Los Angeles Angels left fielder Jo Adell makes a sliding catch on a fly out by Texas Rangers’ Josh Jung in the second inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The trade deadline is three days away, meaning there’s no better time to answer your questions than now. Let’s get to it!
Who are your most realistic options for bullpen help as well as a bat that can hit left handed pitching? – Adam
I mentioned a handful of options in my trade deadline primer that I wrote yesterday, which can be found here. Of the possibilities I named, one has since been traded as the Mets dealt left-hander A.J. Minter to the Twins for a pair of prospects.
Looking at some names who have been mentioned leading up to the deadline, Mason Miller is a pipedream. He’s one of the top players potentially available and a homecoming would be a neat story, but I think the Pirates will be reluctant to meet his asking price. However, his teammate, Adrian Morejon, is a very intriguing option.
The Mets (Luke Weaver, Huascar Brazobán), Marlins (Michael Peterson, Lake Bachar, Anthony Bender), Orioles (Yennier Cano, Rico Garcia, Tyler Wells) and Angels (Ryan Zeferjahn, Kirby Yates) are among the teams with multiple options the Pirates to consider.
As for a right-handed bat, I think OF Jo Adell (Angels), OF Lane Thomas (Royals), OF Tyrone Taylor (Mets) and 1B Ty France (Padres) are among the possibilities.
I mocked this trade on AI and it was rated a 10 – what say you? Termarr Johnson, Hunter Barco and Mitch Jebb to the Angels for Reid Detmers, Ryan Zeferjahn and Jo Adell. – The Don of Nopo
That trade would be a 10 for the Pirates, but the Angels would want more. Johnson has struggled mightily this season and doesn’t have the same status he did entering the year. Barco is a prospect trending in the wrong direction. Jebb isn’t even a top 30 prospect in the organization anymore.
Detmers, Zeferjahn and Adell are three players who all make sense for the Pirates, but a deal for all three would require a package of better prospects with a strong headliner. I think the Angels would ask for Edward Florentino or Murf Gray.
Will the Pirates get it right and trade for meaningful players? – Ed Helinski
I think they will add important pieces, yes. Despite stumbling out of the post-All-Star break gate, the Pirates realize the position they’re in. They have the offense (which has struggled of late). They have good starting pitching. They’re just missing a couple pieces in the bullpen and another complement or two on the roster.
The bullpen will be the main focus. They need guys who can pitch late in games and in high-leverage spots. What they need won’t be sexy, but they can add meaningful help without mortgaging the future.
Do you expect them to acquire an outfielder and trade Keller? – Ca Ferrera
I do expect them to aggressively pursue a right-handed bat, and having it be an outfielder does make sense. The three options I previously mentioned (Adell, Thomas, Taylor) all make plenty of sense, and there are other options as well.
As for Keller, I do not expect him to be traded. His value is currently at an all-time low with a lackluster performance this season and a nearly $17 million salary, plus raises the next two seasons. And while Keller hasn’t been as good this year, the Pirates need a veteran presence in a rotation that consists of a player who has already eclipsed last year’s innings (Braxton Ashcraft), another coming off elbow surgery (Jared Jones) and a rookie (Bubba Chandler).
Who are the relievers we realistically can add? Fan of adding Weaver & Zeferjahn plus rental or two – Michael Hockenberger
Since I already mentioned a few possibilities with a previous question, let’s dig deeper into Luke Weaver and Ryan Zeferjahn.
Ben Cherington should be calling about both players. Luke Weaver has been lights out this season and would close for this team. He signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Mets in the offseason, so it would be a pretty significant salary added to next year’s payroll. But the Pirates have some money coming off the books, and Weaver would be a tremendous add.
Zeferjahn is another really good fit and checks a lot of boxes. He’s been good this year, strikes out a ton of batters, has a few saves, can get left-handed batters out and is affordable for the next few years.
Why does BC wait to the last minute to pull the trigger? We sure could have used some help the past 6 critical Games and the next 4 coming up – Jimmy Beach
To be fair, he has already made a couple deals that have impacted the big-league team, but I get what you’re saying. There are a couple reasons why.
For starters, it takes two to tango. The other team has to be willing to pull the trigger on any deal, and trades are complicated. There hasn’t been a whole lot of movement so far around the league.
Sometimes, teams wait as long as possible to get or give up exactly what they want. Cherington should be showing urgency, and I have no doubt he’ll swing some trades by Monday’s deadline. But he’s not going to overpay on something he’ll end up regretting.
When are they going to trade Brandon Lowe. – Roger Richards
They won’t. The Pirates won’t be sellers. Even if they have a tough series in Cincinnati, they’ll be looking to buy. Have they underperformed? They have since the All-Star break. But they’re still in the thick of the National League wild card race and a couple additions could go a long way.
They also have a general manager fighting for his job, and selling off big-league pieces at the deadline once again would likely seal his fate.
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