Today, the Pirates announced that they have signed righty Trey Haley to a one year major league contract. Haley is a career minor leaguer that has spent his whole career in the Cleveland Indians organization after being a second-round draft choice of the tribe in 2008. Haley, 25, can hit 100 mph on the gun but mainly sits 95-98. However, his control has been the bane of his existence and what has kept him out of the majors.
At first glance, I was like, huh? Who is this guy? I did some research on him and discovered the things I said above. Like the fact that he is still young and can throw hard.These are two things that Searage likes to work with. Haley sounds a lot like someone the Pirates picked up last year. That guy being Arquimedes Caminero. The comparisons are very similar. Pirates trusted Caminero enough last year to put him on the opening day roster. There is no reason to think they can't do that again, I guess.
The Pirates have seen a trend this offseason when it comes to adding bullpen arms. The trend is having hard throwers. Nicasio, Feliz, and now Haley are all hard throwers. The trend is undeniable. The Pirates are going for a bullpen consisting of mostly guys that can throw 97+ mph. The Royals have been a team that has made that philosophy work. We will see if the Pirates can replicate.
Could this signing be another precursor to Melancon's departure? Well, it is hard to say because Haley isn't guaranteed anything. A spot in the bullpen is well up for grabs between a bunch of depth guys that the Pirates had. Only six guys have a bullpen spot currently, and they still need another lefty to fill out the bullpen. Plus, if they sign another starter, Vogelsong will fill the Blanton role as the hybrid. The bullpen is going to be pretty crowded, with only one spot left and two needs remain. A spot could open up if Melancon is dealt. Plus, I said it yesterday in the Feliz post. I can't see the Pirates spending 25% of their payroll to the bullpen. It just doesn't make sense. A crowded, expensive bullpen could lead to someone going, and it is likely Melancon. Huntington did say that they are preparing for Melancon to be the closer, but you got to take what GMs say to the media with a grain of sand. It is just strange that they are stockpiling a bunch of bullpen guys and spending a lot on the bullpen. They must have a bigger plan because a budget-driven team can't afford to spend a fourth of their payroll on bullpen pitching, especially when the backend of the rotation is looking barely acceptable. A good bullpen is awesome to have, but it means nothing if the rotation and offense can't get you in situations to make the bullpen's job meaningful.
I wouldn't have wasted a 40-man roster spot on this guy, but that is what I thought about Caminero last year, too. The difference is that the bullpen this year looks way stronger than last year at this point. Trey Haley just isn't the same fit as Caminero was last year. The track records are similar but most of the rest isn't. I think there are still dominoes that need to fall because the roster looks super unbalanced at this point.
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