Trade Deadline Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates
By Aaron Somers
May 21, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Ike Davis (15) reaches for a pop-up against the Baltimore Orioles during the sixth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 9-8. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Needs to be addressed:
1. Starting pitching
The strength of this team’s pitching staff helped carry them to a playoff birth a season ago. The team hasn’t seen the same results this year and currently sit out of contention. Coincidence? Unlikely. The two usually tend to go hand-in-hand. Pittsburgh could use some help in their starting rotation and it’s unclear where said help could come from. Charlie Morton has thrown well, but has already lost more games than he won a season ago. Liriano is back on the disabled list for the second time this season. Wandy Rodriguez has already been sent packing, despite having millions remaining on his contract.
A year ago the Pirates had six starters with ERAs below 4.00. This year, there’s just one.
2. First base
Pittsburgh entered the season with Gaby Sanchez in line to take the bulk of the at bats at first and later added Ike Davis into the mix. Neither is producing at an impressive clip. They’ve combined for just nine home runs in 350+ plate appearances. First base is generally a power-heavy position, but that output hardly fits that mold. What’s more concerning, however, is that neither player figures to hold down the role long term. Sanchez has a year of arbitration eligibility remaining. Davis has two. Beyond that, it’s not clear what the organization will do with the position unless one of the two starts to produce enough to justify keeping them around.
3. Shortstop
While Jordy Mercer hasn’t been a liability at shortstop, he hasn’t exactly blown anyone away with his production at the position either. He is clearly the weak link in the infield for Pittsburgh, however, and the team could stand to find an upgrade – if not now, then soon. He’s batting a mere .230/.264/.344, has six home runs on the year, but has also committed six errors in the field. Shortstop is another position that there doesn’t appear to be an up-and-coming within the organization.