Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has the latest on Josh Harrison, that includes quotes from Harrison alluding to a trade request.
Harrison had this to say on the matter:
“My passion for Pittsburgh, what it has MEANT to me, what it MEANS to me, can never be questioned. I love this city, I love the fans, I love my teammates.”
“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.”
“Baseball is a business and I understand that trades are part of the business. While I love this game, the reality is that I just lost two of my closest friends in the game.”
“Cole and Cutch were not just friends, they were the best pitcher and best position player on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now, I am the most tenured member of the Pirates, I want to win, I want to contend, I want to win championships in 2018, 2019 and beyond.”
While he clearly has high regard for the team he started with, the second statement makes it clear that he wants to win somewhere and if that has to be somewhere else in 2018, then so be it.
Rosenthal notes that the Mets, New York Yankees, and Milwaukie Brewers are among the teams with reported interest in the 30-year old.
Harrison hit .272/.339/.432 this past season with a career-high of 16 home runs with 47 RBIs that gave him a wRC+ of 104. For his career, he has hit a similar .281/.321/.414 with a wRC+ of 101.
At second base, Harrison recorded six defensive runs saved last season and has 22 for his career at the keystone. He also recorded two defensive runs saved at third base last season and has 19 for his career.
