The Pirates have been linked to two Phillies outfielders in recent rumors. Last night, Jon Morosi linked them to Jeff Francoeur. Today, Rob Biertempfel had them linked to both Francoeur and Ben Revere.
#Pirates are interested in trading for Jeff Francoeur, among other bench and platoon bats, as I just reported on our @MLBONFOX telecast.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 12, 2015
#pirates have spoken to #phillies about Jeff Francouer and Ben Revere. The latter would be good leadoff option while Harrison is on DL.
— RobBiertempfel (@RobBiertempfel) July 12, 2015
In regards to Francoeur, I’d say that the Pirates would be better off carrying 24 guys on their roster, rather than trading anything for him. He’s got a -0.5 WAR so far this season, and has been below replacement value since 2012. He does have some power, with a .164 ISO this year, but doesn’t hit for average or get on base, and he has negative defensive value. In short, his power is not worth all of the downsides.
Revere is more intriguing. He has no power at all, but hits for average and gets on base. With Josh Harrison out, Revere could look like a good option at the top of the lineup in the short-term, and could provide a speed and defense option in the outfield when Harrison returns. That latter part could be valuable if Gregory Polanco continues struggling. Currently Revere has been a better option, with a 1.7 WAR this year.
Revere is under control beyond the 2015 season, with two more years of arbitration remaining. He’s making $4.1 M this year, so he’d be a bit expensive as a bench option. However, his performance the last few years has been the equivalent of a league average starter.
Estimating his final arbitration years at around $13 M combined, a 2.0 WAR per year at $6 M per win, and estimating one more win the rest of this season, Revere would be worth $15 M in trade value. That would be worth one top 51-100 hitter, or a top 26-50 pitching prospect. It’s more likely that Revere would command a package of lesser prospects, with a Grade B prospect and one or two Grade C prospects.
This wouldn’t be a bad option for the Pirates to take. It gives them a leadoff guy while Harrison is out. It gives them outfield depth if Polanco continues to struggle of if anyone goes down with an injury. And they might even be able to reclaim their trade value by dealing him in the off-season, since he has two years of control remaining beyond this season. As for Francoeur, I see no reason why he should be on the Pirates’ radar.
