After trading DH Daniel Vogelbach, Pirates look to fill void created in lineup, clubhouse

Ben Gamel has been teammates with Daniel Vogelbach on three teams, so he called the news that the Pittsburgh Pirates had traded the designated hitter just minutes before Friday’s first pitch a “gut punch.”

When the Pirates dealt the left-handed designated hitter to the NL East-leading New York Mets for right-handed reliever Colin Holderman, it left a gaping hole in the middle of their lineup and created a void in their clubhouse.

“It stinks, you know,” Gamel said, “but I’m happy for him because he’s gonna have a chance to go probably win the World Series.”

Gamel called the spring-training signing of Vogelbach to a one-year, $1 million contract a “big pickup for us.” Vogelbach quickly became a popular player in the Pirates clubhouse and dugout as a constant chatterbox who was loud, kept it light and loved to talk pitching.

Pirates OF Ben Gamel talks about the trade of DH Daniel Vogelbach to the Mets and how it affects the lineup and the clubhouse. pic.twitter.com/fB7xOp46Ac

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) July 23, 2022

“That guy can can navigate an at-bat as good as anyone in baseball,” Gamel said. “Always had a plan, never unprepared and was always ready to play.”

General manager Ben Cherington insisted the Pirates didn’t sign Vogelbach just to trade him, but his .338 on-base percentage, 12 home runs and team-best 34 RBIs and 40 walks made him an attractive bat for a contender to add. Vogelbach’s popularity with the Pirates didn’t make dealing him any easier, but Cherington liked the return he got in the 6-foot-7, 240-pound Holderman (4-0, 2.04 ERA in 15 appearances).

“Just about every player I’ve been involved in trading has been a hard worker who cares and trying to do the right stuff,” Cherington said. “In his case, he’s a fun personality to be around. He performed well in the role he was in. So, yeah, it was hard. That’s part of trades. We have to be willing to deal people even when they’re hard — and this one was hard. We felt clear about the outcome, and we felt clear about the decision but it doesn’t make it easy.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton pointed to Vogelbach’s daily preparation making him a good DH candidate and that most of his success came against right-handed pitching, as he slashed .260/.365/.532 with nine doubles, 12 homers and 27 RBIs against righties this season.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton on what Daniel Vogelbach brought and how they will fill the hole at DH in the lineup after his trade to the Mets. pic.twitter.com/A639WuN68F

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) July 23, 2022

“What Vogey brought to our team, No. 1, he brought a lot of energy,” Shelton said. “He did a nice job, especially versus right-handed pitching in the middle of our order. I personally really appreciate everything that he brought every day because he was a wonderful teammate.”

The trade happened so late that Shelton had to scratch Vogelbach from the starting lineup and use Yoshi Tsutsugo as designated hitter in Friday’s 8-1 loss to the Miami Marlins at PNC Park. Tsutsugo struck out three times, dropping his batting average to .173, and the Japanese slugger could be swinging his way out of the lineup and off the roster.

So DH has gone from a strength to a question mark for the Pirates, especially with Bryan Reynolds on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain and Michael Chavis starting at first base.

“I don’t know what we’ll do with it,” Shelton said. “So I think moving forward, we’ll have to look at it. But I don’t think we’ve decided anything right away.”

Cherington didn’t rule out the acquisition of another position player or the promotion of a prospect. One possibility could be outfielder Jack Suwinski, who homered twice for Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday night and will be eligible to return to the majors when the Pirates visit the Chicago Cubs on Monday.

GM Ben Cherington on what the Pirates will do at designated hitter after trading Daniel Vogelbach to the Mets pic.twitter.com/JNzivEr3mT

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) July 23, 2022

“Between now and the deadline, let’s see what happens,” Cherington said. “If we don’t add anybody else position player-wise — which certainly we’re open to doing — but if we don’t, obviously, we have a number of position players in the system already that we think would benefit from major-league at-bats. Maybe it’s an opportunity to spread some of those around.”

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