The Pittsburgh Pirates (48-34) trail the St. Louis Cardinals by a shocking six games in the NL Central. In case you didn't know, the Pirates have the third best record in the MLB and possess one of the most balanced lineups as well. Will they look to upgrade with the trade deadline approaching?
Previous rumors found the Pirates sent scouts to check out Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz, but as the days go by it's hard to see Boston moving the right-hander because he's been one of the few positive aspects throughout their underachieving season.
The back end of Pittsburgh's rotation could use some fortifying and the outfield is perhaps a bit of a concern now due to the recent injury to Starling Marte and the struggles of Gregory Polanco. First baseman Pedro Alvarez has also not been awfully impressive.
Luckily for the Buccos, the presence of Jung-ho Kang has made the loss of Josh Harrison a bit more manageable.
On the Baseball Tonight Podcast, ESPN Insider Buster Olney had Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review as a guest to discuss the Pirates' potential plan as the trade deadline approaches.
"Do you think it's possible they'll go out and look for someone to help at first base before the deadline?" Olney asked.
"Yeah, I know they've been shopping around," Biertempfel said. "They've been putting [Pedro] Alvarez's name out there since the Winter Meetings, and maybe even a little bit before that if you go back to last year's trade deadline ... the thing that kind of hurts them when it comes to trading they're depth has really taken a hit, especially at the minor league level ... and a lot of their best talent is in the low levels of the minors, which probably isn't the kind of stuff you'd be able to deal to get an impact kind of player at the major league level.
"I'm sure they'd like to find some starting pitching depth and they'd like to find some help at first base, and I've even heard whispers they might be willing to dangle a guy like [Gregory] Polanco, but again, with [Starling] Marte kind of being in limbo, those plans may have changed as well."
Alvarez could have some use in the American League as a DH if other clubs are interested. Maybe the Los Angeles Angels would be a suitor because their DH situation is a nightmare and they're looking for left-handed power. No rumors have linked these two, just some connecting the dots based on earlier reports.
The market for first basemen isn't exactly ripe with talent, but the starting pitching market is.
Jeff Locke has calmed down after a rough start to the year, but he's still not entirely reliable. It seems as if Locke and Charlie Morton switched places: Morton started the season on May 25 and was 5-0 with a 1.62 ERA in his first five outings, but has gone 1-2 with a 11.37 ERA in his last three.
Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano and A.J. Burnett have been a great 1-2-3 combo, but the back end of the rotation could prove to be a problem. Who might Pittsburgh go after at the deadline?
"The pitcher the Pirates need to acquire is Jeff Samardzija," writes Jesse Spector of The Sporting News. "Samardzija would go into the Pirates' rotation as the No. 3 or 4 starter, and his ability to go deep in games would help keep Pittsburgh's bullpen - one of the Bucs' greatest strengths - fresh. Even while he has struggled this year, Samardzija has worked at least seven innings in 11 of his 16 starts."
Signs may also hint toward the Pirates making a move for a big name starter. They just traded left-hander Clayton Richard to the Chicago Cubs and one of their top pitching prospects, Jameson Taillon, is expected to undergo neck surgery to repair a hernia this week. This has further compromised their depth.
Prospect Tyler Glasnow recently returned from an ankle injury and could be an option further down the road, but he has made only eight starts above Single A.
Forget about the back end of the rotation underperforming - what if a starter were to get injured? Vance Worley can slip back into the rotation, but he was 2-3 with a 4.38 ERA before his move to the bullpen.
The Pirates have made the postseason in each of the past two years, but they haven't gotten past the NLDS. A big time pitching acquisition could change that, especially since Cole is becoming an ace while Liriano and Burnett are capable of providing reliable support.
As of right now, it's clear they need one more guy to help them power through a seven-game playoff series, so keep an eye out for the Pirates to exhaust their options on the pitching market before July 31.