Camp thoughts: Catching situation, Edward Cabrera rumors, Josh Fleming role

A look at some of the news around the first day of camp

On what was the official day of training camp with just pitchers and catchers having reported, there was no shortage of happening when it came to the Pirates.

Not only did the Pirates make a free agent signing, but they were also involved in some trade rumors, and we got an update on a potential position battle that wasn’t initially expected.

What’s Henry Davis’ role?

When the Pirates first announced they were signing Yasmani Grandal, it seemed like it was so that he could be the backup to former first-overall pick Henry Davis, who was making the transition back behind the plate after playing right field in the majors last year.

That now doesn’t seem so clear as going off the words of Derek Shelton, “Grandal’s gonna catch. Then in that second spot, we’re gonna have a competition.” which he said in an article by Danny Demilio on PBN.

It's an interesting, unexpected take on how the off-season played out. It did seem like Davis was going to walk into camp as ‘the guy’ behind the plate, and the Pirates would let him learn and grow as the season went on.

Now, it sounds like there’s a chance he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster.

It could be just early camp generic quotes. Coming off another losing, the Pirates could be looking to push Davis by not handing him anything.

But what if he struggles behind the plate this spring? Would the Pirates send him to Triple-A if Jason Delay beats him out?

More importantly, if the bat looks improved and ready for major league pitching, the defense still needs a lot of work. What do the Pirates do, then?

No one expects Davis to be a major league-capable catcher immediately, especially after not playing the position last year. It just furthers the puzzling handling of his development defensively.

They wanted to get his bat in the major league lineup last year at the expense of where he was defensively, and he struggled offensively.

Now it seems like he’s even further behind, having to earn a roster spot, and is already 24 years old and will have a birthday before the end of the season.

He’s still young, but time waits for no one, and it still feels like they don’t have a clear picture of their plan for him.

Addressing the trade rumors

Boy, if you have Twitter and follow what’s going on, it’s certainly been an interesting day or two.

It’s been long speculated the Pirates were in the market to add another pitcher, with the trade route very much being live. The Marlins, with their pitching depth at the major league level, were ideal partners, with Edward Cabrera being speculated as a potential target.

Jason Mackey came out Tuesday night and confirmed that the Pirates and Marlins were engaged in trade talks, and also added that Cabrera was the player that made the most sense.

Cabrera, 25, is an intriguing arm. He has some of the most elite stuff in the game, but his control was among the worst in baseball last year.

His change-up gets up to the mid-90s and is no stranger to the ‘Pitching Ninja’ on Twitter for the whiffs it can get.

He would undoubtedly be a solid addition to a rotation that has a few question marks as we work through camp.

The stuff is there, but the control limits the upside, something he has had issues with during his time in the majors and the upper levels of the minors.

It’s the kind of control issue that could very much force him into a bullpen role upcoming.

That could be the hold up on any potential trade if this is what is being discussed.

The Marlins are likely looking to get something in return more fitting of what his upside is, while the Pirates should take the risk into account.

I’d be all for acquiring Cabrera, but any trade would have to take into account him being out of options and the extreme reliever risk. Every statistic and metric he’s put up outside of the strikeouts points towards a back of the rotation starter.

His career FIP is 4.43, which according to FanGraphs puts him around a ‘45’ FV as a #4/5. Could he get better? Sure, but when putting a trade together how much are you willing to bet on that?

Add him, if the price is right, but he’s not the guy to over spend on.

Josh Fleming role

A couple of great pieces by Danny over on PBN yesterday, as he also touched on the Pirates signing Josh Fleming and what his potential role could be.

At this point, I don’t see any issue with throwing as many hats into the mix when it comes to the one, maybe two, open spots available for the Opening Day rotation.

Statistically speaking, Fleming has been far worst in his career as a starter, but he does follow the Pirates love for soft-tossing lefties that pitch to contact, so that will be something to watch.

It’s a split contract, so the money isn’t guaranteed, so he will have to pitch himself into a roster spot this Spring.

Fleming does have some value as a reliever, as he’s had far more success out of the bullpen compared to being a starter. In 115.2 innings pitched out of the bullpen, Fleming has posted a 3.73 ERA (compared to 6.10 as a starter) and opponents have a .697 OPS (.856 as a starter) against him.

His groundball rate was in the 98th percentile last year, and barrel rate in the 83rd. So hitters didn’t make solid contact and it was mostly into the ground.

You can never have too much pitching depth, honestly, and realistically this is what it could end up being.