First Pitch: The Travis Snider Trade Doesn’t Really Look Like a Mistake

The Travis Snider trade was a very controversial move. The Pirates took a gamble by dealing Snider, coming off a big season where he finished strong in the second half. They got two left-handed pitchers in A-ball, who have the chance to reach the majors one day. Meanwhile, they switched over to their other outfield options, with the belief that one of them could replicate what Snider could do, all while helping to restock the farm system in the process.

This isn’t a bad gamble to take. It’s a gamble every small market team needs to take. You get a viable replacement in the majors, you trade the more expensive option away to help reload the system, and you don’t see a drop off in production.…