The Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs will be sellers at the deadline, and the Pittsburgh Pirates might be calling. It’s an unusual position for the Pirates to be in. They’re in the thick of the wild card race and have a rare opportunity due to their strong starting pitching.
Cubs President Jed Hoyer made it official today: Barring a big win streak over the next week, anything the team does at the trade deadline will be to help them in future years.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) July 22, 2024
Reds and Cubs Are Sellers; Pirates Might Come Calling
Like the Pirates, the Cubs and Reds are in the wild-card race, too. However, both clubs have taken stock of their performance this year and decided it best to sell. The Reds have quietly let other teams know they’ll be selling in the hopes of retooling for 2025. The Cubs are increasingly pessimistic about their chances and are open for business as well. Expectations were high for both teams. Their managers should survive the season with their jobs, but one hopes they survive it with their sanity. The Reds were 82-80 in 2023 and thought they could improve upon that. Injuries haven’t helped. Meanwhile, fiery Reds manager David Bell, who has 30 career umpire ejections, looks like a heart attack waiting to happen.
The Cubs lured manager Craig Counsell away from the Milwaukee Brewers to manage their club. It was a startling turn of events, which Counsell explained by saying he “needed and wanted a new professional challenge.” Surely, he did not want to be looking up at his former club in the standings. Even under the best circumstances, Counsell always looks like he has gas. There’s no telling how this season is affecting him.
There’s precedent for teams in the same division making deadline deals. The Pirates did it last year when they sent Carlos Santana to the Brewers. Of course, these deals would involve players with expiring contracts. No team wants to strengthen a division rival over a long period. However, three players are on a short list that might interest Pirates general manager Ben Cherington.
Pitching Help
The Pirates could use one or two outfielders who can hit, but neither the Reds nor the Cubs have one that would fit. Relief pitching is a different story. Although not a top priority, the Bucs could use some bullpen help. Their rivals might be able to accommodate.
The biggest name in the group is Cubs left-handed veteran Drew Smyly. The 35-year-old has plenty of postseason experience, including two World Series in his 11 seasons. At the close of Monday’s action, he has a 2.79 ERA and 1.270 WHIP. His strikeout and walk percentages, 20.2 and 9.8, aren’t as good as one might want from a reliever. However, he becomes more attractive once one dives deeper. His ERA at home is 3.10, and, on the road, it’s 2.45. Getting him away from hitter-friendly Wrigley Field should improve his numbers. Furthermore, those numbers might be skewed by a disastrous start to the season. More recently, he gave up just two runs in 12 innings in June and one run in 7 2/3 innings so far in July. Although his contract is up this year, a $10 million mutual option for 2025 might scare the Pirates away.
The Pirates may prefer to eschew the Cubs and inquire about Reds right-hander Buck Farmer. Farmer, 33, has a 2.80 ERA and 1.200 WHIP. Like Smyly, his strikeout and walk percentages (20.4 and 9.4, respectively) leave something to be desired. On the plus side, opponents are batting .218/.311/.358 against him. Like Smyly, Farmer pitches in a bandbox. Unlike Smyly, he has a better ERA on the road (4.02) than at home (2.15). He’s pitched just 15 2/3 innings on the road so that he might reverse this statistical anomaly with more work.
Welcoming Back An Old Friend
The Reds also have Justin Wilson, 36, on an expiring contract. Wilson was a Pirate from 2012-14 and along with Andrew McCutchen, would be a link to Pittsburgh’s last run of success. After the 2014 season, the Pirates sent Wilson to the New York Yankees for Francisco Cervelli. Ten years later, it won’t take a major league catcher to pry Wilson from the Reds. With a 4.85 ERA and 1.423 WHIP, he doesn’t look like an overly attractive option. But the Pirates might be attracted by his 25.9 percent strikeout rate, which translates to 10.4 per nine innings. Furthermore, his 3.77 FIP indicates that his inflated stats may not be entirely his fault.
The Last Word
Like last year’s trade deadline, demand will exceed supply. It may take some creativity to pull off a deal. If the Pirates are looking to shore up their bullpen, the Cubs and Reds might be willing trade partners, however unusual.
Main Photo Credits: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
