Sources: Pirates Make Offer for Garrett Whitlock, At Least One Other Red Sox MLB Player

[Brandon Glick]

According to multiple sources with ties to the Boston Red Sox, the Pittsburgh Pirates have submitted an offer for "multiple MLB players" on the roster.

Garrett Whitlock is a confirmed part of the Pirates' offer. There are no indications as to their other request(s), though their need for bullpen help suggests perhaps another reliever, such as Aroldis Chapman or Justin Slaten, would be sensible. They have the fourth-ranked scoring offense in baseball, so it's unlikely that they'd seek one of the hitters from the Sox's moribund lineup.

No indications have been given as to their proposed return, though I've corroborated with multiple sources that Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler are not part of the deal. It hardly goes without saying, but any dreams about Paul Skenes coming over are also unrealistic.

At this time, no deal is reportedly close to completion. The front office almost certainly will hold out hope that they can keep their sinking ship buoyant before agreeing to a sell-off, and their pre-All-Star-Break stretch against the Angels, White Sox, and Mets has given them the perfect chance to get back on track before the second half.

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[Brandon Glick]

Quick FAQ:

Talk Sox had this scoop last week, though we elected not to run it until July 9 when it began picking up national steam.

I am not a Red Sox source. My sources have ties to the team and have been properly vetted; two of the three had the Alex Cora/coaching staff scoop days before the decision was officially made.

A deal is not guaranteed to happen, as with any rumor. I do not know if the Red Sox have countered the Pirates’ proposal yet, but we know that they haven’t accepted the original deal, which was offered last week.

[mvp 78]

Whitlock, Duran and $5M for Esmerlyn Valdez, Wilber Dotel and Murf Gray.

[moonslav59]

I'm a big Whitlock fan, and our pen is weak and not deep.

To me, pen arms go up and down, and Duran has been headed down for too long.

I'm no expert on other team's player values, but I'd consider trading Duran & Whitlock.

If we do sell, we should sell Gray, Contreras, IKF, Coulombe and maybe maybe 2-3 year players.

I'm on the fence with Contreras.

[Brandon Glick]

6 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Whitlock, Duran and $5M for Esmerlyn Valdez, Wilber Dotel and Murf Gray.

I am a big fan of Valdez. I don't know how jazzed the Pirates would be to (effectively) swap him out for Duran in their future plans.

[Brandon Glick]

2 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I'm a big Whitlock fan, and our pen is weak and not deep.

To me, pen arms go up and down, and Duran has been headed down for too long.

I'm no expert on other team's player values, but I'd consider trading Duran & Whitlock.

If we do sell, we should sell Gray, Contreras, IKF, Coulombe and maybe maybe 2-3 year players.

I'm on the fence with Contreras.

Whitlock exists in a weird space, so I'm not surprised he appears to be the guy they're getting lots of calls about. He's not young and pre-arb, but he's also got some team control (via options) and is the obvious replacement for Chapman when/if he goes.

I think he'd fetch a very similar price to Chapman in a trade thanks to those two club options. We know every contender in baseball needs high-leverage relievers.

[southpaw777]

Unless the Sox want to empty the farm to compete with the other clubs who are already in a solid position to win it all, need a lot less than the Sox, and are willing to part with a LOT to get that ring, then we need to entertain all offers.

there are certain players that will require a huge return, IMO,  in order to part with them. Whitlock is one of them. Contreras?  if someone’s willing to empty the farm for the best RH bat on the market, then Im all ears. Abreu to a lesser extent.

we can use these guys for the next 2+ years but if there’s an offer you can’t refuse…

then you don’t.

[moonslav59]

10 minutes ago, southpaw777 said:

Unless the Sox want to empty the farm to compete with the other clubs who are already in a solid position to win it all, need a lot less than the Sox, and are willing to part with a LOT to get that ring, then we need to entertain all offers.

there are certain players that will require a huge return, IMO,  in order to part with them. Whitlock is one of them. Contreras?  if someone’s willing to empty the farm for the best RH bat on the market, then Im all ears. Abreu to a lesser extent.

we can use these guys for the next 2+ years but if there’s an offer you can’t refuse…

then you don’t.

I could see the Sox doing neither (again) or just a little of both.

Like sell on Duran and Whitlock, but keep Gray & Chapman. Buy on an infielder & bat (maybe the same guy) without giving up a top 5 to 7 prospect.

[southpaw777]

Just now, moonslav59 said:

I could see the Sox doing neither (again) or just a little of both.

Like sell on Duran and Whitlock, but keep Gray & Chapman. Buy on an infielder & bat (maybe the same guy) without giving up a top 5 to 7 prospect.

That’s what I’m worried about. That would be a bad plan.

[Old Red]

6 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I could see the Sox doing neither (again) or just a little of both.

Like sell on Duran and Whitlock, but keep Gray & Chapman. Buy on an infielder & bat (maybe the same guy) without giving up a top 5 to 7 prospect.

Oh no! Not the annual 3rd option in the fork in the road.

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, Brandon Glick said:

I am a big fan of Valdez. I don't know how jazzed the Pirates would be to (effectively) swap him out for Duran in their future plans.

They'd say no to my trade for sure. 

[Bellhorn04]

As of now we're closer to a playoff spot than Pittsburgh is.

[mvp 78]

22 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

As of now we're closer to a playoff spot than Pittsburgh is.

Pitt has a better win % and better diff. They also may just want to acquire Whitlock because he has several years of control. 

[Brandon Glick]

25 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

As of now we're closer to a playoff spot than Pittsburgh is.

The offer was made a week ago (or at least that's when I heard about it), so perhaps thinking has changed since, especially now that Konnor Griffin is injured.

But I also think it's just wrong to say the Sox are better than the Pirates this year. A weak AL doesn't make a bad Sox team better.

[Bellhorn04]

3 minutes ago, Brandon Glick said:

The offer was made a week ago (or at least that's when I heard about it), so perhaps thinking has changed since, especially now that Konnor Griffin is injured.

But I also think it's just wrong to say the Sox are better than the Pirates this year. A weak AL doesn't make a bad Sox team better.

I'm not saying we're better, but you could make a case that we have a better shot of going deep in the playoffs than they do because we would be facing weaker opponents.  Plus I think we are getting better.  But I'm a little biased, admittedly.

[Brandon Glick]

13 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

I'm not saying we're better, but you could make a case that we have a better shot of going deep in the playoffs than they do because we would be facing weaker opponents.  Plus I think we are getting better.  But I'm a little biased, admittedly.

I think the Sox want to avoid a sell-off as badly as possibly. Breslow for the sake of his job and ego (proves he was right to fire Cora) and ownership for the sake of extending the season as long as they can before the lockout.

The recent hot streak is nice to see, but the quality of opponents is... well, not good. That post-break opening act against the Rays, Jays, and O's will be telling. Struggle in those series, and it'll be nigh impossible to avoid trading away some guys.