We’ve still got plenty of Winter Meetings left, which means we’re still (im)patiently waiting for some Angels news to develop...something, anything to whet our appetites. Billy Eppler, meanwhile, is still out there, continuing his quest to grab a second baseman that is more than just a pipe dream.
Of course, I’m still playing fake GM in my head and on Halos Heaven, trying to come up with trade ideas or worthwhile speculation, in hopes of nailing down the perfect candidate. To do so, it’s best to get into the Billy Eppler mindset: you want cheap, you want a trade partner that needs pitching (Angels have plenty), and you will be looking for glove-first players, eschewing the big name, big hitter types.
With this criteria, the Pirates become an interesting trade partner, and their 2B, Josh Harrison, becomes an interesting trade target. Pittsburgh did just lose their other second baseman, Sean Rodriguez, to free agency, but they are apparently still open to move Harrison.
Harrison is 29 years old, and is under contract for the next two years. He’s set to pull in $7.7 mil in 2017 and a little over $10 mil in 2018. He was given that nice bit of dough after a nice 2014 season, but his offense has since taken a turn towards the “meh”.
In 2016, he hit .283, with an OPS of .699 and a not-so-pretty OBP of .311. “Oh, so a guy with a bad OPS who’s due over $18 million the next two seasons? Are you sure, Josh?!” is probably what you’re saying at this point, but hear me out a bit more. He’s still probably an offensive upgrade over whatever else the Angels could trot out there, and there’s always the chance he bounces back off his down year.
But here’s where it gets more appetizing for Billy Eppler: Harrison is above-average with his glove, having the 5th most defensive runs saved in MLB last year (among 2B), not to mention he’s #7 among 2Bs in Fangraphs’ Defensive Runs Above Average. That means, defensively speaking, he’s among the better second base options in the entire league. That’s the sort of thing that we’ve seen grab Billy Eppler’s attention in his tenure as Halos GM.
The Pirates, meanwhile, want cost-controlled pitching, be it starters or relievers. I don’t think the haul would be too much to get this deal done, either. I think if you put someone like Matt Shoemaker or Cam Bedrosian out there, then you’re going to make the Pirates pretty happy. Of course, those are two good arms, but who knows? Maybe Eppler can get it done by dangling someone further down the depth chart.
All the signs are there; the Pirates would be a good trade partner and Josh Harrison not only fills the needed position, but also checks off a lot of Eppler’s most crucial boxes. There could be something there.
How say you?