Exploring a Unique Gregory Polanco Trade Angle

Taillon hopes to play this season but the number of players that made it back to the major leagues following two Tommy John surgeries is slim. Even then, Taillon would be on a hard innings cap. There is also no guarantee that he won’t get hurt again. Dude doesn’t exactly have the best track record. It may be time to cut our losses and get what we can for him.

At this point, Taillon is no longer a future ace or even a member of the rotation – he is a feel-good story of perseverance that would be a medical miracle if he stayed in the league a few more years. The San Diego Tribune recently chronicled the lack of success pitchers who have undergone multiple Tommy-John surgeries have had.

Teams will be interested in Taillon based on his pedigree and $2 million salary, but he is no longer a cornerstone. The Pirates best path forward is to let him try to come back this year, possibly establish himself as a reliable pitcher, and move him at the trade deadline. However, if they could move him in a deal like this that would provide a significant monetary reward than they should do it.*

*I want nothing that helps cheap ass Bob Nutting’s bottom line – when I say a significant monetary reward, I act on the assumption the Pirates would use that money to improve the on-field product in some way. I know this is wishful thinking.

As for Polanco...

Well, shit. He broke his wrist a few days ago while playing in the Dominican Winter League where he was not exactly lighting the world on fire. This comes after last year’s 50-game disaster where he was the worst player in all of baseball. He hit all of .153/.214/.325 over more than 170 plate appearances. At this point, half the members of the Greater Monroeville 30+ Co-Ed Softball League could outhit him.

For their part Pirates management said all the correct things – he needs time to recover from shoulder surgery in 2019, he got coronavirus, we know he has it in him, etc. – but Polanco is only here because of his contract.

Since they are stuck with him, the Pirates intend to roll him out in right field to see if there is anything left. I give him 50 games to prove he is healthy – and, honestly, a major league-caliber player – before releasing him and eating his salary. If by some miracle he is somewhat productive then he could make for a marginal trade chip. If you can’t already tell, I’m done with him.

An Ugly Year on the Horizon

The Josh Bell trade before Christmas sparked some outrage on Twitter with claims of “the same old Pirates” and I get that. It is hard to get rid of the players you’ve watched for years, but we also need to be honest: Josh Bell hasn’t been that good. This isn’t trading Cutch in his prime. Bell was slightly above replacement level.



Cherington has rightly said it is about acquiring as much talent as possible. Moving Bell, and guys like Taillon and Polanco, is the right move now. While we get caught up in their potential (I feel like every time Polanco has a good week there is a bubble of excitement he has finally arrived), but that has yet to be realized.

Ditching these two to get resources to improve the long term would be the right move. The same goes for Adam Frazier, Joe Musgrove, and anyone not named Ke’Bryan Hayes.

So Mariners, Padres, Yankees, Twins, White Sox, Mets, and whoever else with more than $12 in your bank account please give us a call. We’re open for business.

David Stegon writes about the Pirates for YinzerCrazy. Follow him on Twitter: @davidstegon.

(We feel your pain below!)