The new timing of the draft and the trade deadline will make for a busy July for Ben Cherington.
But even with the general schedule of MLB events shifted around this year, the phone is ringing at a familiar time. Cherington explained in a Zoom call with reporters before Saturday’s game against the Indians that trade talks typically pick up after the draft -- which, in year’s past, would have taken place more than a week ago.
But now, even with the draft a few weeks away, those mid-June trade conversations are still happening.
“It does seem like there have been more phone calls over the past week or 10 days,” Cherington said. “You want to keep the phone on, but that doesn’t mean that you’re actively marketing players. We’re responding to interest and, in some cases, it just doesn’t go very far.”
While no specifics were provided on Cherington and the Pirates’ trade talks -- which is to be expected -- he did provide some insight on the thought processes as the calendar draws nearer to the deadline.
There have been a number of Pirates rumored to be in trade conversation -- namely Adam Frazier, Richard Rodriguez and Tyler Anderson with some far-reaching mentions of Bryan Reynolds. Cherington, again, made no mention of any specific player in trade conversation, but he made a point to back off the term, “untouchable” when describing anybody on the roster.
Another characteristic of the Cherington-era, based on the trades he’s already made, is the general manager’s perceived preference for younger players at the lower levels of the minors. But Cherington said that the discussions already being had are not focused on players at any one level of the minors. And even some major-league talent has been of interest to the Pirates.
“We just want to find the best players we can,” Cherington said.
Even the idea that the club would target players that would be major leaguers or at the very least prepared for the upper levels when the Pirates hit their contention window was one that Cherington made sure to stay away from.
“I think we just want to continue to try to find the players we believe in the most,” Cherington said. “If we have enough of them, then that will come together. Whatever adjustments we need to make over time to make the team work, we’ll be able to do that.”
The final point about trade talks that Cherington discussed revolved around years of team control for a player. He explained that that will always be something of extreme importance to both the Pirates and every other club in the majors. And those extra years will add value to a player’s potential return package in trade discussions.
“When we have players who we feel like realistically can be a part of this thing that we’re building and we have the time to do that, then we’re going to value those players very highly, whether they’re here or in another organization,” Cherington said.
Cherington provided some more interesting details on some of the finer points of draft strategy that can be found right here. And this will obviously be a very busy and important time for the future of the organization.
MORE FROM CHERINGTON
• As he continues a red-hot June, in which he’s batting .349 with a .998 OPS, Oneil Cruz has earned his fair share of attention at the national level.
While the bat has been there, the glove -- which has exclusively been at the shortstop position -- has not. Cruz ranks ninth among all minor leaguers with 10 errors so far.
There have long been questions about the defensive future of the 6-foot-7 prospect. The club has insisted on letting him stick it out at shortstop through this early part of the season. But Cherington said Saturday that he expects, with the help of John Baker, Sean Boltman, defensive coordinator Jamey Carroll, and the staff at Class AA Altoona for Cruz to have some more outfield work cycled into his day-to-day activity.
“I think we almost owe it to players to give them a chance to do it so that they kind of have those tools in their belt so to speak in case that comes up,” Cherington said, explaining that there will always be a goal to build defensive versatility. “When you get to the upper levels, yes, need does start to come into play, and if the guy's doing really well in all facets of the game and there's opportunity at a certain position, well we want that player to be able to take advantage of it.”
Cruz will continue to play the infield, according to Cherington. And his, or anyone’s, timeline is still very fluid. But Cruz’s shift can be massive for a system short on outfielders -- especially with Travis Swaggerty out for an extended period after surgery to repair a dislocated right shoulder.
• Without too much of a specific focus on one player, Cherington explained some of the club’s thinking behind minor-league movement this season.
He said that not having a season the year prior has played a major factor in their attempt to evaluate what exactly they have in the system. The example he used was that a player can go cold or get hot over a three-week span, but he cited a 12-week sample as a more telling body of work.
At the start of the minor-league season, which was a little more than six weeks ago, Cherington had been on the aggressive side with assignments, hoping to get players to a point where they’re better challenged by the competition. But he felt it was necessary to back off that aggression in regards to promotions.
“You get a little better sense of where a guy is,” Cherington said. “We're still looking at things off the field. Work ethic. Teammate. Attention to their practice. How the skill, whatever their priority is, how that's coming along.”
• Cherington happened to be in Indianapolis this week, which coincided with the arrival of Mitch Keller. There’s been a common phrase used by Cherington, Derek Shelton and the handful of players that have spoken up about Keller since his demotion a week ago: Pitch execution.
Cherington added to that by also explaining that Keller was looking to figure out a way to better commit to his pitches.
“It's just execution, and you don't have to be perfect with every pitch if you're him, because his stuff's really good,” Cherington said.
Keller pitched to a 7.04 ERA in 12 starts before being sent to Indianapolis. Cherington said that there’s no “magic date” for Keller’s return to the majors. But he believes the 25-year-old right-hander is doing the work the team feels is necessary to get back on track.
“Execution comes from all those things happening: It comes from the work you do between stars, the moving well on the mound, having clarity about what you're trying to do,” Cherington said. “Every pitcher is working towards having that level of confidence and commitment towards every pitch.”
Keller has made just one appearance so far in Class AAA. He struck out a pair in one inning against Memphis on Wednesday.
• Miguel Yajure is symptom-free and doing some plyo-ball work down in Bradenton. Cherington said that Yajure should soon be ready to begin a throwing program and start to progress back to a full workload.
• There’s plenty to distract Cherington from the sting of the Pirates’ recent 10-game losing streak. And he explained that it has a greater effect on the players and staff a little closer to the game. But there’s plenty of reason for him to keep his eye pointed toward the future.
“We knew that there's going to be challenges this year. Sure enough there have been,” Cherington said. “Very encouraged generally of what's happening in baseball operations and the organization. It doesn't make major-league losses any easier.”
