Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is just days away, but so far, the hot stove has remained cold.
With the exception of Thursday’s trade that sent Nelson Cruz from the Twins to the Rays and a swap that sent Joc Pederson to the Braves, there has been little action thus far.
But while very little has been consummated, Ben Cherington said on his radio show on 93.7 The Fan Sunday that those talks have started to pick up.
“It’s been pretty steady all month,” Cherington said. “Maybe it took a three day pause for the draft but then jumped back into it. It does feel like it picked up a bit over the weekend. I would imagine across the industry we’ll see some trades this week, as we normally do. We need to be ready and prepared to act if there’s something we think helps us get better in the long term.”
“Sometimes the deadline really does have a way of forcing two parties to their end point, and that’s how a decision comes together,” Cherington added shortly after. “But often is case to find common ground sooner, and sometimes a team will be motivated to move sooner, given their particular situation.”
The Pirates are one of the few sellers that have a good mix of players available. Need a hitter? There’s Adam Frazier. Pitching? Tyler Anderson is on the block, and Richard Rodriguez is one of the better bullpen arms available.
Not that they have to make a trade. With the exception of Anderson, who signed on a one-year deal, the Pirates still have team control on most of their trade chips. Frazier has one year of arbitration remaining, and Rodriguez has two.
In the same situation last year, Cherington only made one minor trade at the deadline, sending Jarrod Dyson to the White Sox for international bonus money. Instead, he dealt his best trade chips, Joe Musgrove and Josh Bell, that offseason.
The same approach is applicable this year.
“We don’t need to make a trade for the sake of making a trade. We didn’t really last year at the deadline,” Cherington said. “You’ve just got to evaluate every situation as it comes. We have to stay focused on adding talent and adding young players that grow with us, get better and help us win. There’s opportunities to do that.”
MORE FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER
• The signing deadline for all draft picks (August 1) is rapidly approaching too. While nine of the 11 players the Pirates selected in the first two days have signed, there are still two remaining: Competitive Balance Round B outfielder Lonnie White Jr. and fourth-round right-hander Owen Kellington.
While Cherington once again reiterated that he is optimistic the Pirates will sign them and they are making "good progress," but "until they’re done, they’re not done."
"We’ll see where we go here the next few days."
• Mitch Keller has seemed to find his footing since being demoted to the minors last month, pitching to a 3.21 ERA over 28 innings.
There isn't a timetable for him to return to the majors, but Cherington said he's confident that Keller will earn another chance this year.
"His mindset is in a good spot," Cherington said. "He’s been really pretty consistent filling up the zone. We know how talented he is. He’s gonna earn his way back."
• On Saturday, a source told DK Pittsburgh Sports that Kyle Crick had cleared outright waivers and had been placed on release waivers, meaning that the Pirates were effectively moving on from the right-hander. Crick was designated for assignment Monday after the club acquired left-hander Dillon Peters from the Angels.
Cherington cited Crick's inconsistencies throwing strikes as part of the reason to DFA him, in addition to the fact that he was primarily a one-inning reliever.
"Those leverage opportunities started to go to other guys. We thought it would be best for him to get a fresh start somewhere else."
Cherington cited Austin Davis and Kyle Keller as two guys who could get more leverage spots.