The Pittsburgh Pirates are reportedly open to trading catcher Francisco Cervelli, reports Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan. Any potential deal is not yet close and the report stops short of saying the Pirates are actually shopping him actively.
However, it is interesting to note that the Pirates reportedly were nearing a Cervelli trade this past offseason at the Winter Meetings. So much so that Huntington reportedly had to get the officials out of the room to “focus in” the conversation. There were also reports about his trade market at last season’s trade deadline period, so the Pirates have not been shy in talking about trading him.
But should they trade him is the million dollar question (okay more like the $11.5 million question). There are intriguing cases to trade him and to keep him as both have their own set of consequences, both good and bad. Let’s begin with their case to keep him.
Firstly, the catcher position is not an easy one to fill, and Cervelli has been productive as a Pirate at that position the last few seasons. Despite having Diaz, who came on to be one of the better backup catchers in baseball, it is good to have a couple of good options. Huntington noted this specifically in an interview a few weeks ago where he cited comparisons of the catcher position with running back in football in that if you have two of them, you are much better off. He also remarked that everyday catchers are starting to go away and that more teams like having a good tandem of catchers, like the Pirates do now.
So, it seems like a good idea for the Pirates to carry two catchers that they believe are starting-caliber, especially given both Diaz’ and Cervelli’s respective injury histories. Dealing from that position of strength when they don’t have to could be a poor move with the lack of catching depth organizationally (Jacob Stallings is the best catching option behind Cervelli and Diaz).
Though, there are also an array of different reasons to suggest that trading Cervelli may actually make sense.
Firstly, that Cervelli injury history is key. His rap sheet of injuries contains a long list of ailments he has endured over the years, and these aren’t all just routine catcher injuries either. The most scary of the bunch are the concussions that have been plaguing him throughout his career. One more concussion and one would imagine that he will be a catcher no longer. The Pirates have worked him out at first base a bit, but he’d be the backup to Bell there if he were to not be a catcher. He would also find it difficult to supplant Moran at third base as well if he tried out there. Catcher is the only spot on the team where he fits, and one more injury could make him a very expensive bench player.
That contract is also something that might play here. The money at $11.5 million isn’t egregiously high for his production, but the fact it is expiring after 2019 represents a bigger concern. The Pirates have traded 1 year of a player away multiple times while projecting contention, most notably trading Walker prior to 2016 season and McCutchen prior to last season. It seems like it is an organizational philosophy to do this with position players that are making a fair bit of money on the last year of the contract when they are beyond 30 years old. They trade these players in order to replenish the group with younger guys.
The other reason they may trade him is because they think Elias Diaz is ready to step into a more prominent role. Diaz played in 82 games last season with surprisingly good marks at the plate, with a .286/.339/.452 slash line, a 114 wRC+ and was worth a full 2 WAR, which is outstanding for a backup. His defense was solid too let’s not forget. However, it is very difficult to hand over the reigns to a 28-year old that has a long history of not being able to hit. Again this goes back to not trading Cervelli because each of the two guys they have can start many games and can compliment each other well in case a problem arises.
There are some other layers to this, though. The first having to do with Cervelli himself. With the saturation of the catching market this offseason, it is hard to imagine that any and all teams in need of a catcher would find a suitable option before deciding on getting a guy that may not be a catcher very much longer. It would be a risky move, especially considering the other, less risky options that lay out on the market. It almost makes me think that the interested teams would not be interested in him as a catcher, but rather as a designated hitter, first baseman or even a third baseman. Perhaps there are some teams interested in him as a catcher, but the Pirates have tried him out at first base and other teams may be thinking similarly if they get him. He could potentially be a first base option for some teams that miss out on some of the other guys available. More doubtfully but still possible, he could be seen as a third base option, even though he hasn’t taken any reps there in practice.
The other layer to this is what would happen for the Pirates if Cervelli is traded. Cervelli and Diaz combined for an astonishing 5.3 WAR and were one of the best tandems in the league at the position. Trading Cervelli would leave a gaping hole in production that would need backfilled. Even if you believe that Diaz can start regularly and provide 2.5-3 WAR, which seems optimistic, there’d still be a huge hole there in production. The current backup if Cervelli gets dealt would be Jacob Stallings, and he won’t provide that sort of production, or even really get close. The Pirates would have one of two options. Either sign another catcher that can start 50-60 games and hope they provide crucial production or sign a catcher to start 110-115 games and keep Diaz in his current role and hope the two combined can match or outdo the tandem’s production last season, and that is a hard task.
There are equally good reasons to keep Cervelli as there are to trade him. I believe the Pirates will definitely listen and entertain offers to see if there is any offer they like. However, I doubt they find an offer out there that will compel them to make a shift to risk losing major production at catcher. Cervelli’s contract, age and injury concern make for a compelling argument to trade him and get healthier and younger at the position. Though, finding quality catchers is tough, so it will be an uphill battle to find a good replacement for production if they trade Cervelli. We will just have to see where this goes as the MLB winter moves along.
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