The Pittsburgh Pirates made their third trade in as many days tonight, sending Bryton Trepagnier away to Atlanta for Edward Salcedo. Unlike the last two moves, this is something that will have zero impact on the Major League level this season. Salcedo isn’t on the 40-man roster, and he didn’t receive an invite to Major League Spring Training. I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes to Altoona this year. He has struggled in Triple-A, and the Pirates are loaded with infield options for Indianapolis. If they want Salcedo getting playing time, then it would make sense to send him to Double-A. It also might help with any adjustments they might want to make with him.
As for the analysis of this deal, there’s not much to say. Salcedo used to be held in enough regard that he received a $1.6 M bonus from the Braves in 2010. He obviously hasn’t panned out as expected, making him an upper level project for the Pirates. And the cost?
Trepagnier throws with some nice velocity, working in the mid-90s when I saw him last year, and featuring sinking action that led to a 55% ground ball rate. He had some poor control numbers, and seems like his upside is just a reliever, if he makes it to the majors. I like the projectable frame, and Trepagnier has already added velocity in his career, going from 88-92 MPH when he was drafted, to his current range in the bullpen. He was drafted in the 41st round in 2010, and has made some impressive strides in his career so far, exceeding where a late round pick would normally reach.
You could also call Trepagnier a project, due to his control issues. He didn’t make our top 50 prospects this year, and Salcedo wouldn’t have made the list either. The Pirates have a lot of minor league relievers like Trepagnier, including guys in the lower levels who can throw mid-90s with control problems. Salcedo can play third base, and they don’t have many players who can do that in the minor league system. He’s a long-shot, but that’s a shot worth taking, especially when you’re trading from an area of strength, which is how I would describe the pitching depth at the top three levels. But overall, this move is a pretty small blip on the radar this off-season.
**Pittsburgh Pirates 2015 Top Prospects: #2 – Jameson Taillon. Any guesses on the number one prospect in the system? If you’ve enjoyed the countdown, buy the 2015 Prospect Guide to get write-ups on the entire top 50 prospects, along with profiles for 200+ players in the system.
**Pirates Trade Bryton Trepagnier To Atlanta Braves. The story on the trade.
**Here is the player page for the guy they got back: Edward Salcedo
**Luis Heredia’s Goal Is To Finish The 2015 Season In Altoona. In this I talk about the changes Heredia has gone through the last few years, while also pointing out that he’s still very young, despite the feeling that he has been around forever.
The Pirates keep getting recognition all around:
**Neil Walker Ranked Fourth Among All Second Baseman
**Tony Watson And Mark Melancon Rank Among Best Relievers In Baseball
**I got a few responses about the new theme in the comments today. For those of you looking for certain features, I’ll have a guide by this weekend, after I get everything finalized. However, some of you mentioned that you couldn’t read the comments. I had that issue on my PC on Chrome, and no other browser. I didn’t have it on my Mac at all. I found out that this was a browser issue, where my Chrome browser on my PC was zoomed in 125%. When I zoomed out to 110% and 100%, the comments showed up. I’m not sure if that’s the solution for everyone who had this problem, but that solved it for me. If you notice anything else, leave a message in the comments.
