Perrotto: Some Final Thoughts on The Trade Deadline (+)
Brady Falter’s debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates wasn’t dazzling. It also wasn’t bad.
Facing the Brewers on Saturday night at Milwaukee, Falter pitched into the fifth inning and was charged with one run while walking only one of the 17 batters he faced. Yet he did give up six hits and had just two strikeouts.
It was certainly better than how the left-hander pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies this season. He had an 0-7 record and a 5.13 ERA in eight games (seven starts) before being sent to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
However, I still have a hard time liking the deal that sent infielder Rodolfo Castro to the Phillies for Falter just before baseball’s trade deadline on Tuesday.
Falter is OK.
He was 6-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 20 games (16 starts) for the Phillies last season and had a hand in getting them to the World Series. Philadelphia included Falter on its postseason roster, but he pitched just two-thirds of an inning over the four rounds of playoffs.
Most scouts and executives I’ve talked to think Falter’s ceiling is a serviceable No. 4 starter on a big-league roster. There is nothing wrong with that, but it also doesn’t create a lot of excitement.
Maybe I’ll eventually die on Rodolfo Castro Hill but I genuinely believe he can turn into a good major-league player. He’s a 24-year-old switch-hitting infielder with power. And while Castillo has trouble hitting from the left side of the plate, he has belted 22 home runs in 597 major-league plate appearances over three seasons.
The Phillies thought highly enough of Castillo to put him on their major-league roster after the trade and designate two-time All-Star Josh Harrison for assignment to open a roster spot. That’s a step up from being banished to Triple-A Indianapolis by the Pirates last month.
However, I do like the other trades that Pirates general manager Ben Cherington made leading up to the deadline – shipping first baseman Carlos Santana to the Milwaukee Brewers for infielder prospect Jhonny Severino, sending left-hander Rich Hill to the San Diego Padres for first baseman Alfonso Rivas, left-handed pitching prospect Jackson Wolf and outfield prospect Estaur Suero then getting international amateur free agent bonus pool money from the Texas Rangers for catcher Austin Hedges.
None of the three prospects are sure things. Yet they provide reason for hope, unlike Rivas whose lack of power for a first baseman helps him carry on a longstanding Pirates’ tradition.
Wolf is the closest to the major leagues and he will make his Pirates’ organizational debut Sunday when he starts for Double-A Altoona.
What stands out to talent evaluators is Wolf’s sidearm delivery which makes him very tough on left-handed hitters. Wolf’s fastball is lacking but he has enough command of his curveball and slider to be effort.
At worst, scouts envision the 6-foot-7 Wolf as a left-on-left relief specialist in the majors. At best, he could be a mid-rotation starter.
The 18-year-old Severino and 17-year-old Suero, as their ages suggest, are very much raw talents. However, as one talent evaluator from a National League team told me, “They are two kids who you can definitely dream on.”
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Severino is a right-handed hitter with impressive raw power, though his long-term position is more likely third base than shortstop.
Estuar, who is 6-5 and 185 pounds, is a switch-hitter who currently has holes in his swing from both sides of the plate, which is not uncommon for a young and tall hitter. However, he covers a lot of ground in center field and has the type of power potential that could make him an All-Star-caliber player in the big leagues.
Time, a lot of it in some cases, will tell how well the Pirates made out at this year’s deadline. While Severino and Suero are two youngsters worth watching, it doesn’t quite offset the gnawing feeling that the Pirates will regret letting Castillo go.