PITTSBURGH _ The Pirates entered this season with high hopes for plenty of things, especially Gregory Polanco. Manager Derek Shelton repeatedly referred to Polanco's baserunning during spring training as "inspiring" and talked about the right fielder extending the Pirates' lineup by protecting Josh Bell and adding power to the middle of their lineup.
A third of the way through the season, Polanco's performance thus far has fallen well-below expectations. The only thump has been the sound of Pirates fans throwing things at the television.
A 0-for-3 night Wednesday in a 6-1 loss to the Indians dropped Polanco's batting average to .070. Another strikeout gave him 22 in 49 plate appearances, a strikeout rate of nearly 45% _ or 15.7% higher than how he fared in 2019 (29.3%).
Shelton said before Wednesday's game that the Pirates were encouraged by Polanco's average exit velocity, which ranked eighth in Major League Baseball, but it was also an extremely low sample size; of the seven players who've fared better than Polanco, four have had at least twice as many batted-ball events _ or contact that has been charted.
The Pirates can extol Polanco's exit velocity all they want, but he's simply not producing enough for someone who's in the lineup more days than not. And they're in a tight spot when it comes to what they can do to remedy the situation in right field.
Polanco's contract isn't pretty. His full-season salary in 2020 started at $8 million, and it will jump to $11 million in 2021. The Pirates do not have any sort of buyout option until 2022, when they can buy him out for $3 million. If they would designate Polanco for assignment, the Pirates would almost assuredly have to pay him his money.
Trading Polanco would also be tough. A 28-year-old outfielder with a history of shoulder problems and whose performance has taken a hit over the past two years isn't going to command any sort of return, which means that the Pirates are likely stuck with Polanco for this year and next.
So, what can the Pirates do?
Not much, honestly.
They can play Polanco and hope he figures it out. They could also sit him down and give him what appears to be a much-needed break. Anyone who has watched Polanco recently can see that his swing has once again gotten long and loopy, the swing-and-miss too obvious to ignore.
Meanwhile, the Pirates are wasting a golden opportunity for development. While playing Polanco every day in right field, they're also keeping Cole Tucker from gaining meaningful outfield experience and burying Jason Martin and Jared Oliva at their alternate training site in Altoona.
Before the most recent road trip, Shelton praised Oliva, saying he was "working his butt off down there" and "doing a lot of good things." Shelton called the promotion to the taxi squad "a reward" for Oliva, although they apparently don't think enough of him to give him a real shot with the major league club.
If the Pirates are going to properly position themselves for the future, it's becoming increasingly likely that it will not include Polanco, who had just three hits in 43 at-bats this season heading into Thursday.
As a defender, Polanco has navigated right field fine, but his throwing has been inconsistent at best _ hardly enough to make up for the lack of offense. And as the Pirates endured a 1-for-21 night from the top-six hitters in their lineup against Cleveland, Polanco was one of several who added nothing.
It's easy to like Polanco. He does work hard. He's well-liked by his teammates, and his smile is infectious. But the results have been abysmal.
If the Pirates are going to take the long view and use this season to see what they have, it only makes sense to give younger players a chance, especially when those above them are coming nowhere near meeting expectations.
But the contract attached to Polanco makes this a tough equation to solve. The Pirates can give Polanco a breather to try and get right, but they also can't lose sight of the long-term goal: to help Polanco recapture his swing enough to either contribute in Pittsburgh or make him attractive enough to help another club.
Right now, both seem miles away. And the Pirates are sending the wrong message to their young players by continuing to play Polanco and preventing guys who legitimately might be part of their future from cutting their teeth during what is obviously a transition year.
While Oliva has never played above Class AA, he did enjoy an excellent run in the Arizona Fall League. It's not inconceivable he would be ready to hit major league pitching. Martin is a speedster who has 40 career plate appearances in the big leagues, slashing .250/.325/.306. The 24-year-old acquired from Houston in the Gerrit Cole trade might also make sense to play in center field ahead of Jarrod Dyson, who's hitting just .143.
For the same reason why it seems like a waste to give reps to Polanco, who certainly appears to be tracking toward a buyout, Dyson is 36 and on an expiring contract. For a rebuilding team that has lost 16 of 20, planning for the future should probably start as soon as possible.
