July 31, 2008 was supposed to be a pretty significant day in the rebuilding efforts of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the day they traded Jason Bay, who still had a year and a half left on his contract, and acquired several of the pieces that were supposed to bring the team back out of the basement and into respectability.
Pirates Release Brandon Moss, Might Regret Bay Trade
↵Fast-forward to today, when the Pirates designated Brandon Moss for assignment, and the trade doesn’t look so good anymore. In a season and a half as a Pirate, Moss has hit .232/.300/.381 over 600 plate appearances as a corner outfielder, and this spring he was beaten out for a job by Rule 5 pick John Raynor, who hit .257/.327/.360 in AAA last season.
↵The Bay trade might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but here’s the hill of magic beans the Pirates received in exchange for a former NL Rookie of the Year and three time All Star:
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- Andy LaRoche, who served as the team's primary third baseman in 2009 but has posted just a .666 OPS in a season and a half in Pittsburgh. ↵
- Moss. ↵
- Reliver Craig Hansen, who has appeared in 21 games as a Pirate and posted a 6.95 ERA. ↵
- Low-level pitching prospect Bryan Morris, who posted a 5.57 ERA in 15 starts as a 22-year-old in High-A last season. ↵
↵Trading your expensive star players for valuable pieces that will help you rebuild is a critical part of building a contending team on a small market budget. But in this case, it looks like the Pirates might have been better off letting Bay leave as a free agent and taking the draft picks.
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