OnlyBucs

022F22333425327271400 wrote: "Years of control" seemed to be the mantra in days of old.  Let's see if any of that's changed under the new guys.
It's always an issue for all teams. It's certainly one of the factors that determines the return on a trade. A GM trading for a player with 2 or more years of control will value that player more than a player he will likely lose after 1 season. It's actually less an issue for the Pirates because they usually trade for prospects who have all their years of control ahead of them.



Bell will draw interest from some teams. Had he been traded prior to 2020 his new team would have had 3 years of control. If he's traded this off season his new team will have 2 years of control. That likely lessens what the Pirates get in return. That will also be a factor in trades of Frazier, Williams or Musgrove. 


I was screaming last year they should have traded Bell in the offseason. His value will never be higher as a kid Pirate. The three years of control and that season of his. He is inconsistent as hell. Missed opportunity.



Got to wonder how a possible GG for Frazier helps his value. Williams has little value on the trade front regardless. That second half of the season two years ago was a big time fluke.

I hope that we don't trade any of the following, who are all at their lowest value, but have a reasonable chance to rebound:



Josh Bell

Gregory Polanco

Trevor Williams



All three can find work with the Pirates next year, and could bounceback to levels that would get us good value in return.



If they don't bounce back, we'll probably have another lousy season. But I don't expect us to make the playoffs anyway, and if you're going to be bad, you might as well gat a top pick.

We haven't done very well the past two years. Bouncing back to at least two of them doesn't do much.



I would focus on guys who are better. Seen enough of Bell and Polanco to know that they need carried. They don't carry much. They're holding us back.



We may be stuck with Polanco or release him.