Will the Pirates Trade Mitch Keller? Konnor Griffin, Brandon Lowe & More

Hello from Arizona and this is our first Winter Off-Season Mailbag. You ask questions, I'm going to give you answers on Friday. If you want to be part of next week's, leave a comment in any Off-Beat episode, but today we got a couple questions.

We're going to go through them. Good morning and welcome to Off-Beat here on North Shore Nine presented by FanDuel. My name is Alex Stumpf and this is a daily look at your Pittsburgh Pirates.

Get right into it and we're going to start with a YouTube comment here from Rob Newman who asked, Konnor Griffin hits a lot of grounders and line drives. Great to take advantage of his speed, but perhaps limiting his home run total.

Would you tinker with his swing to create a more uppercut modern swing hoping for 25 to 30 homers?

Starting off real fast, Connor is the type of guy who is always going to tinker with his swing. It is always going to be a work in progress.

He's always taking different things that he's feeling from the game, different things that he's, seeing, people that he trusts, having conversations with them.

There are some people whose swings are a lot more static. Like Pete Rose, for example, has a really good video coming out.

It's like if you're slumping, you could do one of four things. You move in the box, you move back in the box, you move forward in the box, you go back in the box.

You never change your swing. Your swing made you a major leaguer.

Konnor Griffin is definitely more. What am I feeling? What am I doing? Right?

Like one of the things that he said this year that really stood out to me was whenever he started heating up, it was because I put the barrel of the bat to my head.

I wanted to know where it was at all points as I started my swing.

That's a really long start to this answer, but I think there's definitely more power potential there.

And I don't know if he's going to go full modern, trying to sell out for launch angle, upper cut a little more.

I don't think he's ever going to go fully in that route.

But I wouldn't be shocked if there is at some point, some destination that he lands on with this swing where it's like, I can generate more fly balls this way.

I can generate more pulled fly balls this way.

I think that is a product of just always working on his swing.

I don't know if he's going to go ever full just whatever the analytics selling out for fly balls right here.

There's always going to be a lot of line drives in his game.

You want him to get on base. You want him to use his speed.

But I do think it will continue to evolve as he grows as a player.

Switching up the questions here to what were asked on Twitter.

Donnie497 asks, if the Pirates plan to get a left-handed pitcher on the roster for next year, if it happens, who would be a likely candidate?

Hunter Barco is the guy on the 40-man roster, so he at least deserves some consideration here.

I really liked the guy from the Yankees, whose name is escaping me right now.

DiNardo.

My mind's a blank right now.

The guy from the—we're breaking the third wall here.

The guy from the Yankees, the lefty who used to be for the Rays.

One of the three guys I say they should sign.

The swing man.

I did an episode on it this week.

I'm having an absolute brain fart.

I am sorry.

But I'm thinking more that route for a left-handed pitcher.

Some people pull—well, never mind.

Never mind.

Just leave me up to dry.

This is a great episode already.

Yeah.

I don't know if they're going to have a dedicated left-handed starter is where I'm going with this.

I think they're better off trying to add, like, a Burke, add a quality lefty reliever like Soto was this year.

As for starting pitching, I'm looking at Karim Mlodzinski if there's a sixth, like if they either move on from Mitch Keller or if they want to sign someone.

I think a swing man goes a long way here instead of just a regular dedicated starter.

A lot of questions here about Brandon Lowe.

There are a lot of questions about Brandon Lowe.

We're going to go with, at BVela711 here.

If the Pirates can't re-sign Brandon Lowe, is it plausible to move Nick Gonzales back to second base and pursue a trade for Mayo for a package including Murph and a pitcher?

That'd be Coby Mayo from the Orioles.

I'd much rather have Murf Gray.

He was their Hannes Wagner, hitter of the year, player of the year.

I really like his game.

I think he's not too terribly far off from the major leagues.

I think he has as high a potential as Mayo.

But I, to get to the crux of the question here, yeah, I think Nick Gonzales could go to second base next year if they don't re-sign Brandon Lowe.

If they don't re-sign him, you definitely need an infielder.

You don't have a clear option at third base.

And trade is something that could actually be probably their best route here.

Because we don't know how much money they have to spend on free agents.

They still have some pitching depth.

They still have some minor league talent that they can trade from.

I think there's a better chance it could acquire an impact third baseman via trade than through free agency.

Especially with this class.

I don't think that it's going to be Mayo, though.

That was something that, not to close the book there, but just gut feeling how I, the vibe I got on how the Pirates viewed Orioles' prospects.

I think they would go the other way here.

Johnny the Jet, JohnJ6187 asks, Connor Wheatgrief, the rightful minor league pitcher of the year, respectfully pushing back, it's Seth Hernandez.

Seems like the type of lefty that plays up at PNC Park.

Where do you think he falls on the organizational starting pitching depth charts?

I feel if he was on the 40-man, we may have seen him this year.

He's not ready to join the 40-man yet.

I will agree that if he was on the 40-man roster, like if he was a year further along in his development, we probably would have seen him at some point in the major leagues this year.

If for no other reason than they were trying everyone in the bullpen.

But I do think he's on a major league trajectory here.

I think he's someone who, basketball orientation, I think if he switched it up and leaned into the slider and trying to make that, the knockout pitch more,

I think there's more here, but there's good foundation here.

I think he is on a track to make the major league roster.

I think he is someone that you view as like a starting pitcher.

Maybe not in 2027 quite yet, but like 2028 and beyond.

I think he's someone who you can put into like the back end of the rotation, get a little deeper.

If nothing else, you need up and down guys for at least the short term.

So if he's going to be like that Bailey Falter, someone who does well in this ballpark in particular, because of that big left field notch, then yeah, I think he's on a good major league trajectory.

I think there's some good stuff.

I think there's still some development to be had.

I know he had some time in Indianapolis this year, but I'm viewing him more as depth for 2027.

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Going back to Brandon Lowe here for a little bit, and I'm going to take at Timbo Jobo as the guy here.

Give me why the hell the Pirates are even considering not re-signing Brandon Lowe.

Well, let me push back a little here.

They would like to re-sign him.

He is, the clubhouse really wants him.

Ben Cherington said in Detroit, for the final series that, I can't remember the exact terminology, but it basically came down to, like, if he comes back, great.

We'd be very happy with that.

The asking price is going to be the reason why I think Brandon Lowe eventually goes.

He is the best left-handed free agent on the market, and he's also going to command at the very least three years, in my opinion.

He's going to command at least three years.

I wouldn't be shocked if he gets a fourth, and he's someone as good as he was this year.

He's had an injury history in the past.

I don't know what type of ball player he's going to be three years from now, four years from now.

I think there's a decent chance that he's going to be either sliding over to first base or DH-ing a lot more than he's going to be playing second base.

Now, I am of the opinion, I don't misconstrue those words, I am of the opinion that 2027 needs to be the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth priority.

If I'm Ben Cherington and I have Brandon Lowe under contract in 2030 and he's not producing that well and it's an Albatross contract and it's my problem, that means something great has happened these last couple years.

That means this team has become a real contender, made the playoffs, you're still GM.

That's a champagne problem at that point.

So, like, yeah, their priority needs to be getting back to the postseason.

I fully expect that he will be offered a qualifying offer.

I don't have any insight on Brandon Lowe's camp.

I would assume, again, not source, just assume that he would reject it so he can test free agency.

We'll see what ends up coming to be.

I'm not exactly optimistic that he will be back in Pittsburgh next year.

And that's a shame because he meant so much to that lineup.

He meant so much to that clubhouse.

He was one of those guys who really made this year pop.

Switching over to Blue Sky.

One Too Many Mornings asks, Aside from Skenes regaining his form, what's your biggest question, risk unknown regarding the 2027 rotation?

And, Paul Skenes is the answer here.

But the second one for me is Braxton Ashcraft.

Because he was fantastic this year.

He was an all-star for a reason.

He was my vote for the team's best pitcher this year.

He's also never been pushed this hard before.

So, I want to see how he responds.

He came out of it healthy.

Like, I know he was on the injured list, but there wasn't any structural damage.

He came out of it healthy.

If the Pirates were playing in the World Series, he'd be pitching in the World Series.

Like, there's a lot to like about his game.

A lot to like about this year.

I just want to see how the body responds.

I want to see if the guy that we saw in May and June and July is the same guy.

There's a lot here that's still unknown just because he's never been pushed this way as a professional.

So, that's still an if for me.

And then the second answer would probably be just Mitch Keller.

Does he regain form?

We're going to close on a Mitch Keller question here from Murdog 2020.

Which Mitch scenario is most likely?

A, keep him.

B, trade him in full salary for nearly no return.

C, trade him each salary for a better return.

And D, package him with a prospect to facilitate a salary dump trade.

I don't see D happening.

The Pirates aren't in a position that they absolutely have to shed the salary.

And I don't see them going full Francisco Liriano here.

That'd be a really bad use of a prospect.

It'd be a really bad message to send to the Major League team.

Because, yeah, while Mitch Keller had a bad season by his standards, he's still a well-respected part of that clubhouse.

As he has been for years, flat out ditching him would be an ugly look.

At this moment, I think the most likely outcome is they hang on to him.

Like, maybe, I expect we're going to hear his name in trade.

We're going to hear some rumors.

But I just don't know if any team is going to offer him or offer the Pirates something of the significance for him.

And I don't know if the Pirates are really eager to just unload him and just start anew.

Like, I don't know if they're – I don't think they're at a spot where they really want to do that.

They would rather have Mitch Keller be part of the team, would rather have him try to bounce back.

And he is a bounce-back candidate.

He acknowledged there were some things with his mechanics that were off.

Perhaps that contributed to the injury.

I think it definitely contributed to the drop and velo.

If he gets back to using his legs the way that he did the past couple years, I think that could be something that actually helps him.

It helps the rotation.

I think this is still the strongest starting five with him in it.

Pirates probably do, too.

I don't see him getting unloaded for nothing quite yet.

And I don't know if they're in the position to eat money whenever there's such a money question.

Even if there was going to be some cash freed up, you'd have to bring in another starter.

I think they're best suited just hanging on to him.

Thank you for being part of our first mailbag here on Offbeat here on North Shore Nine presented by FanDuel.

If you haven't already, be sure to leave a comment for the next one and be able to check us out on YouTube if you want to see my smiling face.

Thank you so much for listening.

We will talk again.

All right.

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