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Pittsburgh Pirates: Possible Richard Rodríguez Trade Targets From Atlanta
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a few pieces that are going to be highly sought after in trade talks leading up to the trade deadline and one of those names is Richard Rodríguez
The MLB trade deadline is just under four weeks away, which means that trade talks are starting to heat up and teams are having to decide on if they want to buy or sell at the deadline. Could the Atlanta Braves become buyers at the deadline and make a push for Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Richard Rodríguez?
At the time of writing this, the Atlanta Braves are sitting just 4 games back of the first-place New York Mets in the NL East and are coming off of a series win against the said Mets. The two wins they got were huge as one was a 20-2 blowout and the other was one where they knocked up Jacob DeGrom for three runs.
These games came at an important time in the season, as they need to determine if the beginning portion of the season was just a bad skid or if they need to add deadline deals to compete and make another run like last season that ended in the NLCS.
If these last few games are any indication, the Braves should become buyers and improve on their bad bullpen by trading for Rodríguez. The Braves bullpen has been pretty bad, to say the least, as they are the 9th worst in terms of ERA and 5th worst in WHIP.
These types of stats are ones that will not help a team make a deep playoff run, so if the Braves want to make another run they are going to need to take a serious look at trading for Rodríguez. The Braves will get to get a great first-hand look at him also, as they start a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.
Let’s take a look at some potential pieces that the Pittsburgh Pirates could be looking for if the Braves decide to pick up the phone and try to work out a trade.
Positional Targets
Michael Harris
Michael Harris is an outfielder who is ranked the Braves 9th best prospect. Harris was taken in the third round by the Braves back in 2019. Currently, Harris is in High-A, where he is showing just how good of an all-around player he is.
Harris is hitting .328 with five home runs in around 180 at-bats so far this season. This is not surprising as he is known for his powerful bat that impressed at the alternate site last season Harris however is not just known for his hitting ability, but also the trouble he can cause opposing pitchers on the mound.
He has a 60 grade on his speed, which he is proving more and more already as he has swiped eleven bags already this season. Harris would be a great player to snag in any trade made with Atlanta, but it is unknown if they would be willing to give him up, as some are saying that he is drawing comparisons to Acuna already and that is something the Braves would love to replicate again.
Bryce Ball
Bryce Ball is a first-base prospect in High A, who swings from the left side of the plate with great power. Ball was taken in the 24th round of the 2019 MLB draft. He is ranked the Braves 12th best prospect currently and is highly touted for his power, which is rated a 60 by MLB Pipeline.
In his short pro career, 107 games, Ball has already blasted 22 long balls proving that he can hit for nice power. He also has a .278 average which shows that not only does he get a good amount of homers, but he also gets hits of any kind at a nice clip.
Ball does have one big concern though, and that is the rate that he strikes out. In his 378 total plate appearances, Ball has struck out 103 times. This total is concerning as he has only two more hits than he does strikeouts in his pro career.
If Ball can get this number under control, he would be a great addition if he is included in a trade for Rodríguez.
Trey Harris
Trey Harris is an outfielder that was taken in the 32nd round of the 2018 draft. He is currently ranked as the Braves’ 13th best prospect and currently is in Double-A ball. Trey does not have as much as Michael Harris does, but he is a constant threat to get on base.
Harris has a career batting average of .304 and an on base percentage of .381. With stats like these, he could end up becoming a great leadoff hitter down the road in the Majors.
Pitching Targets
Jasseel De La Cruz
Jasseel De La Cruz was signed as an international free agent back in 2015, but really improved during the 2019 season as he managed to get promoted three times to get into Double-A ball, and eventually to Triple-A for this season.
De La Cruz may have been rushed into Triple-A a little too fast after not having a 2020 season, as he is 0-2 with a 6.16 ERA in eight starts this year. If you take these starts out of the equation though and look at his last full season in 2019, De La Cruz held opposing batters to an on-base percentage of .291 with a HR/9 of 0.56 and an ERA of 3.25.
These numbers are more indicative of the type of pitcher he can be as they are all right around what his career average has been in his five seasons of minor league action, which would make him a name that could intrigue the Pirates.
Bryce Elder
Bryce Elder was a fifth round pick in last years draft and is currently the Braves 11th best prospect. Elder has been off to a nice start in his first season of pro ball as he sits at 2-1 in his ten games this year with an ERA of 3.12.
The main thing to like about Elder is his ability to keep the ball in the park and to keep runners off of the bases. Elder currently has a HR/9 of .37, a K/9 of 11.02, a BB/9 of 3.86, and an opponents average of .239.
All of these numbers are very promising as Elder is a type of pitcher who would be classified as a control artist, as he tops out between 90 -95 for his fastball, but has great control to still strikeout batters while not giving up many walks.
Jared Shuster
Last, but certainly not least, is a player that would be amazing to get but the Braves probably will not let him go as he was the 25th pick in last years draft. Jared Shuster is a southpaw out of Wake Forrest, who is ranked as the Braves 6th best prospect at the moment.
Shuster has a fastball that tops off at around 97 already and an offspeed that sits around 80 already and he is only in High-A ball. These pitches have been working really well for him so far as he has been really good in his six starts this season.
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He has a WHIP sitting just under 1 at .96, and holds his opposition to an average at .176. He also has a K/9 of 11.63 which is great. While he is doing this against just Single-A competition, his career outlook is very promising and is a guy that would be amazing if the Pirates could manage to get in a trade with the Braves.