, and I’m going to assume (Huntington wouldn’t say) they include pitchers Gerrit Cole, Jameson
By Joe Starkey
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
July 19, 2012
Pirates prospect Gerrit Cole, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft, pitches in his Double-A debut with the Altoona Curve on Wednesday, June 20, 2012, at Peoples Natural Gas Field. (Christopher Horner/Tribune-Review)
There are no untouchables. Pirates general manager Neal Huntington told me as much in a radio interview the other day. Any prospect could be included in a trade.
But the context was important. Huntington said it like this: “If someone wants to make a ridiculous offer, no one is untouchable.”
Since most GMs are not in the habit of making ridiculous offers, I’m going to assume the Pirates have a few all-but-untouchable prospects, and I’m going to assume (Huntington wouldn’t say) they include pitchers Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon and Luis Heredia.
I would hope so, anyway.
There’s no way I would move any of the three unless it’s a positively ludicrous offer — and I don’t consider, say, the risky proposition of acquiring underachieving Arizona outfielder Justin Upton ludicrous enough.
I’m not even sure offense is the Pirates’ biggest need anymore. Not after four more home runs Wednesday at Colorado. Not with the way the rotation has slipped of late.
I’d rather see another arm or two.
Pitching is the key to the rest of this season and to the seasons beyond. The team’s future offensive core is shaping up nicely in the form of Willie Mays — I mean, Andrew McCutchen — Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker.
So no matter how loudly fans and media clamor for Huntington to part with an elite pitching prospect in order to “win now,” he must do what is right for the long-term future: He must hang onto his million-dollar arms ($17.1 million, actually, if you add the money it took to sign all three).
Besides, the Pirates are winning now. They’re fixing to win a lot more, too. After a weekend series against mediocre Miami, they play teams named “Cubs” and “Astros” 10 straight times and 23 times in their final 68 games.
The offense, at the moment, is prodigious. Unbelievably so, considering the way the season started. Even when the Pirates lose, they are liable to have a galvanizing moment like the Alvarez post-rain-delay home run Monday night.
There is a certain magic in the air.
“Unfortunately, (Monday’s game) didn’t want turn out the way we wanted, but it got us maybe a little back on track, shook everybody up,” Casey McGehee told me in a phone conversation after Wednesday’s win. “I don’t know what you want to call it, but I think we’re a really good team. I think around the country, people don’t know.”
I keep hearing that acquiring Upton would be a “statement” to the fans. It’d be great, if the Pirates don’t touch one of their Big Three pitching prospects. But acquiring A.J. Burnett and signing McCutchen were pretty powerful statements, no?
Sitting 11 games over .500 isn’t a small one, either.
And it’s not like making three pitchers off-limits would preclude Huntington from supplementing his team. He still has the wherewithal to make a high-impact deal.
The Pirates could dangle an enticing position-player prospect from the likes of outfielders Starling Marte and Josh Bell and shortstop Alen Hanson. They could afford to take on salary, as they did at last year’s deadline (that was a statement). They own some fairly attractive Triple-A arms.
Huntington should not be reluctant to dip into his position-player pool. Potentially elite pitchers are another matter. Pitching, quite simply, is more important. You’re seeing that this season. It took the Pirates forever to find a lead horse. They finally found one in Burnett, and he is 35, so his time figures to be limited.
Cole, Taillon and Heredia possess top-of-the-rotation pedigree. Such a rare commodity.
“Moneyball” provided evidence of that. You might consider “Moneyball” to be the story of a franchise that outwitted the system. I consider it the story of a franchise smart enough — and lucky enough — to draft three pitchers (Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder) who became great and carried a team.
The idea is to build an organization that contends annually. That does not have to preclude “winning now.”
No doubt the Pirates have an incredible opportunity. The division has slipped. The Cincinnati Reds just lost Joey Votto for several weeks. There is an extra wild-card in play.
The Pirates can capitalize without nudging the golden eggs in their nest. It’s not easy attempting to contend and build simultaneously. But as caretaker of the franchise, Huntington’s mandate is precisely that.
It’s the responsible way to go.
Joe Starkey co-hosts a show 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays on 93.7 “The Fan.” His columns appear Thursdays and Sundays. He can be reached at jraystarkey@gmail.com.
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