Pirates Likely Staying Careful at Trade Deadline
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have played their best baseball of the season in July, sparking interest into what they'll do with the trade deadline coming on July 31.
ESPN MLB writer Jeff Passan looked at all 30 MLB teams and what they'll look to do going forward in terms of buying players, selling, or doing a little of both.
He placed the Pirates in the "Teams Trying to Thread the Needle" category, along with franchises in the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers.
Passan sees the Pirates as a team that is looking to the future, with rookie starting pitchers in All-Star Paul Skenes and Jared Jones and one that is looking to the present as they are contending for a wild card spot, just a half game out.
This means they need to get more hitters, even with the good core they have of All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds, plus infielders Ke'Bryan Hayes, Oneil Cruz and Nick Gonzales.
Passan think the Pirates will make sure to add at the deadline, but not give up too important of a piece of their rotation.
"Despite clawing into playoff contention -- they're a half-game back of the final NL wild card spot -- the Pirates remain a team every bit as much focused on its future as its present," Passan wrote. "The emergence of right-handers Paul Skenes and Jared Jones this season both revitalized the 2024 roster and has the franchise dreaming of what its future in the NL Central looks like. Now and for the years ahead, Pittsburgh needs bats, and while an add-and-subtract play is difficult for any team to pull off, Pittsburgh could acquire some bats on the margin while being open to moving a starter like Bailey Falter or a back-end reliever, be it Aroldis Chapman or the options who would require a bigger return: setup man Colin Holderman or closer David Bednar.
"The Pirates' core, with Skenes, Jones and Mitch Keller in the rotation and outfielder Bryan Reynolds and shortstop Oneil Cruz in the lineup, is solid. But they require more offense, whether it's from infielders Nick Gonzales and Ke'Bryan Hayes or externally, to be the fearsome unit their starting pitching suggests they can be."
DOMINIC CAMPBELL