At this year’s trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Pirates paid half of Martin Perez’s remaining salary to get LHP Ronaldys Jimenez back in the trade.
The 18-year-old Jimenez was signed by the Padres last June, and had three starts in his pro debut this year. Spanning six innings in those three starts, he allowed one run on two hits, with two walks and eight strikeouts. One of those outings came on July 17th against the DSL Pirates Black, when Jimenez tossed two perfect innings, striking out three. The Pirates paid half of Perez’s salary because they liked what they saw from the young lefty.
On Friday night, Jimenez made his debut in the Pirates system, tossing three no-hit, shutout innings, with four strikeouts and three walks. Stats in the Dominican league shouldn’t be treated as gospel, especially across nine innings. Scouting metrics aren’t readily available. This is a case where the Pirates liked a player, and the early numbers back up their interest. All we really have to go on is that interest.
There is the concept of “sunk cost” with Perez’s salary. The Pirates were going to be paying him anyway, so covering half of his salary to get a long-term guy they liked isn’t the same as signing Jimenez to a seven-figure deal. That said, if the Pirates signed Jimenez for $1.3 million, he’d be getting a lot of attention for this early start.
Above all, the Pirates got a lottery ticket type player to develop, in a trade for a big league starter who had no trade value.
This isn’t the first time this has happened.
It’s not even the first time this has happened with the Padres.[ppp_patron_only level=”5″ silent=”no”]
Last year at the deadline, the Pirates traded Rich Hill and Ji Man Choi to the Padres for three players. They received first baseman Alfonso Rivas, who the team cut ties with after the season. They also received left-hander Jackson Wolf, who was traded back to the Padres this year for infielder Kervin Pichardo.
The big return in that deal was outfielder Estuar Suero, who was in his age 17 season, and already showing some promise in the Florida Complex League. Suero was showing early power and speed from a projectable 6′ 6″, 180 pound frame. I can tell you that Suero was the priority for the Pirates in that deal.
Earlier in that trade deadline, they did the same thing.
The Pirates sent Carlos Santana to the Milwaukee Brewers, receiving 18-year-old infielder Jhonny Severino. The young shortstop was also showing power and speed in the Florida Complex League. He returned to the level this season, and was one of the best on the FCL Pirates, batting .291/.373/.545 with ten homers and 12 stolen bases. Severino is currently finishing his 2024 season in Single-A with the Bradenton Marauders.
In each of these cases, the Pirates traded Major League rental talent for prospects in the lowest levels of the system, early in their careers. Those types of deals are easier for the acquiring team to stomach, since the players traded away are so far from the majors. The Pirates received pure upside, with the chance to fully develop each player.
The best example of this working out was back at the 2017 trade deadline. The Pirates sent pending free agent reliever Tony Watson to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In return, they received a young infielder by the name of Oneil Cruz.
Cruz was an 18-year-old in his second pro season, who received an aggressive push by the Dodgers from the DSL to Single-A. He was batting .240/.293/.342 with eight homers, so there was really nothing but raw power potential to cling to at that time. That power quickly gained the attention of Pirates coaches in West Virginia that year, merely a week after the trade.
After a breakout season in West Virginia in 2018, Cruz made it to Double-A by the end of 2019. Following the pandemic, he arrived in Pittsburgh at the end of 2021, made it for real in 2022, suffered an injury in 2023, and is finally putting up above-average results in a full-season in the majors in 2024.
This does provide some perspective.
We’re unlikely to see Jimenez, Suero, or Severino in the majors until 2027-2028, at the earliest. It could be into the 2030s by the time any of them are producing above-average results at the big league level. There is also the possibility that none of them make it. But the projectability for above-average results in future years is a better alternative to a lower ceiling, higher floor prospect who can add depth to the bench in 2025-2027 — with the same bust potential that comes with even the “safer” and lower upside prospects.
I liked this approach of trading for lower level upside when the Pirates took it with Cruz, back when Neal Huntington was the General Manager. I especially like that current General Manager Ben Cherington has been utilizing this strategy more often. Years from now, we might look back and realize the Pirates got a long-term steal with one of these moves, in the same way the Cruz deal can be viewed today.
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