5 QUESTIONS FOR BRADENTON
have dogged him since that strong but grueling year. Still, in 2017, even with only 81 games on the field, he did not produce that much less in terms of runs — five homers and 31 RBIs in half a season, versus seven and 43 in 2015. The bigger issues were the declines in his average (.249 in 2017 vs. .295 in 2015) and time on the field.
Which of the players acquired in the Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen trades has the best chance of making an immediate impact in 2018?
My money’s on Colin Moran. Moran, acquired from the Houston Astros in the Cole trade, made a widely noted change to his swing — removing the hitch, bringing his hands up higher, closing his stance — and that showed in his brief stint for the Astros in 2017. A left-handed batter, Moran slashed .364/.417/.818 in seven games in the bigs before a facial fracture and concussion sidelined him. The Pirates are in desperate need of more power, and Moran could help. A lingering question is whether his defense is adequate for him to become the everyday third baseman, especially when compared with Gold Glove finalist David Freese.
If we focus on the word “immediate” in this question, Joe Musgrove, another former Astro, would be another name to consider — by virtue of the fact that he has the best chance to replace Cole in the rotation. Is Josh Harrison a Pirate on opening day?
I believe so. Harrison made his feelings about the Pirates’ offseason moves known, but the trade rumors around him have quieted down in recent weeks. The New York Mets seemed like a natural landing spot, but after they signed Todd Frazier, their infield needs are much less pressing. The Toronto Blue Jays are out after signing Yangervis Solarte. The New York Yankees could still be in on him.
Why do the Pirates insist they’re not rebuilding?
The Pirates, under this front office, are never going to say they are undergoing a complete teardown — even after the Cole and McCutchen trades, which produced a mixture of MLB-ready players and prospects. Remember, Clint Hurdle and Neal Huntington just signed four-year deals with the Pirates; the idea that they would be engaging in a complete rebuild just to hand off a team hitting its prime to new leadership in 2022 isn’t appealing. The 2016 and 2017 Pirates underperformed, to be sure, but Huntington believes the current crop of players could produce at a much higher level in 2018, giving the team an automatic lift. He sees the 2018 squad as more akin to the 2011-2013 Pirates than the 20072009 Pirates. Understandably, fans are skeptical. Time will tell who’s right.