PITTSBURGH _ Monday's trade of Starling Marte gave Pirates fans a glimpse into a future, reminiscent of Punxsutawney Phil showing up a few days early to work
Trading one of your best players isn't the easiest way for general manager Ben Cherington to make friends and gain influence with a beleaguered fan base. We'll find out in a few years if the combination of international bonus pool money and two now-19-year-olds Brennan Malone and Liover Peguero helps.
In the meantime, our old friend Phil lingers with a feeling of inevitability. Several Pirates, including Adam Frazier, Chris Archer and Keone Kela, have popped up in trade rumors. But one name that's been mentioned as much as any is Josh Bell.
There's a prevailing thought that the Pirates should trade their All-Star first baseman, who is 27 and coming off a career year. But there is precedence in big and small markets around the league for the Pirates to stay low and build with Bell.
Let's say the rebuild or retool takes three years; the Pirates would be in their window to compete with Bell turning 30 and presumably in his prime. That trajectory could be similar to the Atlanta Braves choosing years ago to build around first baseman Freddie Freeman.
Atlanta went through three 90-loss seasons 2015-17 but have won consecutive National League East titles the past two seasons. A lot of fans make fun of the Pirates for acquiring international bonus pool money in the Marte deal, as well last season's Corey Dickerson trade. But they shouldn't scoff. That money can be put to good use.
The Braves, for example, signed second baseman Ozzie Albies for $350,000 out of Curacao in July 2013, then grabbed rising star Ronald Acuna Jr. for $100,000 out of Venezuela a year later. It's important to note, of course, that some of the methods Atlanta used to find talent drew the ire of Major League Baseball and resulted in GM John Coppolella being banned for life.
They did make the hard choice to ship Atlanta native and fan favorite outfielder Jason Heyward to St. Louis in 2014, and saying that trade wasn't popular would be putting it mildly. The Braves got pitcher Shelby Miller in the deal, and a year later, they flipped that into acquiring shortstop Dansby Swanson and center fielder Ender Inciarte.
The Braves also traded one of the best shortstops in baseball in Andrelton Simmons and closer Craig Kimbrel. All those moves lead to some lean years, but Freeman at first base was their constant.
On the small-market side of things, take a look at NL Central rival Milwaukee.
The Brewers signed Ryan Braun to a five-year extension for $105 million in 2011. They made a lot of trades but made Braun their guy and hovered between 68 and 83 wins from 2012-16. When it came time to add, they traded for Christian Yelich, who was the NL MVP in 2018, and All-Star Mike Moustakas and have made the postseason the past two years.
Many think the Pirates should trade Bell ASAP since they feel the team won't pay up when Bell becomes a free agent.
Sure, that's possible, but on the heels of the Marte trade, it's important to remember the Pirates did extend his contract for six years back in 2014.
The deal ended up being team-friendly and made Marte more attractive to the Diamondbacks. Andrew McCutchen (six years, $51.5 million plus a team option) and Gregory Polanco (five years, $35 million plus two team options) also got fair extensions to avoid arbitration years.
With Scott Boras as his agent, it might be fair to assume Bell will go to arbitration for the next two seasons and become too expensive in 2022. But there are reasons to believe Bell could want to stick around.
For one, there probably isn't a Pirate player who spends more offseason time in Pittsburgh than Bell. He enjoys the city and is one of the few guys who has a permanent residence in the area.
"Pittsburgh's all I know. I've created a life here that I've really loved," Bell said in December. "A fan base has accepted and has watched me through the ups and downs of the game and was there. I remember all the support that I had May and June last year for the campaign to make it to my first All-Star Game.
"I'm excited for what the future holds, and I bleed black and gold, so I'm happy to be here."
Bell isn't saying he'll give the proverbial hometown discount. But it's not unreasonable to believe that he might take some long-term security and sign a deal before he becomes a free agent.
Deciding to rebuild will also do something else for the Pirates that may be the most critical of all.
The Pirates have a reputation for never "going for it" when they have a window. Deciding to build around Bell could engender goodwill with fans who are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Making a fair offer to Bell could give hope to how much the team truly believes in its young core.
It'd make perfect sense to trade Bell since he'd likely bring back the best return of any current Pirate. But making that deal would be what fans have come to expect.
Not making that trade and standing with Bell might buy a little hope for what could be some dark times. At least with Bell, you know you have a player who will give his best.
Bell can become a legend even if the Pirates don't win. If they do, he might get a statue on Federal Street.
