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Pittsburgh Pirates Add Pitching in Mock Trade with AL Central Team
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in a unique position that no one expected them to be, a contender. Right now the Pittsburgh Pirates hold the lead in the National League Central. They also have one of the youngest middle infields in Baseball between Tucupita Marcano, Rodolfo Castro, Ji-hwan Bae, and obviously Oneil Cruz when he returns.
All these players appear to be viable options for now and the future with them all showing upside to be good everyday players. So what does that mean for some of the middle infield prospects down below such as Nick Gonzales, Liover Peguero, and to a lesser degree Jared Triola? Then there is the case of 2023 4th overall pick Termarr Johnson who is not far behind those others. Not to mention the team added 2021 37th overall pick Alika Williams in a deal with the Tampa Rays.
So maybe the Pittsburgh Pirates should consider being aggressive and trading one of those prospects away. The only way this should be considered is if the player is more than a rental and is here at least through next season. Years of control is something very important for the Pittsburgh Pirates to consider before trading away some of their top prospects.
One team actually lines up with the Pittsburgh Pirates really well for a potential trade. The American League Central is not far off from the National League Central, both are not very good divisions. The Chicago White Sox are 9 games under .500 and are not showing much signs of improvement.
One of the White Sox's biggest holes in their lineup is at the 2nd base position. Their current second baseman is Elvis Andrus who is hitting .194 on the season. Their younger option, Romy Gonzalez is not hitting much with an average of .208.
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox could matchup on a trade centered around an infield prospect and a starting pitcher.
Why not. The one strength of the Chicago White Sox team is their starting rotation. They have 5 notable starters who have all had success at the Big League level. The pitcher to target when talking about a deal headlined by either Peguero or Gonzales would be Michael Kopech.
Now obviously it would take a bit of a package deal for Kopech. Kopech is a good starter who had a pretty rough start to the season which has his ERA at 4.33. However, since the beginning of May, his ERA is under 3. This is about on par for Kopech, who looks great at times then not so much at other times.
Kopech has put together a solid career so far. His ERA between 2021 and 2022 was a 3.52. Very respectable numbers. While those numbers are great there is a different story to be had. His FIP in 2021 was under 3 while in 2023 it was over 4.
The staff has always been there with Kopech. The 27-year-old has a fastball that can reach triple digits. The issue has been staying healthy but also consistent. We saw Mitch Keller, who has always had the stuff, struggle with consistency. Could the Pittsburgh Pirates bring in Michael Kopech and make a similar adjustment? He has the stuff to be successful.
Also, he likely is a pitcher they could acquire without giving up to much. A fear for all fans is for the Pittsburgh Pirates to get rid of the wrong guys. Kopech is not in the upper tier in terms of prospect cost. The Pittsburgh Pirates would have to offer up 1 of Nick Gonzales or Liover Peguero. Plus another piece looking. A prospect such as Colin Selby or Kyle Nichols could make logical sense as a secondary piece.
The other part of this is all 4 prospects named above could, if not should, be in the Majors this season. Nichols is the furthest away from the group, but Peguero has made his debut, and Gonzalez and Selby are at Triple-A. The proximity of the prospects helps with the overall value of this deal. Would you make this deal?
So would you trade one of the infield prospects and one of the pitching prospects for 27-year-old starter Michael Kopech who is controlled through the 2024 season? While there is risk in the health of Kopech, the Pittsburgh Pirates probably can get him to the next level with his stuff. Plus the Bucs have the depth in a big position of need for the White Sox. What do you say? Comment below!