The Pirates are “shopping” outfielder Jose Tabata, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.
Tabata is slated to see regular action in right field, but with top prospect Gregory Polanco waiting in the wings (and playing right field) at Triple-A his time as a starter in Pittsburgh could only be a few more months.
Tabata is just still 25 years old and has been a decent all-around player for the Pirates, including hitting .282 with six homers and a .771 OPS in 106 games last season. However, he’s yet to develop any further since signing a long-term contract extension and no longer looks capable of being a building block type of player.
With three years and $12 million remaining on his contract--plus relatively reasonable team options for 2017, 2018, and 2019--Tabata could draw some trade interest from teams looking to cheaply fill a corner outfield spot. Or the Pirates could wait to see if he gets off to a good start while Polanco plays at Triple-A and try to cash in Tabata for a better return in May or June.
