We know that the Pittsburgh Pirates are loaded on starting pitching and looking to move arms for bats (and probably some savings, if we know Bob Nutting). The team solidified that thought when they traded pitcher Luis Ortiz for first baseman Spencer Horwitz, your feelings on the effectiveness of that trade not withstanding. Now there’s a report coming out of Boston saying that the Pirates and Red Sox discussed a trade for young Bucs arm Jared Jones at this year’s MLB Winter Meetings.
The 23-year-old Jones is coming off of a solid rookie season in which he finished with a 6-8 record to go along with a 4.14 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and 132 strikeouts and just 39 walks over 121 innings pitched. Jones’ potential and his young age make him an attractive target on the trade market. And the fact that the Pirates still have Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Bailey Falter and Johan Oviedo for the rotation this year along with Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, Thomas Harrington and Anthony Solemeto as prospects means that dealing another pitcher certainly isn’t out of the question.
In addition, with Nutting’s notorious cheapness, one would think Mitch Keller and the $70 million the Bucs still owe him would be a top candidate for trade, especially with Keller coming off of another solid season. But at least according to the Boston Globe, it’s Jones that has piqued the Red Sox’s interest.
Now Boston did acquire several pitchers this offseason so far, so that could mean this is just a “shopping around” kind of situation, but with the Pirates reportedly not totally averse to trading Jones and the fact that most of Pittsburgh’s roster still can’t hit a lick, moving another arm for some bats is definitely not out of the question. The Bucs are reportedly looking for an outfield bat and also a relief arm, so stay tuned.
