The Pirates just lost some bargaining power on a Josh Harrison trade

by Brian Erni January 16, 2018

The Mets want to acquire an infielder, and the Pirates' Josh Harrison has been mentioned as a target. But with his team-friendly deal, and considering the fact that the Mets don't have a ton of tradaable assets, Harrison was likely going to be a tough get for New York.

That may have changed today.

“My passion for Pittsburgh, what it has MEANT to me, what it MEANS to me, can never be questioned," Harrison said in a statement released to The Athletic. "I love this city, I love the fans, I love my teammates. Saying that, the GM is on record as saying, ‘When we get back to postseason-caliber baseball, we would love our fans to come back out.’ If indeed the team does not expect to contend this year or next, perhaps it would be better for all involved, that I also am traded. I want what is best for the organization that gave me a chance to be a Big Leaguer.”

Acquiring Harrison would be a no-brainer. He is a very good player, both offensively and defensively. He played to a 3.3 WAR last season. He can play both second and third base, where he was worth 6 and 2 defensive runs saves, respectively. That would give the Mets the flexibility they covet, and allow them to move Asdrubal Cabrera and Wilmer Flores in and out of the lineup.

The only question is can the Mets get it done without offering a lot of attractive prospects. Trading Amed Rosario would defeat the purpose, and the Mets don't want to do that anyway. Pittsburgh has their own version of Dom Smith in Josh Bell, so that wouldn't do the trick. Outside of dealing a pitcher on the Major League roster (Robert Gsellman or Seth Lugo, maybe?), there isn't much to get there to get the deal done.

But now that Harrison is going to force the Pirates' hand, maybe a deal just got a little bit easier? Sandy Alderson has been in touch with Pittsburgh GM Neal Huntington about Harrison already. Could this be enough to get it past some previous hurdles?