Count the Milwaukee Brewers among the teams interested in Josh Harrison.
The Pirates’ division rivals have some level of interest in trading for Harrison, according to a source. The Brewers have a hole to fill at second base after Neil Walker, who joined the team in August, became a free agent and Jonathan Villar had a down year.
Several teams previously have expressed interest in Harrison, including the New York Yankees and New York Mets. The Toronto Blue Jays also had interest, but after trading for Yangervis Solarte earlier this month, they seem to be an unlikely destination for Harrison at this point.
Harrison will make $10 million in 2018, and the Pirates have team options of $10.5 million next year and $11.5 million in 2020. He posted a .272/.339/.432 line in 2017 and was the Pirates’ sole representative at the All-Star Game.
The Pirates’ decision to trade Gerrit Cole over the weekend suggests they are in retool or rebuild mode more than contention mode for 2018. Harrison and Andrew McCutchen remain the team’s most obvious trade candidates. On Monday, the San Francisco Giants were reported to be engaged in serious talks with the Pirates for McCutchen, according to FanRag Sports.
Still, it seems unlikely the Pirates will trade Harrison within the division, especially after the lengths they went to avoid sending Juan Nicasio to the Chicago Cubs last year. The Brewers finished second in the National League Central last season with an 86-76 record, one game back from the second wild-card spot.
Elizabeth Bloom: ebloom@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1750 and Twitter: @BloomPG.
First Published: January 15, 2018, 6:44 p.m.