The market for 2nd basemen is pretty scarce this offseason. It was made even more scarce when the Cubs got around to it. Cubs traded recently converted 2B Starlin Castro to New York and then signed Ben Zobrist, who teams were looking at as a 2B. This makes the market thinner than it was before. With Daniel Murphy seeking more than most teams want to pay him, teams have started to look into trades. The main guy at the top of the list is Pirates' 2B Neil Walker. Nationals, Mets, and Angels all have more serious interest than that of the Orioles and others. The Angels are reportedly "very serious" in acquiring him and are pushing the hardest to get him. The market is heating up and moving fast. I do not see any way that Neal Huntington could walk away from this. With Walker only having one year of control and Hanson and others on the roster that can fill his spot, I can't see any reason he would not be traded, especially if pitching is coming the Pirates' way. With things happening quickly at Winter Meetings, I could see him being dealt before Huntington departs from Nashville. The real question here is: which team is the best fit as a trade partner? Let's analyze each.
Orioles: Orioles, at last check, had only "lukewarm" interest in the 2B. The Orioles are interested in basically every hitter available as they try to improve in that category. However, there are really not many fits there in terms of players or in salary.
Nationals: Nationals are definitely in the market for a 2B, and Walker would make sense for them. The Nats definitely have the young, controllable arms that the Pirates desire, and they are deep in that category. Guys like AJ Cole could make sense in a return. 2 Cole's in one Pirates rotation? Perhaps...........
Mets: Mets looked like the favorite to land Ben Zobrist from the very beginning. However, they got snubbed when he signed with the Cubs. The Mets have an in-house option at 2B in Dilson Herrera (former Pirates prospect), but they don't prefer him at this stage. It also looks like Murphy won't be back there unless they are desperate. Walker could provide some power in the middle of the order, at least more so than Murphy did or Herrera could. Also, the Mets have the pitching to make it work. We know they won't trade away their big 4 (Harvey, Matz, Syndergaard, or DeGrom), and they won't deal Wheeler either. However, Niese, Gilmartin, Montero could all make sense in some sort of package. I see it as a longshot at this point.
Angels: The Angels are the most serious about Walker. They are pushing really hard for him at this stage. This is the likely destination for Neil Walker, if I had to guess. The Angels definitely have the pitching to make a deal work. I would say that CJ Wilson and Jered Weaver are likely not part of any talks. However, Hector Santiago and Matt Shoemaker are likely being discussed. Both are midde-of-the-rotation starters. Santiago has slightly better numbers, but is a free agent after 2018, as opposed to Shoemaker who isn't a free agent until 2021. Anyway, they are both attractive targets.
With zero percent chance of a Neil Walker extension (reported earlier in the week), there is no chance he is kept for the ride in 2016, either. Pirates have the internal options to fill the void, as I said before. It isn't a question about if he will be dealt; it is a question of when.
No comments:
Post a Comment