The Pittsburgh Pirates (40-31) are one of the top teams in baseball, but they still sit seven games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the NL Central lead. Pittsburgh has the second-best ERA in the MLB, but they are still looking to upgrade and prepare for the long haul.
Perhaps the Pirates are a bit concerned about their rotation. A.J. Burnett has come back down to earth in recent weeks and owns a 3.24 ERA over his last five starts (he had a 1.37 ERA in his first nine); Jeff Locke has not pitched well all season (4-3 with a 4.73 ERA and 1.51 WHIP); Charlie Morton was just embarrassed during his Sunday start against the Washington Nationals where he surrendered nine earned runs on eight hits and one walk in just 2/3 of an inning; and Gerrit Cole, although it's nothing to really worry about, was knocked around by the Cincinnati Reds last night and received his first loss since May 16.
General manager Neal Huntington is always looking ahead, which indicates the team's potential interest in Boston Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz, who has been loosely mentioned in trade rumors.
"Buchholz's good run explains why teams are now sending scouts to watch his every start. On Wednesday night, one of those teams was the Pirates, who are looking for another starter," writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "The Pirates don't often spend big money, but Buchholz would fit into a lot of teams' financial plans."
Buchholz is owed $12 million this season and has a $13 million team option for 2016 and a $13.5 million team option for 2017, which could definitely fit into the Pirates' finances. After his rough start to the season, the right-hander has calmed down and is 3-2 with a 2.28 ERA since May 15 (eight starts).
However, the Red Sox have failed to take advantage of a few of those good outings and still remain at the bottom of the AL East. Boston (32-41) is 8.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the division and 7.5 games out of the second wild-card spot.
"Will they be sellers, as they were at last year's deadline?" Cafardo asks. "Or is Buchholz an asset they'd like to build around given that Porcello hasn't lived up to expectations after receiving a four-year, $82.5 million extension, which begins next season?"
Well, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com has some insight on the matter.
"According to major league sources, the Red Sox have shown no interest in dealing Buchholz. That shouldn't come as a surprise considering he is currently one of the team's best pitchers (3.87 ERA), with a financial commitment easy for the Sox to swallow."
We're just over a month away from the trade deadline, so that can certainly change. The Red Sox made a number of deals last season when they were clearly out of the playoff race and general manager Ben Cherington could feel mounting pressure if the team continues to lose. Trading Buchholz may not be on his to-do list, but he'll need to make moves if the team can't rebound and it's clear Buchholz is a commodity on the market.
"If they're in the race and it looks like they are five games out or something like that I don't think they would trade Buchholz," Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe said Tuesday morning on Toucher & Rich. "I think they would try and keep the group together and see what they can do with it. But if at that point [after the three straight division series] they are 13 games out, I think [trading Buchholz] is something they have to seriously think about."
If it gets to that point and the rumors heat up, look for the Pirates to make a move for the right-hander.
