Pirates move highest paid player on team in Liriano
(Updated: 6:20 p.m.)
Francisco Liriano rumors have been circulating for about two weeks now and the struggling lefty has been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays as the Pirates and Blue Jays just beat the deadline with official paper work being sent to the league at 3:59 p.m.
The deal sends Liriano and prospects Harold Ramirez, Reese McGuire to Toronto in-exchange for pitcher Drew Hutchison (1-0, 4.97 ERA).
Hutchison, 25, has made just three starts in the Majors this season but went 13-5 for the Blue Jays in 2015 with a 5.57 ERA.
In his career, Hutchison is 30-21 with a 4.92 ERA. He has a K/BB ratio of 374/128 in 406.1 career innings.
This season in the minors Hutchison is 6-5 with a 3.26 ERA, 110/35 K/BB ratio in 102 innings pitched.
Hutchison had tommy john surgery in 2012 and does not throw powering stuff. He has a fastball that sits in the 89-92 mph range and is a fly-ball pitcher. Once considered a top-10 prospect in the Jays system, Hutchison is viewed by many baseball insiders as more of a No. 4 type than a No.2 type starter long-term.
That said, indications a week ago was the Pirates were open to moving Liriano if they could land a top prospect in return and with also including Reese McGuire and Harold Ramirez in the deal, both widely considered top-10 prospects in the Pirates system, they certainly view Hutchison as more than a back of the rotation starter.
The Liriano trade isn’t a head-scratcher from the standpoint that the team traded Liriano but it becomes a head scratcher with Reese McGuire included in the deal. McGuire the top catcher in the Pirates system, was the team’s first round pick in 2013 (14th overall).
For the Blue Jays, they’re likely looking at Liriano as a thrown-in to the deal with McGuire and Ramirez being the two main pieces to the deal. They could release Liriano tomorrow and many pundits would still call them winners of the trade.
As bad as Liriano was this season, there was also a three year run (2013-2015) where he was an excellent No. 2 starter and at times the Pirates best starter. Some Pirate fans, maybe even a majority, are going to be angered at this deal in it also being money driven in a big way to go with the steep price of including a prospect like McGuire in the deal.
Does Toronto say no if the deal doesn’t include Liriano and is just McGuire and Ramirez for Hutchison?
Hutchison is making just $505,000 and by keeping him in the minors for most of this season, it will be financially beneficial from the Pirates end long-term to have another year of control.
The Pirates have cleared significant money off their books for next season by moving Jon Niese who had a $10 million option and now Liriano who was the Pirates highest paid player at $13 million.
What we’ve learned from the Pirates in recent days is that the Melancon, Liriano and Nova trades show the Pirates have one foot into 2016 and one foot into 2017.
It also shows everything is also financially driven and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
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Photo: David Hague
Did Benny take the bridge yet?
Why would he take the bridge? He’s probably still working on how to spin this so Huntington looks like a genius.
Hutchison must be something special.
Thank you Stanch for proving me right yet again… You clearly saw what I wrote yesterday. Didnt get enough back in melancon deal Niese is moot, and Liriano deal is awful… but I knew you struggled with reading comprehension so no worries.
It can’t be awful! They’re the best management team in baseball for fuck’s sake!
you said that earlier
And I just looked back (because I dont live on this site, get a life), you did see what I wrote yesterday… so you know I think Huntington got hosed on everyone of these deals… I was just shooting from the hip on your inability to read…. but wow… either you just cant comprehend OR you’re proving my point on the whole vogelsong thing that you just like to make up a story and roll with it. FROG whatever that means
Uneducated whites only demographic Trump leads with. That makes sense.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/07/26/upshot/the-one-demographic-that-is-hurting-hillary-clinton.html?_r=0
just like when blacks voted for Obama because he was black, right? Or when women are voting for Hillary because she’s a woman.
they just turned into the sucko’s again. F them
Best management team in baseball!
GM of the year last year, but you’re right, keep worrying about those moves made in December! Still cant believe some of those minor league deals the pens signed SMH….
Your boy is a used car salesman. And you keep buying up that Pinto he can’t stop talking about.
Disgusting.
Ramirez was probably over-rated as a prospect and not starting here. But using him in the manner they did was pretty bad.
I’ve thought really since May I have no issue having this season be one to get ready for 2017. They just don’t seem to be that committed to it though.
McCutchen blocked the trade to Atlanta.
Nonsense?
How does Will fucklng Smith get a better return than Melancon? A top 100 SP prospect having a very good season, and a solid catcher prospect. Disgusting.
And now I see its McGuire as well. I saw stanch say that but didn’t know it was legit. That makes it even worse and I have no idea what Neal is doing. He’s never done anything like this before so I hope for his sake it wasn’t him. Even though they weren’t sure things, this is one of the worst trades I’ve seen and one of the worst deadlines for them in years
Benny? Care to weigh in? Good news is your boy Vogelsong is heading back to the rotation as per the best management team in baseball.
I love how you get a thumbs down on this comment every time… I think its a sign that someone out there realizes how dumb you sound making it up… keep trolling bro
You and sam are the two people that pay attention to the “thumbs down.” You’re in good company (or at least the appropriate company).
says the guy who gets “thumbs down” all the time…. go have a waaaaaaaaaaburger with some french cries…
I get wanting to get rid of liriano, but having to get rid of Ramirez to clear that money is just stupid. Disgusting. No way Neal would do that without being advised to from somebody above him. And I usually leave that for the usual pirates are cheap commenters
Ramirez AND Reese McGuire. Two top 100 prospects.
The word i will continue to use is disgusted, but it should be noted that they are both former Top 100 prospects. I think the more respected prospect publications removed them prior to this year. Still good prospects, and in no way does this trade make sense, but i feel better splitting hairs.
Ramirez still checks in at #95.
I honestly didn’t believe you at first because I didn’t think they could do a trade that bad. I apologize. That is just awful even though I never thought McGuire would got that much. Bob just wanted to pay no money whatsoever
Going 13-5 with an ERA of 5.57 is pretty incredible.
So they won’t part with top prospects to get better. But they will to save money. Good lord
I have not been this disgusted as a Pirates fan in a long, long time.
McGuire and Ramirez!
Just give the young guys a shot. No sense in throwing out vogelsong and Locke. Bring up bell too. Give them a taste for the rest of the year. Disappointing years for two main players and this is what happens