl possesses a power fastball, as well as throwing both a slider and a curveball that have the potential to be plus pitches. Kuhl has also pitched better since coming off the IL, posting a 4.55 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 9.5% walk rate and a 0.61 HR/9 in 29.2 innings pitched in six starts.
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Ultimately, Kuhl may be best suited for a long relier/swing-man role in the Majors. As the Pittsburgh Pirates saw with the likes of Jeanmar Gomez, Vance Worley, Vin Mazzaro and Joe Blanton, to name a few, during their 2013-2015 postseason runs these types of arms can be vital. All it takes is one team falling in love with Kuhl’s potential and believing they can be the organization to harness it for him to develop a trade market.