Pirates & Red Sox
Submitted by: JHB
Pirates
| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanner Houck | 28 | Majors | SP | Low | 4 | 40.9 | 21.4 | 19.5 | 15.6 | 19.5 | 23.4 | |
| Shane Drohan | 23 | Minors | SP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 | 4.6 | 5.7 | 6.8 | ||
| Josh Winckowski | 24 | Majors | SP | Low | 5 | 22.5 | 11.8 | 10.7 | 8.6 | 10.7 | 12.9 |
Total Value:
35.9
Red Sox
| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitch Keller | 28 | Majors | SP | Low | 2 | 47.1 | 15 | 32.1 | 25.7 | 32.1 | 38.5 |
Total Value:
32.1
Comments
3
The Pirates need more pitchers and less salary. The Red Sox want fewer, better pitchers, with payroll less of a challenge. The Red Sox have both Houck and Drohan on the trade block, and Winckowski isn't untouchable. It all works.
Pirates don’t need less salary. The payroll will be increasing in 2024. Keller likely gets extended by the Pirates. Houck is a big injury risk. Drohan can be acquired for nothing but $100k in the rule 5 draft. Winckowski is a nice reliever. Don’t see that this makes any sense for the Pirates.
NEWSLETTER? SURE, SIGN ME UP!
"Houck is a big injury risk." Well, his big injury in 2023 was a fluke line drive shattering his face, and he still made 21 starts. Incidentally, 70% of Houck's bequeathed runners scored in 2023 (60% over his career). That shifted his ERA up considerably. His 2023 fielding-independent metrics were all in the low fours, and his career marks are in the mid-threes. "Drohan can be acquired for nothing but $100k in the rule 5 draft," but eight teams pick ahead of the Pirates and he would have to be placed immediately on the 26-man roster for the whole year. Trading for him before the Rule 5 Draft offers more certainty and flexibility. "Winckowski is a nice reliever," and he had 26 starts in 2022, too (12 AAA and 14 MLB). Even if "The payroll will be increasing in 2024" for the Pirates, saving money allows more to be used elsewhere on the roster. Finally, it's fifteen years of pitching acquired for two traded away, and the Pirates get a slight overpay per BTV values. This makes plenty of sense for the Pirates. The only reason Boston would do it is that the owners love Alex Cora and Alex Cora has never liked Tanner Houck.