CARLSBAD, Calif. — Corey Dickerson has a freshly minted Gold Glove on his mantle. Whether he will have a contract extension from the Pirates to go with it is another matter.
In an extended one-on-one interview with DKPittsburghSports.com, Neal Huntington had plenty of praise for Dickerson as the General Managers' Meetings began at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. He couldn't say enough good things about Dickerson overcoming his reputation of being a below-average fielder to be chosen as the best defensive left fielder in the National League when the Gold Glove teams were announced Sunday night.
Dickerson's contract expires at the end of next season, though. Huntington did not show any urgency about the situation when asked if the Pirates had plans of trying to keep Dickerson beyond 2019.
"He represents so much of what we want our guys to be," Huntington told me. "He's a fantastic person, a good worker, a good teammate. He shows up to help the team win every day. Those are traits we want Pirates players to have. The economic landscape is the economic landscape, though, and we have a group of talented young players who are approaching arbitration, and we're excited about paying those players and keeping those players."
Among the players on course to be arbitration-eligible for the first time after the 2019 season — and receive the significant raises that come with that status — are Joe Musgrove, Jameson Taillon, Trevor Williams, Elias Diaz, Josh Bell and Adam Frazier.
Dickerson is eligible for arbitration for the final time this winter and is likely to end up with a salary around $8.5 million.
The Pirates acquired Dickerson from the Rays early in spring training this year in a trade. He wound up posting superb defensive numbers and committed only one error in 124 games, 266 total chances and 1,057 1/3 innings, while being credited with 16 defensive runs saved.
"Corey deserves the credit," Huntington said. "I mean, he was on a mission. He took it personally that he was deemed as a DH and below-average outfielder. We thought the body transformation he made going into the '17 season in Tampa allowed him to be more athletic and a better defender. We felt if he could build on that in '18 that he could be an adequate defender. He said 'The heck with that,' though, and played tremendous."
Dickerson also had a good season offensively, becoming a fan favorite while hitting .300/.330/.474 with 13 home runs in 135 games. He led the Pirates in wins above replacement (WAR) with a 3.8.
However, Dickerson also turns 30 on May 22. During Huntington's 11 years on the job, the Pirates have been unwilling to commit long-term contracts to players entering what should be the decline phase of their careers.
The Pirates also might have other left fielder options by 2020:
• Frazier is penciled in as the starting second baseman for next season. However, the Pirates entered spring training this year planning on him platooning in left field with Jordan Luplow before they traded for Dickerson.
• Prospect Bryan Reynolds also could be ready by then. Acquired from the Giants in the Andrew McCutchen trade in January, Reynolds, 23, is expected to begin next season at Triple-A Indianapolis. Reynolds spent the past season at Double-A Altoona, where he hit .302/.381/.438 with seven home runs in 88 games. He missed a significant amount of time after undergoing surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his right hand in April.
• Jose Osuna could also be a possibility, as he has showed flashes of being an impact player. The 25-year-old has hit 10 home runs in 321 at-bats but also produced a less-than-inspiring .231/.263/.417 line in 155 games.
More from my session with Huntington:
• Gregory Polanco has not had any setbacks from the September surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder. "There really isn't any news, which is good news at this early point in his recovery," Huntington said. Polanco will miss the start of next season and could be out as long as mid-June.
• The Pirates may not necessarily go outside the organization to find a fill-in right fielder while Polanco recovers. Frazier, who is slated to play second base next season, could begin the season in right with rookie Kevin Kramer manning second base. "We'll look at options internally and externally," Huntington said. "The thing with Gregory is if we expect him to be out into June, he'll come back in April. If we expect to have him back in April, he won't come back until June. It's a fluid situation."
• Joe Musgrove is progressing well after having surgery last month to fix a tear in his abdominal wall, as well as a stress fracture in his right pelvic bone. "Joe is going to have a pretty normal offseason and we expect him to be ready to go when spring training begins," Huntington said.
• While shortstop remains at the top of the Pirates' winter wish list, they are also amenable to adding a left-handed reliever, though Huntington expressed faith in Steven Brault. "I haven't done a very good job of giving my manager left-handed relievers during the last 12 offseasons," Huntington admitted.
