The Pittsburgh Pirates had a quiet trade deadline.
They dealt away Daniel Vogelbach, Jose Quintana, Chris Stratton, and cash considerations.
In return: RHP Colin Holderman (for Vogelbach), RHP Johan Oviedo and 1B Malcom Nunez (for Quintana/Stratton), and RHP Jeremy Beasley (for cash).
It’s not exactly Juan Soto and Josh Bell.
There aren’t many players to choose from, but for this edition of Prospect Roundtable, we each picked the player who stood out the most.
JOHN DREKER: Malcom Nunez, 1B
I’m not 100% sold on his power being a legit tool due to the crazy home/road splits this year, but Nunez has the most upside of the small group of new players. At 21 years old, he has shown solid walk and strikeout rates throughout his career, while hitting for some power. The fact that he has been able to make hard contact consistently in Double-A at a young age, while getting on base, gives me some confidence in his ability to at least make it to the majors as more than just a cup of coffee type player. Maybe he doesn’t hit for enough power in the future to be a starting first baseman on a contending team, but that type of upside is there. The Pirates need impact players and he at least has that ceiling. I’d go for that type of player every time I’m pulling off trades during a rebuild. You hit on just one high ceiling player and they’re going to add so much more value than a high floor/low ceiling safe player, who are the type that can be found readily through minor league free agency each year.
WILBUR MILLER: Colin Holderman, RHP
It’s not an impressive group. Beasley is the standard waiver-claim-equivalent reliever, a demographic with which Ben Cherington has shown no aptitude. Oviedo and Nunez have the ominous aura of overrated Cuban prospects. The writeups on them over the years at Baseball America are sobering. They start off raving, then over time become more and more tentative. You’re left wondering, Is this the same guy from 2-3 years ago?
So that leaves Holderman, which is fine because he does look promising. For one thing, he’s had actual success in the majors, which makes him nearly unique among relievers acquired by Cherington, some of whom haven’t even had any success in Triple-A. Holderman will be 27 in October and scuffled most of his time in the minors, but he’s been so plagued by injuries that I don’t think you can pay any attention to anything before 2021, and he missed half of that season, too. Of course, all that adds risk, but it also means he doesn’t have much mileage and he’s probably just now coming into his own. He throws hard and his secondary pitch — which I’ve seen categorized as both a slider and a cutter — misses bats. And he was good with the Mets. Hopefully, he can slot in for the late innings, which is a big need for the Bucs.
ANTHONY MURPHY: Johan Oviedo, RHP
I think Johan Oviedo has the chance to be a good reliever for the Pirates, should they put them here. It sounds like they want to try him out as a starter first, and I’m not sure that I like that for Oviedo. He does throw four pitches that would work well as a starter, but he’s really taken a step forward in his pitch metrics out of the bullpen this year and seems extremely replacement level in the rotation.
Extra innings never hurt anyone’s development, especially someone who is 24 years old, and this is going to sound harsh, but if the Cardinals decided he’d work better as a reliever I’d tend to believe he’s probably more suited out of the bullpen.
TIM WILLIAMS: Malcom Nunez, 1B
There are two routes that I could take here. I think it’s most likely that Colin Holderman is going to be the best player from this group. He’s already shown limited success in the majors, and the metrics behind that success point to more in the future. The Pirates see him as a potential high leverage reliever, and that is something this team needs. Holderman has some upside if he can develop into a late inning guy, and I don’t think that upside can be matched by Johan Oviedo or Jeremy Beasley — unless you believe Oviedo can transition to starting. The one guy who might have more upside is Malcom Nunez. The 21-year-old has seen a power surge this year in his second season in Double-A. He has 17 homers and a .208 ISO, without an increase in strikeouts, but with an increase in walks. The Pirates, under Ben Cherington, have shown a trend of buying this type of small sample of success and hoping it is real. Jack Suwinski and Diego Castillo saw this trend last year. The Pirates need first base help. They need relievers, but it’s easier to find relief pitching help than it is to find a first baseman. Nunez enters a system where his only upper-level competition is Mason Martin, and Martin has struggled with his contact skills this year. With no one really blocking his path, Nunez could have a shot at developing into the first base role in Pittsburgh. Considering the Pirates have fewer options in the system at first base, especially in the upper levels, I’d take the pickup of Nunez over any of the potential relievers.
THIS WEEKEND ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
Williams: Breaking Down the Pirates Roster After the Deadline
Prospect Roundtable: Who Was Your Favorite Trade Deadline Acquisition?
Prospect Roundtable: Evaluating the 2022 Pirates Draft Class
Malcom Nunez: Making Progress In Unlocking Raw Power
Miguel Yajure finds trust and comfort with the Pirates
