Bucs Dugout: Why Hasn’t Trading Their Best Hitters Caused the Pirates to Lose More?

You mean it’s not the LaRoche’s twin OPS+ of 116?

The Pirates’ trades of Jason Bay, Xavier Nady and Nate McLouth were rebuilding deals. But that doesn’t mean the next couple of years have to be that much more painful than they otherwise would have been. The Pirates’ defense with Bay, Nady and McLouth in the outfield was a disaster. Without Bay and Nady it’s become far better, and the improvements are likely to continue now that the Bucs have replaced McLouth with Andrew McCutchen. These changes offset most of the losses the Pirates took on offense, which is one reason why the Pirates’ 2009 W-L record is practically identical to their 2008 W-L record before the Bay and Nady trades. So even though the Pirates got back prospects in these deals, they may not have made their 2009 team that much worse.

...But perhaps the main reason the Pirates haven’t gotten worse is that they’ve changed from a poor defensive team to a very good one, especially in the outfield. The fundamental complexion of the team is different. This isn’t a change that’s particularly easy for fans to see, which is one reason there continues to be lingering anger about the trades. The Pirates’ old outfielders were active impediments to the Pirates’ pitching staff, because they just didn’t get the job done in the field. Now they have outfielders who do.