First, let’s clear up a misperception. One that goes like this: “The Pirates never sign their best young players.”
In fact, the Pirates signed arguably their three best young position players — most talented, anyway — of the past 20 years. Signed them to contracts designed to buy out years of free agency and take them past their 30th birthdays, no less.
The “Dream Outfield.” Remember?
At age 25, Andrew McCutchen signed a six-year, $51.5 million contract comparable to deals already secured by draft classmates Juston Upton and Jay Bruce. McCutchen massively outplayed the contract but was underperforming toward the end of it and wisely was traded for a younger and now-better outfielder, Bryan Reynolds (more on him in a minute).
The Pirates also signed Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco to long-term deals when they were in their mid-20s. How those contracts came about — or worked out — isn’t the point as it pertains to this discussion.
Point is, the Pirates signed three talented young players for what would be (and likely was) the prime of their careers. They did not sign some others. Josh Bell springs to mind, although he never established himself as a big-money candidate and still hasn’t.
Are there other recent position players the Pirates let get away because they weren’t willing to pony up?
Neil Walker got old. Pedro Alvarez imploded. Austin Meadows was part of a misguided trade (OK, a historically calamitous trade) that had nothing to do with finances. Jason Bay, if you want to go back that far, was 29 by the time the Pirates dealt him as part of a rebuild. The embarrassing Aramis Ramirez trade, executed under financial distress, happened on Kevin McClatchey’s watch.
Moving on to pitchers, Gerrit Cole is probably the best example of a talented, young player the Pirates let get away in his prime because they simply wouldn’t pay him. Then again, who could have predicted Cole would go from good player to superhero — Spiderman springs to mind, for some reason — in his second life?
If we’re going to complain about the Pirates, and there is much to complain about, let’s at least be accurate.
And let’s be very clear on this: Their problem isn’t letting young talent get away. It’s producing young talent in the first place. It’s acquiring it, by all available means, and then developing it.
If the model is the Tampa Bay Rays, and it should be, then the goal is to build a farm system that continues to replenish itself and supplement it with smart moves involving veteran players.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington already has improved the farm system, to the point where some place it in the top 10.
Which brings us back to Reynolds, a most interesting case for Cherington.
Reynolds turned 26 in January. He has a legit case to start in the All-Star game. The Pirates control his rights, through arbitration, for four more years. He cannot become an unrestricted free agent until age 30.
Do you try to sign such a player and keep him here, theoretically, into his 30s?
Or do you turn him into more assets, more young talent?
I’m leaning toward choice No. 1. Reynolds is that good. But if I’m the Pirates, and I inherited a system nearly bereft of promising prospects, and I might not win during Reynolds’ prime years, anyway, I have to at least be open to choice No. 2 — especially if it’s the kind of scenario former MLB executive Jim Bowden endorsed the other day.
The Athletic proposed the following trade, strictly hypothetical: Reynolds and closer Richard Rodriguez to the Atlanta Braves for a package of younger players that would include Drew Waters, Trey Harris, Logan Brown, Kyle Wright and Jasseel De La Cruz.
A comment was included: “The perpetually rebuilding Pirates would add a top outfield prospect in Waters and additional solid position prospects in outfielder Harris and young catcher Brown, while Wright could probably step right into their rotation.”
Bowden’s take: “If I’m the Pirates, I make that deal so fast your head would spin. … I think the Pirates would be huge winners in the long term. The reason for that is I like Waters over Reynolds when it’s all said and done. … The Pirates would control Waters through at least 2027, a change of scenery and new game plan could really help Wright, and it’s only a matter of time before (potential reliever) De La Cruz channels his raw stuff.”
I wouldn’t want to see Bryan Reynolds go, and he likely won’t. But the Pirates are in no position to hang up on anybody.
They have to listen.
