OnlyBucs

Interesting that Luplow goes to Cleveland where his great uncle Al Luplow began his career. Bucs still need to add an outfielder. If Reyes plays RF for Polanco, it leaves no one as a 4th outfielder unless we consider Osuna who is severely challenged defensively out there. And if Reyes is not the RFer, then someone needs to be acquired as Luplow was the only other candidate on the roster if Frazier is playing 2B.

All right, based on the pirates website listing of the roster, my guess on who is in so far, in an off-the-top-of-my-head-surely-i'm-forgetting-something type of way:



— Dario Agrazal

52 Tanner Anderson

24 Chris Archer

43 Steven Brault

57 Nick Burdi

30 Kyle Crick

77 Luis Escobar

45 Michael Feliz

68 Clay Holmes

35 Keone Kela

49 Nick Kingham

39 Chad Kuhl R/R

— Jesus Liranzo

— Alex McRae

59 Joe Musgrove

66 Dovydas Neverauskas

46 Ivan Nova R/R

48 Richard Rodriguez

37 Edgar Santana

50 Jameson Taillon

73 Felipe Vazquez

34 Trevor Williams



Catchers

29 Francisco Cervelli

32 Elias Diaz

58 Jacob Stallings R/R



Infield

55 Josh Bell

26 Adam Frazier

— Erik Gonzalez

16 Jung Ho Kang

44 Kevin Kramer

19 Colin Moran

27 Kevin Newman

36 Jose Osuna



Outfield

12 Corey Dickerson

6 Starling Marte

25 Gregory Polanco

15 Pablo Reyes



Certainly that BP needs changing, and surely we need to swap out a Kevin for another OF. 

02303C3C281A39303D383730510 wrote: All right, based on the pirates website listing of the roster, my guess on who is in so far, in an off-the-top-of-my-head-surely-i'm-forgetting-something type of way:



— Dario Agrazal

52 Tanner Anderson

24 Chris Archer

43 Steven Brault

57 Nick Burdi

30 Kyle Crick

77 Luis Escobar

45 Michael Feliz

68 Clay Holmes

35 Keone Kela

49 Nick Kingham

39 Chad Kuhl R/R

— Jesus Liranzo

— Alex McRae

59 Joe Musgrove

66 Dovydas Neverauskas

46 Ivan Nova R/R

48 Richard Rodriguez

37 Edgar Santana

50 Jameson Taillon

73 Felipe Vazquez

34 Trevor Williams



Catchers

29 Francisco Cervelli

32 Elias Diaz

58 Jacob Stallings R/R



Infield

55 Josh Bell

26 Adam Frazier

— Erik Gonzalez

16 Jung Ho Kang

44 Kevin Kramer

19 Colin Moran

27 Kevin Newman

36 Jose Osuna



Outfield

12 Corey Dickerson

6 Starling Marte

25 Gregory Polanco

15 Pablo Reyes



Certainly that BP needs changing, and surely we need to swap out a Kevin for another OF. 


isn't the easiest solution to try a Kevin in the outfield? just kidding. This makes it clear another outfielder is needed and he needs to be someone with a good bat.

This trade sucks unless the 2 pitchers become something. Luplow is going to get a chance and hit 270+ / 20+hr with a nice obp. WTF . Cleveland just replaced Brantley in the OF with an up and comer. We replaced Mercer with a better glove but an awful bat to compete with Newman and Tucker, two 1st round picks.

1E252F24084C0 wrote: This trade sucks unless the 2 pitchers become something. Luplow is going to get a chance and hit 270+ / 20+hr with a nice obp. WTF . Cleveland just replaced Brantley in the OF with an up and comer. We replaced Mercer with a better glove but an awful bat to compete with Newman and Tucker, two 1st round picks.
I agree this guy doesn't know how to negotiate and to evaluate talent. How much more evidence do we need to see this joke of a GM.

754E444F63270 wrote: This trade sucks unless the 2 pitchers become something. Luplow is going to get a chance and hit 270+ / 20+hr with a nice obp. WTF . Cleveland just replaced Brantley in the OF with an up and comer. We replaced Mercer with a better glove but an awful bat to compete with Newman and Tucker, two 1st round picks.
I don't know, don't know that it's much of a big deal one way or the other. Except that we have a big hole in OF now. I'm sure newguy will be fine.

Cole Tucker did well in the AFL. It will be interesting to see how he does in AAA this coming year. It's starting to look like he might be the real deal.

Luplow looks like a platoon corner OF guy at best, Moroff might have some untapped upside, but he clearly played his way out of consideration for a role here in Pittsburgh.



I believe this move clears the way for the team to acquire a legit starting OF'er to fill the hole created by Polanco's worst slide in baseball history.



The fact that the Pirates were able to get a legit pitching prospect should make us all appreciate the deal.



https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/clevela ... -leaguers/



" Tahnaj Thomas immediately becomes one of Pittsburgh’s best pitching prospects. Ultra smooth and athletic, Thomas has a gorgeous delivery that generates mid-80s velocity (92-95 in my looks at him this year) that plays well in the upper part of the strike zone. He can also spin a good breaking ball and has some nascent changeup feel that, for someone so new to pitching, is very promising. This is a prototypical teenage arm and, though that demographic of prospect has concerning attrition rates, Thomas has a good chance to be the best player in this deal one day."

That review of Thomas really does sound promising.

"After a few years without dedicated complex-level coverage, the Pirates had multiple scouts scouring backfields in Florida and Arizona again this year. This deal is the first farm-system fruit from that labor."



Here is another nice nugget from that fangraphs article on the trade. I see the prospect landscape as a much more complex environment than what is reflected by prospect ranking outlets, and I think this sort of activity reflects that.



I don't see a direct correlation between perceived prospect value and actual value as a contributing ML player. The Pirates have been great at squeezing juice from the turnip (generating solid production from low upside prospects, Trevor Williams would be the poster child for that), but they've struggled getting the high ceiling guys to play like stars (Polanco, Cole and Bell would be examples of that).



I don't really have a developed conclusion here. Just that they need upside guys in the system and they need to develop guys in a way that boosts their potential upside, as opposed to just limiting the risk of busting. Prying risk free prospects from other teams is nearly impossible, but working to identify potential guys before industry recognition has to fundamental to their talent acquisition operation.