In the offseason's most surprising move, the Pirates are trading catcher Jacob Stallings to the Marlins for three players.
Coming the Pirates' way are 28-year-old right-handed starter Zach Thompson and a pair of minor-leaguers: right-hander Kyle Nicolas and outfielder Connor Scott.
Both clubs officially announced the move Monday evening.
Thompson is the only one with major league experience, making his MLB debut last year, going 3-7 with a 3.24 ERA with 66 strikeouts over 75 innings. He appeared in 26 games and made 14 starts. He was considered the White Sox No. 28 prospect, according to Baseball America, ahead of the 2019 season, but they let him walk after 2020. There, he signed a minor-league deal with the Marlins and finally broke through to the majors.
Thompson had previously been selected by the Pirates in the 48th round of the 2011 draft, though he turned down the offer to go to the University of Texas in Arlington.
Nicolas, 22, was ranked as their No. 23 prospect. He primarily uses a mid-90s fastball and a slider, though he also has a changeup at his disposal. That changeup, plus control issues, will most likely determine if he is a major league starter or not.
A Competitive Balance Round B pick in 2020, Nicolas made his professional debut this season, pitching to a 5.28 ERA over 59 2/3 innings in Class High-A and then a 2.52 ERA over eight starts in Class AA.
Scott, 22, was the 13th overall pick in the 2018 draft, though his results in the minors were middling before this past year in Class High-A, slashing .276/.333/.446 with 10 home runs over 435 plate appearances.
He fell off of the Marlins' top 30 prospect list in Baseball America's midseason update.
Of course, with this trade, it's more about what the Pirates lost than what they got in return.
Stallings was recently awarded his first Gold Glove after leading the league with 21 defensive runs saved. A lot of that was in his blocking and receiving skills -- where he did not allow a passed ball all season -- and tying for the most runs saved through framing in the National League, according to FanGraphs (8.8, tied with Omar Narvaez of the Brewers).
For Stallings, that award was a career highlight.
“I mean, to be on the list with [Mike] Matheny, Yadi [Molina], Johnny Bench and so many others, it’s really cool,” Stallings said the day of the awards. “I don’t know that it’s totally sunk in. It’s very cool. Obviously a dream come true.”
That Gold Glove was for his results, but his behind the scenes work with the staff made it possible, too. For a team that will graduate many pitching prospects over the following two years, trading Stallings when he still has three years of team control is a blow to that staff because he excelled at pitcher relationships and game planning.
He also emerged as a leader under Derek Shelton's young team, being one of the few veteran voices in that clubhouse. Stallings was also the type of player the Pirates liked to point out since he was once designated for assignment in 2019, though he passed through waivers. He was not considered a top prospect, but eventually became one of the best players on the team.
"I think what Jacob has done speaks to even if you’re down, you’re not out," Shelton said near the end of the season. "Sometimes when you get challenged by certain situations, it’s how you respond to it. I think a lot of players go through that. Hopefully, some of these guys look at Jacob and see you can work your way back and say 'hey man, I have an opportunity and I want to continue to take advantage of it.’ ”
Stallings was a rare case of a player who improved dramatically after reaching the major leagues, doing so primarily by working on a defensive program with bullpen catcher Jordan Comadena. Some of those drills and ideas have been implemented at other levels for Pirates catchers.
"I would call Jacob an outlier in baseball," director of coaching and player development John Baker said at the Get Better at Baseball camp in Bradenton, Fla. earlier this month. "It's just very rare to see someone that good at receiving, that good at defense. He's incredible to watch him play. Someone who knows what his limitations are and try to get better at those things. He's such a good defensive player that his focus has been on building relationships and calling a better game."
As a hitter, Stallings hit a respectable .246 with a .704 OPS, eight homers and 53 RBIs, and was second on the team to Bryan Reynolds in RBIs. His 3 WAR, according to Baseball Reference, tied him with Adam Frazier for the second-most valuable Pirate last year, trailing only Reynolds (6 WAR).
The Pirates currently do not have any catchers on their 40-man roster, nor do they have any major league-ready prospects at the position. While they do have several high-ranking prospects at catcher -- No. 1 overall draft pick Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez both ranked in the top 10 in Baseball America's top 10 Pirates prospect list, and Abrahan Gutierrez and Carter Bins were acquired during the July trade deadline -- it's unrealistic to expect any of them to be ready for the majors at any point in 2022, let alone opening day.
The collective bargaining agreement between the players association and league is set to expire Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. If that happens, the Pirates will not be able to sign another catcher until a new CBA is reached.
