- The return. The Pirates would certainly demand a pretty hefty return for Hanrahan and would have a legitimate chance of getting it. Last year, the Pirates got James McDonald and Andrew Lambo for Octavio Dotel, an amazing return for a rental like Dotel. In a similar situation, the Nationals brought in catching prospect Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps. For some reason, teams have been giving up big name prospects for late-inning relief help. If the Pirates could get a return like one of those two, I would certainly not be opposed to making the deal.
- He's easy to replace (sort of). Don't get me wrong here, the Pirates aren't going to find a pitcher of Hanrahan's calibur on free agency or through easy trade, but we have a couple options in the AA and AAA that could definitely make an impact in the big league level soon. Daniel Moskos pitched well in 2010 and could definitely give us quality innings in the big leagues this year. Another high-upside arm in the system is Diego Moreno, who played A ball last year but could progress quickly and be up by mid-season in 2011 (if all goes right and we really need him). The Pirates have Chris Resop and Evan Meek who are more than capable of being effective in the 8th and 9th innings, so it's not like the Pirates need another elite arm badly if they lose Hanrahan. The bullpen openings are easy to fill through free agency and the Pirates have sufficient options in the minor leagues to make a trade justifiable.
The Pirates are in the middle of a re-building process, and are desperately trying to claw their way back into relevancy in the major leagues. You don't do that with a strong bullpen. It's important, but not as important as having good starting pitching and depth in the majors and minors. The Pirates definitely lack those two things right now, and should focus their efforts on working those out. The most urgent need the Pirates have is starting pitching. There are numerous high-potential arms in the minor leagues, but not enough to feel comfortable with.
If the Pirates are going to make trades this offseason, I want to see their focus be on young starting pitching. Even if they bring in some guys that are a a year or two away from the big leagues, I'll be happy. The Pirates have options for future major league starters at every level of their system, but when you are talking about guys with potential, the more you have the better. You never know if a prospect is going to develop into what he can be, so the more you have the better chance you have of finding real big league talent.
I'm not really concerned with signing pitchers that can help immediately in 2011, since the team probably won't compete regardless. They should take big steps forward from 2010, especially with a full year of the offense consisting of Walker, Alvarez, and Tabata, but the pitching really can't be good enough to compete this year. Therefore, I'm looking for the Pirates to continue to pursue young high-upside pitching that can potentially reach the big leagues in late 2011 or 2012 at any point.