PITTSBURGH — Could we start talking actual baseball, please?
Is it time?
That would be a relief, to put it mildly, after an epic Pirates tank job saw them lose 201 games over the past two seasons. And if it hadn't been for a shortened 2020 campaign, they surely would be one of the few teams in baseball history and the second in Pirates history to post three consecutive 100-loss seasons.
Hopefully, their fine work — and I do mean that, at least in the context of "How to Execute a Tank Job" — bears the kind of fruit the Houston Astros have harvested from a three-year stretch (2011-13) in which they lost an unfathomable 324 games.
All the Pirates will need is a couple of trash cans and a $100 million bump in payroll.
Actually, if the Pirates are going to start winning, it's not going to be on the Astros model ($183 million payroll last season). It's going to follow the Tampa Bay Rays' blueprint of contending on puny payrolls — and that is going to require a constant flow of talented prospects and smart pickups.
You know, like the one where the Rays traded Chris Archer for Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows and Shane Baz.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where our actual baseball talk begins today.
Turns out the Pirates might be on the opposite end of a ridiculously lopsided trade, and they have the New York Mets to thank. The Mets jumped in on the Joe Musgrove trade two years ago, sending prospect Endy Rodriguez to the Pirates and acquiring 28-year-old pitcher Joey Lucchesi via the Padres.
Lucchesi has been injured and hasn't pitched in the majors since 2021. Meanwhile, the Pirates have Rodriguez and Henry Davis — the No. 1 overall pick from the 2021 draft — forming a fascinating combination at a premium position. Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden rates both among the top five catching prospects in the sport.
Bowden ranks Rodriquez second, behind Dodgers prospect Diego Cartaya, calling Rodriguez "one of the game's best hitting prospects" and a "main pillar" of the Pirates rebuild.
"He has tremendous power from both sides of the plate and projects to be a middle-of-the-order impact bat," Bowden wrote. "His baseball IQ stands out."
We're not projecting from low Single-A here, either. Post-Gazette Pirates writer Jason Mackey tells me Rodriguez, 22, and Davis, 23, likely will start in Triple-A. Rodriguez crushed Double-A pitching last season (1.120 OPS) and did the same to Triple-A in a brief stint.
Bowden rates Davis his No. 5 catching prospect, saying he also projects as a middle-of-the-order bat. Injuries slowed his progress last season. Bowden said Davis hovers over the plate like Anthony Rizzo, which has led to an inordinate amount of hit-by-pitches. But the talent is undeniable.
Which leads to an actual baseball question: If a team has two premium catching prospects, does one have to switch positions?
Not necessarily. Rodriguez already plays some second base and outfield. More to the point, teams are using multiple catchers more than ever. It helps preserve players who deal with the brutal daily grind of that position. Only 14 catchers caught 100 games last season. Plus, having two good ones keeps a team from saving a roster spot for, say, a defense-only veteran catcher just because you need a backup.
When one of these guys isn't catching, he can always DH.
Consider the Atlanta Braves. They had Travis d'Arnaud and William Contreras split the catching duties last season, to excellent results. But they still sought an upgrade in the offseason and found one, trading for elite A's catcher Sean Murphy.
The plan now, as The Athletic reports, is to pair Murphy with D'Arnaud to "keep both fresh from the full season. ... d'Arnaud was behind the plate for 99 games last season, and both should see some time at DH throughout the year."
In a sport where many teams are looking for one good catcher, it's a huge advantage to have two. Especially when one can still hit on the days he doesn't catch.
As with all of the Pirates prospects, we'll see how this situation plays out. But I love the idea. I love the possibility of one or both arriving here this season.
I love talking actual baseball.
