Within a matter of minutes Wednesday morning, the Pirates announced a trade and a free-agent signing, both aimed to help address areas of uncertainty for the 2016 team — but neither offering a sure upgrade.
They acquired right-hander Allen Webster from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations and signed outfielder/first baseman Jake Goebbert. Their 40-man roster is now full.
The deal for Webster, a 25-year-old who is not far removed from being a well-regarded prospect, could bolster a pitching staff in flux. A.J. Burnett retired, and the Pirates might or might not re-sign J.A. Happ; they currently don’t have a fifth starter behind Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, Charlie Morton and Jeff Locke. Their bullpen lost Antonio Bastardo, Joe Blanton and Joakim Soria to free agency, and trading All-Star closer Mark Melancon is a possibility as he enters his final year of team control.
“Allen is a prospect that we’ve liked in the past, we liked in a scouting look this season,” general manager Neal Huntington said.
The Los Angeles Dodgers originally drafted Webster in the 18th round in 2008 before sending him to the Boston Red Sox in the 2012 salary-dump trade involving Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. The Red Sox traded Webster to the Diamondbacks after the 2014 season in the deal that brought Wade Miley to Boston.
In nine games, five starts, for the Diamondbacks in 2015, Webster had a 5.81 ERA. He walked 20 batters and gave up 10 homers in 31 innings, and the Diamondbacks designated him for assignment Friday to clear space for prospects they needed to protect from the Rule 5 draft. He is out of minor-league options, meaning the Pirates can’t send him to the minors without him clearing waivers and making it more likely he starts the season in the majors.
“He pitched in an amazingly friendly hitter’s park, and it can do some things to a pitcher, mentally as well as physically,” Huntington said. “We still see signs of stuff.”
Webster showed promise in the minors. In 2013-14, in the Class AAA Pawtucket rotation, he had ERAs of 3.60 and 3.10 with at least 100 strikeouts, and Baseball American ranked him the No. 4 prospect in the Red Sox system after 2013.
Goebbert, 28, reached minor-league free agency after the 2015 season, which he spent at Class AAA El Paso. He hit .294 with a .392 on-base percentage and 10 homers in 421 plate appearances. He has played more corner outfield than first base in the minors, though Huntington said the Pirates feel he can play both. He bats left-handed, and has all three minor-league options remaining.
“We see him as a guy that will come in and compete to make our club,” Huntington said. “If not, he is optionable. He does some things in the batter’s box that we liked a lot.”
The Pirates have two first basemen, the right-handed Michael Morse and left-handed Pedro Alvarez, under contract through 2016. The Pirates are testing the market on their 2017 free agents — Melancon, Alvarez and Neil Walker — and Alvarez, according to a CBS Sports report Wednesday, has told associates that he believes the time is right for a trade and would be open to one.
The Houston Astros originally selected Goebbert out of Northwestern in the 13th round of the 2009 draft. In 2014, Goebbert reached the major leagues with the San Diego Padres. In 51 plate appearances, he had a .630 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) and one home run.
Two more newcomers
According to Baseball America, the Pirates have signed outfielder Danny Ortiz and right-hander Curtis Partch to minor-league contracts. Ortiz spent his entire career in the Minnesota Twins organization and hit .248 with a .295 on-base percentage and 17 homers at Class AAA Rochester in 2015. Partch reached the majors with the Cincinnati Reds in 2013-14 and had a 3.53 ERA out of the bullpen for Class AAA Sacramento in the San Francisco Giants’ organization in 2015.
Conditioning coach vacancy
The Pirates have not yet named a replacement for Kiyoshi Momose, their former major league strength and conditioning specialist who recently joined the Red Sox. “We are exploring what might be out there, but also might just reassign Kiyoshi’s responsibilities internally amongst a variety of guys,” Huntington said.
Bill Brink: bbrink@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrinkPG.
First Published: November 25, 2015, 4:05 p.m.
Updated: November 25, 2015, 7:46 p.m.
