Today is the MLB trade deadline. Teams have until 4 PM to complete trades today. We will post any rumors below that come up before that deadline. There’s been nothing new so far since yesterday when we heard Richard Rodriguez, Chris Stratton and even David Bednar were all rumored to be of interest to teams. Bednar seems highly unlikely to go anywhere, but almost anything is possible if the right deal comes along.
One very important thing to remember today is that if the deadline passes and we don’t hear anything by 4 PM, that doesn’t mean nothing happened. Every year deals get announced after 4 PM. Not every trade is going to leak out to the media right away.
Have at it in the comments and we will update this post with any and all rumors that come up for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Braeden Ogle Traded to Phillies
As I was typing this article up, the Pirates traded lefty reliever Braeden Ogle to the Philadelphia Phillies for catcher Abrahan Gutierrez. Yes, the catcher who they thought that they were getting the other day. More on this shortly.
Can confirm @ByRobertMurray's report that the Pirates are trading LHP Braeden Ogle to the Phillies.
In return they're getting Abrahan Gutierrez, the catcher they were supposed to get Tuesday in the Tyler Anderson deal that never happened.
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) July 30, 2021
Ogle has been in the Indianapolis bullpen all year this season. He has a 3.13 ERA in 31.2 innings, with a 23:42 BB/SO ratio, a 1.33 WHIP and a .173 BAA. The walks are obviously an issue here, but Ogle, who is celebrating his 24th birthday in an odd way today, has missed a lot of time over the years, so he’s still somewhat inexperienced on the mound. He only has 162.1 innings since being drafted in 2016 and some of that time was as a starting pitcher.
Gutierrez is a 21-year-old catcher in Low-A, repeating the same level he was at in 2019. His numbers are much better this time around, with a .285/.418/.424 line in 213 plate appearances. He’s seen a noticeable jump in his power production and his walk rate, while cutting down on strikeouts. That’s especially notable since the Phillies’ A-ball affiliate transferred to a more pitcher friendly atmosphere in Florida. Gutierrez was rated 27th by BA.
UPATE 12:52 PM: Thoughts from Tim Williams…
John is at lunch, and I’m taking over the thread for a bit, so expect the trades to come rolling in momentarily.
Until then, I’ve got a few comments on what has transpired so far, especially with the two different trades for Abrahan Gutierrez.
The Pirates are definitely adding to their catching group in the minors. Drafting Henry Davis first overall, trying to trade Tyler Anderson for Gutierrez, trading Anderson for Carter Bins, and then ultimately trading for Gutierrez again has drastically changed the position depth in the minors.
This is a position group that had zero potential MLB starters before the pre-season acquisition of Endy Rodriguez as part of the Joe Musgrove trade. I wrote about Rodriguez for Baseball America last month, before the Davis selection. While he’s got the skills and potential to stick behind the plate and be a starter, the Pirates couldn’t just bank on Rodriguez.
Taking Davis first overall sends a strong signal that Henry Davis is the catcher of the future. However, you need a backup. And, as we’ve seen many times over the years, you’re going to need depth for those two MLB catchers.
The Pirates may have enough here with the addition of Bins and Gutierrez to eventually produce a catcher duo from the farm system. At the very least, they should be able to develop a starter. That was a major shortfall during the Neal Huntington era, despite high draft picks being used on catchers multiple times. Ironically, the best catcher from Huntington’s system ended up being Jacob Stallings, who was a money-saving pick in 2012 for Mark Appel — who ultimately didn’t sign with the Pirates.
As for what all of this means for Stallings, the earliest that a replacement could arrive would be 2023, unless one of these guys gets on a rapidly quick timeline to the majors. I wouldn’t think these would lead to a trade of Stallings. Then again, we don’t really know much about how Ben Cherington is going to operate with the Pirates. This is his first real trade deadline, and this build really started coming into focus about seven months ago.
I, for one, am looking forward to what transpires today. – Tim
