According to Jon Morosi, the Pittsburgh Pirates have had trade discussions with the Arizona Diamondbacks for shortstop Didi Gregorius. There were no details from Morosi on what the Diamondbacks could be looking for as a possible return, though they do need starting pitching.
Gregorius is a 24-year-old, who hit .252/.332/.373 in 103 games last year, his first full season in the majors. Gregorius also played briefly for the Cincinnati Reds in 2012. He has never hit much in the minors, although he was always young for the level he was at. Prior to the 2013 season, Baseball America rated him at the 80th best prospect in the baseball, while MLB.com had him ranked 63rd.
He posted an 0.3 WAR on defense last year and Baseball America twice named him the best defensive infielder in his organization and in 2012, he was the best in the Southern League. Gregorius has a very strong arm to go along with his solid glove. Since coming to pro ball in 2008, Gregorius had played almost exclusively at shortstop, including every game he has played in the majors. He has played four games at second base, the only other position he has played.
Gregorius lost out the starting shortstop job to Chris Owings and according to at least one source, the Diamondbacks are looking for a major league ready starter to take the place of Patrick Corbin, who may miss the entire 2014 season with an arm injury. The Pirates have pitching depth at starter, but they also know that last year that depth came in handy. It’s possible that with the need to move one reliever before Opening Day, that someone like Jeanmar Gomez or Stolmy Pimentel could be used as a trade chip. Both pitchers have been stretched out during Spring Training.
