Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Travis Swaggerty Trade Proposals

Pittsburgh Pirates Acquire: Sixto Sanchez
Miami Marlins Acquire: Travis Swaggerty

It wasn't all that long ago that Sixto Sanchez was considered one of the best prospects in all of baseball. In 2020, Sanchez came off a strong but short showing in the major leagues, working to a 3.46 ERA, 3.50 FIP, and 1.21 WHIP in 39 innings. He capped off his 2020 rookie campaign with five scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs in the 2020 Wild Card round, which included six strikeouts.

Things were on the up-and-up for Sanchez heading into 2021. He was viewed as one of baseball's brightest young arms. But unfortunately, Sanchez has suffered injury after injury, leaving his future ultimately up in the air. In 2021, Sanchez suffered multiple setbacks regarding his shoulder and underwent surgery in July.

Constant setbacks delayed Sixto's long-awaited return this past season. Sanchez suffered more shoulder-related injuries in 2022 and underwent a second shoulder surgery in September. Though he is expected to be ready for Spring Training, it's reasonable to be skeptical about his health.

When Sanchez was healthy, he was one of baseball's most electric pitchers. In 2020, Sanchez averaged 98.5 MPH with his four-seam fastball, making it the fourth-fastest fastball in 2020. His fastball was elite, but his changeup was even better. With an extremely low spin rate with his changeup, batters managed just a .148 BA and .193 wOBA against it. He also throws a sinker, cutter, and slider.

So why would the Marlins give up Sanchez and be interested in Swaggerty? The Marlins' outfield was terrible last season. As a collective group, they batted just .216/.284/.364 with a .286 wOBA and 85 wRC+. Their only outfielder with 200+ PA and a wRC+ above 100 was Bryan De La Cruz at 104. They were a respectable team defensively with +11 defensive runs saved, +5 outs above average, and +2.4 UZR/150, placing them middle of the pack. But overall, their +1.5 fWAR was the third lowest in baseball.

It's also not as if they have a top prospect coming up through the system. None of their top 15 prospects are OF prospects, according to FanGraphs. Their best outfield prospect per FanGraphs is Griffin Conine, who had a 103 wRC+ but struck out at a horrid 36.9% pace. He ranks 19th on FanGraphs' list and no. 26 on MLB Pipeline. Former first-rounder JJ Bleday struck out at a 27% pace at Triple-A despite a quality 123 wRC+ and had a 72 wRC+ in the major leagues and -.3 fWAR.

Sanchez is essentially an unknown commodity at this point. Sure, at one point his ceiling was sky-high, but that was two years and two shoulder surgeries ago. It's a high-risk/high-reward proposition for the Pirates as they're giving up a semi-decent OF prospect for a guy who now has undergone the knife twice for major procedures before his age-25 season. The Marlins need as much outfield help as they can get, and Swaggerty can slot into center field right now for the Fish.

Pittsburgh Pirates Acquire: Brant Hurter
Detroit Tigers Acquire: Travis Swaggerty

The Detroit Tigers are a team who is in need of outfield help, especially in center field. Comerica Park's outfield is one of the most spacious in all of baseball, even with the new dimensions. The Tigers' outfield struggled last year and is entering the year with questions left unresolved so far this off-season. In return, the Pirates would get Brant Hurter.

Hurter was the Tigers' 7th-round pick from 2021. Hurter made quick work of minor league batters, going from Low-A and debuting at Double-A by the end of the season. While his 3.71 ERA might not jump off the page, he had an outstanding 2.52 FIP and 1.12 WHIP. The southpaw struck out 31.1% of opponents faced with a walk rate of just under 5% (4.8%).

Both his strikeout rate and walk rate were outstanding, but his ability to prevent the long ball was even better. Hurter had a HR/9 of just 0.59. He also had a ground ball rate of 53.2%. Overall, he had the best FIP, K:BB ratio, and xFIP (2.44) among the Tigers' farmhands with at least 50 frames under their belt during the 2022 season.

Hurter is not a flamethrower, only working in the 92-94 MPH range, but that is a step forward for him. He was sitting 88-92 when the Tigers drafted him, but he also throws his fastball with some sink. His primary breaking offering is a low-80s slider. It's an offering with a high spin rate and his best pitch. His low-spin change-up is another pitch that projects to be average or better.

So why would the Tigers have any interest in Swaggerty? Tigers outfielders batted an abysmal .235/.302/.342 last season with a wRC+ that clocked in at 86 (14% below league average). They were the fifth least productive team when it came to outfielders. None of their OFs had a wRC+ of 100 or greater in 200+ plate appearances. As a defensive unit, they produced decent results with +25 DRS and +12 OAA, albeit with a -2.4 UZR/150.

Looking at the Tigers' depth chart, they could definitely use the help. Austin Meadows, Riley Greene, and Akil Baddoo are the current left-to-right line. Meadows isn't necessarily known for his durability and Baddoo is coming off a sophomore season in which he had a sub-.600 OPS. Meadows also has yet to play 100+ games in the outfield in his major league career, as he split most of his time at LF and DH during his time in Tampa.

Youngster Kerry Carpenter is on hand after a solid, albeit brief major league showing, and Austin's brother, Parker Meadows, looked great at Double-A, so there are some other potential long-term assets besides Greene. Either way, the Tigers could still use a guy who can slot into the spacious center field spot. Although Greene is still young, he doesn't project as a CF long-term, and he posted mostly average defensive numbers at center last year.

Both Swaggerty and Hurter rank around the same spot per MLB Pipeline. The former comes in at the Pirates' no. 19 spot, while the latter comes in at the Tigers' no. 22 ranking. The Tigers have a myriad of young pitchers like Tarik Skubal, Garrett Hill, Joey Wentz, Beau Brieske, and Matt Manning, with both Casey Mize and Spencer Turnbull returning from injury. Also, three of the Tigers' top five prospects per MLB Pipeline are pitching prospects. The Pirates meanwhile, have very few notable left-handed pitching prospects.

Pittsburgh Pirates Acquire: Jordan Balazovic
Minnesota Twins Acquire: Travis Swaggerty

The Minnesota Twins were recently in the rumors for looking into Kansas City Royal outfielder Michael A. Taylor. The Twins do have a decent outfield. Stalwarts Byron Buxton and Max Kepler have been part of the organization for quite some time now and regular fixtures in their major league line-up since 2015. Alex Kiriloff and Trevor Larnach have both shown talent, and they also resigned Joey Gallo in hopes of him rebounding. Plus utility man Nick Gordon had a great breakout season.

But the Twin outfield is also streaky, both in terms of performance and health. Byron Buxton is a notorious glass cannon. When he's healthy, he is one of baseball's premier center fielders. But he's failed to play 100 games in a season since 2017, which is also the only year he appeared in 100+ contests. Max Kepler has been consistently solid, but only played 115 games. Although talented, both Larnach and Kiriloff are still unproven. Gallo, of course, is coming off an abysmal season.

The Twin outfield is a high-risk/high-reward group. If Gallo rebounds, Buxton plays 120 games, and Kiriloff, Kepler, and Larnach put something together, they could have a highly productive outfield. But that's many ifs. They wouldn't be looking into another outfielder capable of playing center field if they were confident in their current options to stay both healthy and productive next year.

The player I have the Pittsburgh Pirates acquiring in this deal is Jordan Balazovic. Balazovic is a prime rebound and change-of-scenery candidate. Last year, Balazovic had atrocious numbers, including a 7.68 ERA, 6.80 FIP, and 1.97 WHIP. He had a mediocre 21.6% strikeout rate and 10.4% walk rate, but where he struggled the most was his home run rate. Balazovic allowed home runs at a 2.6-per-9 rate.

Now, why would the Pirates have any interest in Balazovic as a prospect? For one, bad luck was a significant factor in the right-hander's season. Balazovic had a .390 batting average on balls in play, the sixth-highest mark among all minor league pitchers (min. 70 IP). His home run rate should also regress to the norm. His HR/FB ratio of 29% was also the second worst in minor league baseball.

Balazovic sits in the 93-96 MPH range while throwing a slider and curveball. This trio of offerings projects as average or better. His change-up, meanwhile, is not as strong, but a pitch he can fall back on from time to time. But his command has suffered over the last two years. His walk rate has increased in each of the last two years. He's still worth giving another shot, given his underlying numbers, like BAbip and HR/FB ratio, show regression to the norm, at least to some degree.

The Twins need a true centerfield option in the almost inevitable event that Byron Buxton hits the injured list again. Although Gordon and Kepler can play the position, they're best suited for the outfield corners. Both Larnach and Kiriloff have little experience up the middle. Balazovic shouldn't be a massive ask from the Twins. He's a rebound candidate, and the Twins still have a handful of other notable pitching prospects.