Pirates Likely to Keep Wheeling and Dealing

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Roger L. McNamara

Active Front Office.     Whatever It's standing in the NL Central, the Pirates front office cannot be faulted with idly standing by.  The weekend leading up to the August 2nd MLB trade deadline was occupied with two player moves.  Specifically:

Left handed hitting Daniel Vogelbach had been used largely as a DH  this season, when over 75 game appearances he slashed a below average .228/.338/.430.  The numbers account for only 34 runs driven in off 12 homers, an all-or-nothing ratio underscored by 67 KO’s in 278 Plate Appearances.  Put another way, Vogelbach can be expected to whiff once in every four trips to the plate.  The NL East Division leading New York Mets thought enough of him to send 26 year old rookie right handed relief pitcher Colin Holderman to the Bucs.  Admittedly in limited action this year --- fewer than 18 innings of work --- Holderman has authored a sparkling 2.04 ERA paired with a 2.57 KO/Walk ratio.

The Mets’ Citi Field home park does not especially favor a left handed power bat, as in fact its outfield dimensions are slightly shorter in left and left center.  Such playing time as Vogelbach is destined to see will likely come entirely against right handed pitching, as his  OPS numbers are wildly out of kilter.  Against southpaws he has put up a mere .489, contrasted with a .817 mark when facing righties.  The average National League OPS is .712, while the Yankees lead all 30 MLB clubs with a .776 total;

Then on Saturday, the Pirates and Mets met up at the altar for the second time in as many days.  This time the Mets were looking for backup insurance at Catcher, and the Pirates agreed to an undisclosed cash consideration in exchange for light hitting reserve backstop Michael Perez.  Five seasons with Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh have yielded a .175 batting average for Perez, with little boost in the power department.  He is widely credited, however, with above average defensive skills, which may prove useful in late innings of a close 2022 Playoff encounter. 

More to Come?  As this is written the trade deadline remains a week down the road.  As mentioned in a recent note on the Pirates, veteran left handed starter Jose Quintana would appeal to most contenders seeking to bolster pitching depth.  His stock may have risen following a 7 inning shutout gem authored Saturday against the Florida Marlins.  In a typical outing, he surrendered neither a home run nor a base on balls.