Trades are not won and they are not lost, they just happen. We get the conversations of winning and losing trades when fans and writers need something controversial to discuss. What trades can do is give a player who is seemingly out of options in an organization or trending downwards a fresh start. This is what happened for former Pirates top prospect Tyler Glasnow, who is now shredding American League batters for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Although it may be just a small sample size, there is something to be said about Glasnow making such a turn in a short period of time. Glasnow’s time in Pittsburgh was clearly at an end long before he was traded as part of the deal that sent Chris Archer to the Pirates. At that time the Pirates were still gunning for a postseason spot, while the Rays were attempting to evaluate what they had and layout the next phase of their rebuild. If Glasnow would’ve stayed in Pittsburgh he would be in the same spot now that he was during last season, if not back in the minors.
There was never any doubt about Glasnow’s potential as a starting pitcher, but things didn’t click for him upon arrival in the major leagues. His first two seasons with the Pirates from 2016 to 2017 Glasnow went a combined 2-6 with a 6.75 ERA. He appeared in 22 games those seasons and started 17 of them. Before the start of last season he was sent to the bullpen to work some things out while staying in the majors, but he never got back out. Glasnow did not make a start for a Pittsburgh Pirates team that had names such as Ivan Nova and Clay Holmes as starters. The Pirates organization lost its patience with him, hence the trade to Tampa.
Glasnow was given the chance to figure out his arm at the tail end of last season after the trade as he started in each of his 11 appearances. Turning the page to this season Glasnow has hit his stride and gotten off to a meteoric start. He is 6-0 with a minuscule 1.47 ERA, and was even named the AL Pitcher of the Month for April. While you can’t go back and change the moves that were made you can hope to learn from them, which is where Nick Kingham comes in.
Kingham’s time since making his debut last season is eerily similar to Glasnow’s. Kingham started in 15 of his 18 appearances last season before being relegated to bullpen duties at the tail end of Spring Training this year where he has struggled to find a footing posting a 6.39 ERA.
While the Pirates don’t necessarily have the strength at middle reliever to allow Kingham to rattle off short starts (similar to an Opener), similar to what the Rays did for Glasnow last season. However, their injury issues should allow for him to make a handful of starts in the coming weeks. Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle announced on Saturday that the first of those starts will be against the Texas Rangers this Wednesday. Maybe he turns the corner and finds a more permanent spot in the rotation, or maybe he won’t, but the point is to let a former highly touted prospect the opportunity to prove himself. The Rays did it with Glasnow, and it has worked out for them pretty well so far.
Being traded from Pittsburgh was the best thing for Tyler Glasnow’s career, and I couldn’t be happier for the guy. While it sucks that he found success somewhere else, it can be a learning experience for the Pirates organization. We’ll see if they can do better with Kingham, starting with his start this Wednesday.
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