Do Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez and J.A. Happ have a nice sense of timing or what?
If Sunday’s game was their final regular-season home game in a Pirates uniform, they made sure it was a memorable one by leading the team to a 4-0 win against the Cincinnati Reds to ensure Wednesday night’s National League wild-card game against the Chicago Cubs will be played at PNC Park.
Walker drove in the first run with a first-inning single and made an outstanding defensive play in the sixth to end the Reds’ best scoring chance. Alvarez hit his 27th home run in the fourth inning, a monster shot that went an estimated 479 feet. Happ continued his phenomenal pitching by working the first six innings of the shutout, allowing three hits and three walks.
Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said Sunday there “absolutely are scenarios” in which the team keeps Walker and Alvarez beyond this year. He also said there’s “interest” in re-signing Happ as a free agent. That sounded nice, but it seems unlikely any of the three players will be back.
Happ probably has the best chance. It didn’t seem reasonable to think the Pirates would re-sign Francisco Liriano after last season, but Huntington got it done with a three-year, $39 million contract. Can the team do a deal with Happ? He won’t come cheaply. He has made himself marketable by going 7-1 with a 1.85 ERA in his past 10 starts. Beyond that, he’s a left-handed starter. They are gold.
“He’s pitching the kind of ball you want to see your guys pitch late in the season,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.
Happ said he is not thinking beyond the postseason. He has put himself squarely in the Pirates’ plans and would get a start, if not two, against the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series, should they advance.
“I have nothing bad to say about my time here,” Happ said. “In fact, everything has been great … I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in any other dugout.”
Happ sounded sincere. But know this: All players want to stay until teams start talking big money. We’ll see.
Alvarez can’t leave as a free agent until after next season, but he is eligible for another year of salary arbitration. He is making $5.75 million this season and probably will get a raise to $8 million next season. It’s hard to imagine the Pirates going that high, especially because they have first baseman Michael Morse signed for $8.5 million next season. A trade to an American League team seems likely.
Has there ever been a more confounding athlete in Pittsburgh than Alvarez? His power is intoxicating; the home run he hit Sunday was worth the price of a ticket. But you are afraid to watch Alvarez when he has to make a routine play at first base, although he did make a strong, accurate throw to second in the third inning Sunday to get a force out after a bunt.
“I love what he’s doing and how hard he’s working,” Hurdle said.
Pirates blog: Projecting the 25-man wild card roster
Walker’s future has everyone speculating. Like Alvarez, he is eligible for salary arbitration one more time before he can become a free agent after next season. He is making $8 million and should get a raise to more than $10 million. That almost certainly will be too expensive for the Pirates, who blew it with Walker by not getting a multiyear deal done with him a few years ago. A trade seems likely.
Losing Walker would be tough because of his production. He has had another strong offensive season, leading National League second basemen with 16 home runs, 50 extra-base hits and 71 RBIs despite sitting many games against left-handed starting pitchers. He’s also heating up at the right time, batting .347 in his past 13 starts with five multihit games. There also was his superb play in the sixth inning when he caught Starling Marte’s off-balance throw and lunged to tag out the Reds’ Brandon Phillips at second base.
But Walker means so much more to the Pirates. He and Andrew McCutchen are the two faces of the club. He is a hometown hero in a sporting sense. Huntington knows it but has insisted he won’t make an emotional decision with Walker or any player.
“It’s not a matter of being able to afford one player or not,” Huntington said. “It’s a matter of being able to build a championship club. We’re going to have to make some tough decisions each and every year. It’s no different from every small- to mid-market team. Even most large-market teams still have to choose between marketable players who are nearing free agency or in their final year of arbitration. It’s not Pittsburgh-centric. It’s the industry …
“My hope is it’s not a distraction [for Walker]. My hope is he understands he’s going to give us everything he has and that the fans want him to give us everything he has between now and the last game of this season.”
That won’t be a problem for Walker. No one on the Pirates has been more professional. It won’t be a problem for Happ and Alvarez. They are looking forward to that next game at PNC Park Wednesday night and perhaps several more.
“Winning takes care of everything,” Walker said.
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com. Ron Cook can be heard on the “Cook and Poni” show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
Click the image above to explore our 2015 season tracker and check out how the Pirates have fared so far, game by game. (Post-Gazette)
First Published: October 5, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
