Pirates Q & A Mailbag
My latest for Burgh Sports United will be answering questions regarding your Pittsburgh Pirates. All of these questions were asked via Twitter/X, so let’s dive right into it.
Both IKF and Andrew Heaney are both rentals, so the return on each will likely be decent, but not great. Given David Bednar’s team control, there could be a quality bat obtained; assuming Bednar continues to pitch well heading into the deadline. As for Tommy Pham, he might just be a DFA candidate. If they do get *anything* for Pham, perhaps they flip him for international bonus pool money.
The decision to have Carmen Mlodzinski start was probably his choice. Although I agree, Mlodzinski is a better option in the bullpen, and would improve that area, in the later innings.
At this point, Don Kelly should be looking to play younger options, such as Alexander Canario over Pham, and recalling Nick Yorke, while moving on from Adam Frazier.
Bubba Chandler’s time in Pittsburgh is likely to come very soon. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s called up during the Pirates’ next homestand.
You’re right, there hasn’t been an urgency to find impact bats, however, perhaps that changes at the deadline. Dennis Santana’s trade value is very high, so the Bucs could look to sell high, to get themselves a return headlined by a bonafide, MLB ready bat.
Nick Solak should get more play over Jared Triolo because he’s a better option offensively. I get it, Triolo’s defense is as solid as they come, for a utility infielder, but sometimes you need to sacrifice some defense for a hitter, who isn’t going to be an automatic out in the lineup. Am I suggesting Solak will be a difference maker for the Pirates? No. However, I do think he’s at least capable of being a serviceable, platoon type batter.
Obviously, the Pirates need to identify which core position players are capable of building around moving forward. The biggest thing that must change is their ability to develop hitters, which has been a real sore spot during Ben Cherington’s tenure. The starting rotation is a solid, foundation to work off of. When the Pirates had their postseason run from 2013-15, it consisted of a core of very good younger players, and quality, veterans, within the lineup, rotation, and bullpen. It may not be an easy recipe to replicate, but it’s one that will get the Bucs back to that point.
While I do think the end should be near for Cherington, I personally would only allow him to make trades on rental players, like IKF, Andrew Heaney, and Caleb Ferguson. Another GM should be tasked with trading away controllable assets for bigger returns.