What trading Josh Bell means
Also, profiling pitcher headed here
It’s one of the low-key, funnier parts of the 2011 baseball movie “Moneyball.” In spring training, Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane turns to his assistant, Peter Brand — played by Jonah Hill and based on a real person named Paul DePodesta — and jokingly tries to instill a sense of fear.
“This better work,” Brad Pitt says, drawing a reaction from Hill.
Believe it or not, this brief exchange applies to the Pirates and the long-term franchise fix general manager Ben Cherington is conducting, one that picked up a few points of clarity after a trade Thursday of Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals.
Since Cherington has taken over, he’s accumulated an assembly line of pitching possibilities. They range in scope from premium prospects to reclamation projects, but the needs and goals remain the same — to help these guys get better and ultimately contribute to the major league club.
To aid that process, Cherington has overhauled the Pirates pitching program, from hiring Oscar Marin at the major league level to adding John Baker as director of coaching and player development to bringing in Josh Hopper from the college ranks as coordinator of pitching development.
While the old regime once had success acquiring project pitchers and making them better, that trend got decidedly worse in the final few years of Neal Huntington’ tenure, from Gerrit Cole and Tyler Glasnow shining elsewhere to Chris Archer encountering significant struggles once the Pirates gave up three key prospects to get him.
With what Cherington has done since taking over, most recently adding two of Washington’s top-six prospects per MLB Pipeline in pitchers Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean, the Pirates are clearly counting on their new hires to help these guys and several others reach their full potential.
“We spent a lot of time this year reorganizing pitching development from the major leagues down to the Dominican Republic, so I’m excited about that,” Cherington said Thursday. “As we add more talent, I believe the Pirates can be a place where those guys improve and flourish. The proof will be in the pudding, but we have to continue to work really hard on that.”
It’s a pretty big bowl of pudding because Bell was no little bit. In fact, he might have been their biggest available trade chip, an All-Star in 2019 and someone who easily could become a franchise cornerstone for the contending Nationals.
Adding pitching also clearly has been a focal point for Cherington, whether that has meant dumpster dives, the MLB draft or, like Thursday, via trades. During Cherington’s tenure, the Pirates already have added six pitchers who now fit in their top 19, according to MLB Pipeline. And that doesn’t include 2019 first-round draft pick Quinn Priester, their fourth-best prospect overall and front-of-the-rotation starter.
“I’m really excited about not just the talent of the guys we’ve acquired, but I’m also excited about the work that’s being done in our pitching program,” Cherington said.
One common thread is that all of these draft picks have been right-handers with projectable tools — either fastballs with spin and velocity or breaking balls with bite. When it comes to relievers specifically, the Pirates have found success by narrowing pitchers’ focus and accentuating strengths.
The best course of action will be for the Pirates to help refine those weapons and allow their young pitchers to grow. The worst will be forcing them to conform to some sort of cookie-cutter plan the way the old group did.
While Cherington remains committed to acquiring more talent, it’s equally important for the Pirates to ensure the pitchers they do have pan out, including Priester, Brennan Malone (via the Starling Marte trade), Yean and Carmen Mlodzinski, all of whom ranked within their top nine prospects. There is also Crowe, Jared Jones and Nick Garcia.
Mlodzinski, Jones and Garcia, in case you forgot, represent the Pirates competitive-balance, second- and third-round picks from this past summer.
“No matter how well we do in pitching development, there’s going to be some attrition over time. We know that, Cherington
said. “To build a pitching staff that’s good enough and deep enough to win in Pittsburgh, we don’t need 15 or 20 guys; we need 30 or 40. Because they don’t all work out as well as we want them to.”
In the Pirates case, it’s clear they were aware of a deficiency in this area. How well the changes work out should tell us plenty about their future.
Moran time
Another thing the trade told us is that Colin Moran now likely will see the bulk of the reps at first base. Cherington said that the Pirates did not, and will never, make a trade like this to cater to one player, and that’s a smart way to do business. But they also had to do something to solve the logjam at first base, especially if the designated hitter does not remain in the National League in 2021.
“Separate to this trade, yes, we’re very encouraged by what Colin did [in 2020],” Cherington said. “[We] certainly believe he can do a really good if he’s getting a lot of at-bats at first base. We’re excited to see him build on 2020.”
Moran led the Pirates in home runs (10) and total bases (84) and tied for the team lead in RBIs (23). Only Ke’Bryan Hayes had a better OPS than Moran’s .797.
Assuming the Pirates make no other moves and keep Moran as their primary first baseman, he should be able to grow into the position from a defensive standpoint. It’s certainly a better spot for him than third base, where Moran’s lack of range was an issue. (Not that they would ever think about moving Hayes.)
It also potentially could give them some outfield flexibility should the DH remain. If, say, the Pirates wanted to keep Moran at first and limit how much time Gregory Polanco spends in the outfield, that could open a spot for Jared Oliva, Cole Tucker or any younger outfield prospect who takes a step or two forward this upcoming season.
Buckle up
The trade of Bell certainly has the attention of Pirates players. Think about it: If Cherington was willing to deal Bell, essentially saying that his remaining time here did not outweigh the need for multiple, younger prospects, then that same strand of logic could apply to anyone on the roster.
Cherington also made no bones about how busy he’s been this offseason.
“We’ve had a lot of phone calls, and we’ll see where those lead,” Cherington said. “But I will just say that in order to accomplish our goals, which is again to build a
winning team and sustain that in Pittsburgh, we’re going to need to continue to focus on accumulation of talent and then development of that talent.”
So, who’s next? It stands to reason that Joe Musgrove and Adam Frazier, who previously were viewed as the Pirates’ two most popular players, could go.
Jameson Taillon also has been a surprisingly popular piece, according to multiple sources, although it’s unclear what the Pirates might be able to get back for someone coming off a second Tommy John surgery.
The Pirates also have an attractive, lateinning reliever in Richard Rodriguez, an asset that potentially could be wasted on a team that’s not positioned to win many games this upcoming season.
Still, with 11 players who are arbitration-eligible and in a situation where the Pirates certainly do not seem to be prioritizing the present, it stands to reason that Cherington could be a busy man before the Pirates reconvene for spring training.
Yean a gem
The last takeaway from deal has to do with Yean, a player several sources believe could truly blossom into an elite prospect in a couple of years.
Although Yean has not pitched above Class A short-Season ball, he already has added nearly 50 pounds in less than three years. Yean has top-end velocity and blends a pair of fastballs with a slider that has shown plenty of swing-and-miss potential.
“Big, physical kid from the Dominican Republic who kind of came on the scene in 2019 in short season, and his stuff started popping,” Cherington said. “He’s got a really good fastball, mid-90s velocity, but just a lot of life. One of those fastballs that just moves a lot. Shows potential of a really good slider, and his changeup is developing.
“He’s a strong, physical kid who we think has a chance to be durable. All the reports we did in terms of the background work were really positive, so looking forward to getting to know him. He’ll join a group of young pitchers in the lower levels [of the minor leagues] that we’re excited about.”