Pirates defiant, not demoralized
McCutchen, Cole were traded, but Pittsburgh believes it can compete
BRADENTON, Fla. — They’re on the players union’s hit list. They’re reviled by agents. They’re chastised by opposing players, including a few of their own.
Even their own fans are infuriated.
Ladies and gentlemen, your 2018 Pittsburgh Pirates.
The ones who suddenly are without the face of their organization, Andrew McCutchen, and the staff ace, Gerrit Cole.
They were unceremoniously traded away this winter, causing a revolt in Pittsburgh.
There might be a greater chance of commissioner Rob Manfred and agent Scott Boras having a delightful dinner together in Florida than the Pirates’ hopes of reaching the postseason.
But you walk around the Pirates’ clubhouse, and instead of finding turmoil and sorrow, you discover something rather bewildering.
A giant chip on their shoulders.
While the Pirates acknowledge the departures of McCutchen and Cole were painful, they still have too much talent and pride for anyone to confuse them with the Miami Marlins.
“It’s going to be different; we know that,’’ said Pirates first baseman Josh Bell, who hit 26 home runs and drove in 90 runs last season. “But no one in here is counting us out.
“I think we definitely will be able to hold our own, and I really believe we can be a force to be reckoned with.’’
And don’t tell them they would rather tank than compete.
“It’s an easy assumption to make,’’ Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. “We traded two good players, so they’re not trying to win. We keep hearing that and reading that. “It’s just not true.’’ The Pirates, who were 75- 87 last season, will tell you they had to make those painful trades. McCutchen, 31, had one year left before free agency and wasn’t coming back. Cole, 27, had two years left before free agency and wasn’t going to stay any longer, either. It’s life in the small market. “The challenge every majorleague team faces is that when you have a player nearing free agency, and you do not believe there is a realistic chance to extend him,’’ Huntington said, “you have a choice. Do you ride it out with that player and have that player help you win games and know you’re going to lose him in free agency? Or do you look to trade that player and see if you can acquire multiple players that can help you win games?’’
The truth is the Pirates nearly traded McCutchen away a year ago. They shopped him throughout baseball. They just never could find the deal they wanted until the San Francisco Giants stepped up in January.
The Pirates received reliever Kyle Crick along with outfielder Bryan Reynolds, the Giants’ fourth- best prospect, and saved themselves $ 12 million. It was a trade that made perfect sense for the Pirates, particularly if they believed they weren’t going to win the National League Central with McCutchen and had no chance to sign him after the 2018 season.
The head- scratcher was the Cole trade to the Houston Astros, receiving starter Joe Musgrove, reliever Michael Feliz, third baseman Colin Moran and minorleague outfielder Jason Martin.
The trade was resoundingly ridiculed by baseball executives and scouts, believing that the Pirates should’ve received a greater package in return, particularly because there was no urgency in moving Cole two years early.
“How do they know that?’’ Huntington said. “How do they know? It’s awfully easy to secondguess what you don’t know.
“I recognize the criticism that we didn’t get any top- 100 prospects in our trades, but the reality is that we got four of them that were in the top 100 at some point in their careers. They just have actual major- league value now than theoretical prospect value.’’
Maybe time will prove the Pirates were prudent in their moves. Maybe this will turn into a Mark Melancon- Felipe Rivero swap.
Maybe, one day, it will all make sense.
“This is a new era of Pirates baseball, and if I didn’t believe we could win,’’ said manager Clint Hurdle, who signed a four- year contract extension last winter, “I wouldn’t have come back here. I’ve got strong feelings about this. We actually have done this before, and in a more challenging situation. We lost 212 games in two seasons before I got here in 2011, and this team has so much more talent.’’