Top 5 Reasons that the Pirates Should Trade Ryan Doumit

I was on my way home from the office the other day, listening to 93.7 The Fan radio, when I heard a suggestion that piqued my curiosity. The hosts brought up the idea of trading Ryan Doumit. At first, I laughed at how preposterous it was. Is that what the Pirates need? Really? Trade away MORE established players? I got home and put the debate out of my head.

For a while at least.

As I thought more about it, I realized that it is actually a far smarter idea than I had first given it credit for. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the top 5 reasons that the Pirates should trade Ryan Doumit.

1. The Pirates are in dire need of starting pitching.

Our starters suck. They’ve sucked since I was 5 years old. Doumit can fetch either a star pitching prospect or a consistent veteran starter (circa Jeff Suppan in 2004-05). Both of which would be satisfying a need for this team. The young starters do have some talent, and a veteran presence could help to develop them into legit major league pitchers.

2. He’s going to be 30, and is often injured.

The first part of that statement will surprise a lot of people. Doumit has only come into his own the past few years, so most people tend to think of him as a younger guy. Now by no means is 30 ancient in baseball terms, but it’s not young either. Especially given the second part of my statement; Doumit’s injuries. It’s hard to hold injuries against a guy, but here is the amount of games Doumit has played in the last 3 years:

2007: 83
2008: 116
2009: 75

Doumit would be infinitely harder to give up if he gave us 120 games/year. Given his penchant for missing games, it’s hard to truly calculate his value to the team.

3. Tony Sanchez

The Pirates didn’t draft Tony Sanchez with their first pick in 2009 for nothing. Sanchez has a live bat, a live arm, and great tenacity. Truly, Sanchez looks to be their long-term solution at catcher. He won’t be up in 2010 or probably 2011, but many would bet he’ll be the Pirates catcher in 2012. That being said…

4. The Pirates have short-term solutions (until Sanchez is ready)

Jason Jaramillo has proven that he can play in the Bigs. He was very solid while Doumit was injured in 2009, and showed that he can be a clutch hitter and a decent defensive catcher. Also, don’t forget, we do have the luxury of Neil Walker, who is a catcher by trade. Not like we’re gearing for a 2010 playoff run anyhow.

5. Doumit’s value may not get much higher.

Doumit is having a pretty good 2010. Plus, there would be a lot of teams in the market for a switch-hitting catcher with a powerful bat. It’s not like Doumit is a defensive liability either. He is a smart catcher who knows how to call a game for a pitcher. He would be very helpful to a team with young starters. It may be advantageous to trade Doumit while he is healthy and ready to contribute.

This is not a plea to trade Doumit, simply a justification for it if the situation arose. Also, Doumit has a $7 million option the year after next (I believe). The Pirates won’t want to pay him that money, no doubt. If someone were to dangle a good offer to the Pirates over the summer, don’t be surprised if they took it.