The biggest Pirates-related trade deadline drama, as we all know, has involved the possibility of them trading Felipe Vázquez. By various reports, the Dodgers are hot to acquire the Pirates’ closer, who’s one of the game’s most dominant relievers and is on a below-market contract that leaves him under team control through 2023. The Pirates, meanwhile, have said repeatedly that they believe they can “compete” in 2020 and see Vázquez as a big contributor, and aren’t looking to trade him unless the return is overwhelming. The most recent reports see Vázquez as unlikely to be dealt because the Pirates’ asking price is too high.
(Might as well add a number of caveats here. Most importantly, we don’t know what the Dodgers have offered. One report has the Pirates asking for LA’s top prospect, infielder Gavin Lux, which is unrealistic. Others have them inquiring about the Dodgers’ #2 and 3 prospects, right-hander Dustin May and catcher Keibert Ruiz. If the Dodgers are putting both of them off-limits, the Pirates absolutely should pass. We also don’t know where the stories about the Pirates’ ask are coming from. If they’re coming from the Dodgers’ front office, they may be nothing more than posturing. Finally, despite the stories, a deal could get done. The Pirates are notoriously secretive and their trades often, although not always, come out of nowhere.)
Ken Rosenthal addressed the Pirates’ approach in his subscriber-only column in The Athletic. He states that the Pirates believe they’ve fallen out of the race because of injuries. Meanwhile, “Other clubs do not hold the same view, believing the Pirates essentially are fooling themselves, and should move Vázquez at a time when his value is soaring.” (Again, we don’t know whether this is posturing from other teams who might want to acquire Vázquez.) This comment alludes to what Tim Williams has written about the Pirates being stuck once again in no-man’s land, unable to settle on a strategy that has a viable path forward. The team really doesn’t have the talent to contend, but clings to it anyway because it’s unwilling to do anything that resembles a rebuild.
I completely agree with the view that the Pirates don’t currently have the talent to contend . . . and by that, I mean really contend, not just hang around the fringes of contention in July. A few tweaks in the off-season won’t change that. Where I disagree is the notion that the Pirates are fooling themselves. They’re not stuck in no-man’s land, they’re exactly where they want to be. And the issue isn’t that they don’t want to win. That’s a straw man. They no doubt subjectively want to win. But that’s completely different from being committed to winning.
What the Pirates are really trying to do, and what the supposed “contend every year” strategy is all about, is putting the cheapest possible .500 team on the field year after year. Beyond that, they’re just hoping something wonderful will happen. There’s a reason they no longer talk about winning or championships. There’s a reason Neal Huntington uses coded language like “competing,” being in “a position to add,” and adding “appropriately.” Those words aren’t random. The Pirates are lowering expectations, trying to convince fans that a season in which they aren’t an obvious seller in July is a successful season. That’s why they think injuries are to blame for their failure to achieve their goals this year and that a “few tweaks” will put things to rights. The injuries aren’t the reason the Pirates won’t be in the playoffs this year, but they probably are the reason the team fell out of the race so early.
This all explains the Archer trade, too. Their intentions in making the trade have been a puzzle to many people. The original spin — that they were “all in” — was conclusively belied by their failure in the off-season to make any effort to do anything meaningful beyond slashing payroll. The real point of the trade was to trade upside for certainty. The Pirates obviously had serious doubts about their own ability to develop highly talented players like Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows, exactly the sort of players they have to develop if they’re to have any hope of contending, as opposed to “competing.” But they weren’t willing to tolerate the risk, so they traded for a pitcher with more of a track record, with the idea that he’d help keep them around .500 for the next three years.
Which brings us back to Vázquez. It’s really the same situation, except this time the Pirates already have the (theoretically) lower-risk established player and need (if a deal can be had) to trade him for more upside. They made a disastrously bad decision on Archer. Will they go the same route again?
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
Today’s Starter and Notes: The Pittsburgh Pirates won 11-4 over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night. The Pirates will send out Dario Agrazal in the series finale this afternoon. He gave up five runs over 5.1 innings in his last start. Prior to that outing, he had a 2.25 ERA in five starts, allowing either one or two earned runs each game. The Reds are countering with 26-year-old Luis Castillo, who has a 2.71 ERA in 123 innings, with 144 strikeouts and a 1.15 WHIP. He gave up six runs over five innings in his last start, which was at home against the Colorado Rockies. Castillo has faced the Pirates twice this season, allowing one run each time, while throwing a total of 11 innings.
The minor league schedule includes Brad Case on the mound for Bradenton, making his ninth start in High-A. He tossed six shutout innings in his last outing, despite giving up seven hits and two walks for the third straight appearance. Cam Vieaux will be out there for Indianapolis. He had a 3.82 ERA in his first six starts in Triple-A, but he’s put up a 7.89 ERA in his last five outings.
Greensboro is sending out Steven Jennings, who has posted a 5.16 ERA so far during the month of July, after putting up a 2.08 ERA in June. Fifth round pick Grant Ford gets the start for Morgantown. He has tossed shutout ball in each of his last three outings, covering nine innings total. Ford struck out eight batters over four innings last time out. Adrian Florencio will go for Bristol. He threw shutout ball for the first time in his brief career (six starts) during his last appearance, going 4.1 innings with five strikeouts. Altoona has stopped listing their starters.
MLB: Pittsburgh (47-60) @ Reds (49-56) 12:35 PM
Probable starter: Dario Agrazal (3.24 ERA, 13:10 SO/BB, 33.1 IP)
AAA: Indianapolis (54-53) @ Toledo (48-60) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Cam Vieaux (5.50 ERA, 53:27 SO/BB, 52.1 IP)
AA: Altoona (54-52) @ Trenton (56-49) 7:00 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: TBD
High-A: Bradenton (58-48) vs Charlotte (64-42) 6:30 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Brad Case (3.80 ERA, 30:12 SO/BB, 45.0 IP)
Low-A: Greensboro (63-43) @ West Virginia (55-53) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Steven Jennings (5.02 ERA, 85:33 SO/BB, 95.0 IP)
Short-Season A: Morgantown (22-20) vs Staten Island (22-21) 6:35 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Grant Ford (3.24 ERA, 17:10 SO/BB, 16.2 IP)
Rookie: Bristol (18-21) vs Greeneville (17-22) 6:30 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Adrian Florencio (4.94 ERA, 22:11 SO/BB, 27.1 IP)
GCL: Pirates (11-17) vs Red Sox (15-11) 12:00 PM (season preview)
DSL: Pirates1 (23-27) vs Cub1 (23-27) 10:30 AM (season preview)
DSL: Pirates2 (42-8) vs Royals2 (24-26) 10:30 AM (season preview)
HIGHLIGHTS
From Indianapolis on Monday, Jason Martin with a big hit and a team-friendly bounce in the outfield
J-Mart sparked a three-run fourth! We now lead 4-3.#RollTribe pic.twitter.com/SCyF5KtHjd
— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) July 30, 2019
Since that was the only clip uploaded yesterday, we go to Altoona from Sunday for two more, starting with an RBI single from Bralin Jackson and a nice slide by Bligh Madris
.@Bligh_Guy goes into the Matrix and scores on a pinch-hit single by @axxtionjaxxn
⬇️6⃣ Curve 3, Richmond 1 pic.twitter.com/6rf6lCRPSQ
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) July 28, 2019
Here’s an RBI single from Brett Pope
Big pokes from @jdelay5 and @BdPope13 for the lead
⬇️4⃣ Curve 2, Richmond 1 pic.twitter.com/mwqScpmHBv
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) July 28, 2019
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
7/30: Oneil Cruz promoted to Altoona. Jerrick Suiter activated from injured list. Bralin Jackson placed on injured list. Gift Ngoepe released.
7/30: Pirates recall Geoff Hartlieb and Yefry Ramirez. Montana DuRapau and Alex McRae optioned to Indianapolis.
7/30: Elvis Escobar assigned to Morgantown on rehab.
7/30: Daniel Amaral activated from Bradenton injured list.
7/29: Jordan Lyles traded to Milwaukee Brewers for Cody Ponce. Montana DuRapau recalled from Indianapolis.
7/28: Darnell Sweeney assigned to Altoona. Alfredo Reyes assigned to Greensboro.
7/27: Pirates claim Parker Markel off waivers from Seattle Mariners.
7/27: Kyle Mottice placed on Greensboro injured list. Michael Gretler activated from injured list.
7/27: Angel German activated from suspended list.
7/27: Daniel Amaral sent to GCL Pirates on rehab.
7/27: Tyler Lyons returns to Indianapolis from paternity list.
7/26: Pirates sign Lewys Guzman, Jose Vasquez, Pedro Figuereo, Juan Santos
7/26: Osvaldo Bido promoted to Bradenton. Noe Toribio promoted to Greensboro. Trey McGough promoted to Morgantown. Lizardy Dicent assigned to Bristol on rehab.
7/25: Pirates recall Alex McRae. Luis Escobar optioned to Indianapolis.
7/25: Will Kobos promoted to Greensboro.
7/24: Keone Kela added to Pirates roster. Clay Holmes placed on injured list.
7/24: Angel German suspended by Altoona.
7/23: Brandon Waddell promoted to Indianapolis. Nicholas Economos promoted to Altoona. Conner Loeprich promoted to Bradenton. Winston Nicacio promoted to Greensboro. Oliver Garcia promoted to Morgantown. Miguel Peralta released.
7/23: Luis Nova placed on Greensboro injured list. Nick Mears placed on Bradenton injured list.
7/23: Tyler Lyons placed on paternity list. Eric Wood placed on temporary inactive list.
7/22: Saul de la Cruz promoted to Bristol. Wilger Camacho sent to GCL Pirates.
7/22: Elvis Escobar assigned to GCL Pirates on rehab.
7/20: Michael Gretler placed on injured list. Victor Ngoepe promoted to Greensboro.
THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY
Seven former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, plus 17 trades of note between 1987 and 2011. Also an impressive debut during a season the Pirates won the NL East. Because there are so many trades of note and they have all been covered before, I encourage you to check this link for the full rundown. I was going to copy and paste it, but it’s a long list.
First the game, and Tim Wakefield made his Major League debut on this date in 1992, defeating the Cardinals by a 3-2 score. He pitched a complete game, striking out ten batters. Wakefield threw 146 pitches, both runs were unearned and Barry Bonds hit a two-run homer. More on this game inside the link above, along with a boxscore.
The seven players born on this date include:
JJ Furmaniak, infielder for the 2005 club
Mike Bielecki, starting pitcher for the 1984-87 Pirates and the team’s first round pick in 1979.
Frank Brosseau, pitcher for the team in 1969 and 1971. Made one appearance during that World Series winning season.
Vic Davalillo, 1B/OF for the 1971-73 Pirates. Hit .285 in 99 games during the 1971 season. (His birthday is sometimes listed at July 30th, which I believe to be true now, but left him here because he wasn’t included yesterday)
Elmer Riddle, pitcher from 1948 until 1949. Won 12 games in 1948 and threw 191 innings, but a leg injury ruined his 1949 season. His brother Johnny was his teammate on the 1948 Pirates.
Erv Kantlehner, pitcher from 1914 until 1916. Threw a four-hit shutout in his pro debut, yet issued seven walks.
Joe Sugden, catcher from 1894 until 1897. Went nine seasons in a row without hitting a homer. Played in famous 1912 Tigers game, in which the team protested Ty Cobb’s suspension, so they filled out the lineup with amateurs and coaches. That game happened seven years after his Major League career ended. Tigers lost 24-2.
