Pittsburgh Pirates: Trade Deadline Preview
By Jason Evans
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the mix for a wild card spot. Will they be able to make a move or two before the deadline to increase their chances or will they actually sell some pieces?
The Pittsburgh Pirates are victims of being in the wrong division at the wrong time. The Pirates have hosted the WIld Card game in its first three years of inception and have won just one of them. Why? Because the St. Louis Cardinals have been a postseason juggernaut. Now, the Pirates also have to deal with the Cubs who have ran away and hid with the division since you sent your tax return to Uncle Sam.
The Pirates are among a group right now of seven teams all within striking distance of the either Wild Card spot. The thing is, they have issues that they haven’t had in prior years.
Andrew McCutchen isn’t hitting like his usual MVP caliber self. Is it the thumb? Is it a product of getting older? Francisco Cervelli, who does a ton offensively and behind the plate is out. Gerrit Cole is injured for the first time in his career.
The next four weeks are really going to determine what the Pirates may do. If they need to add pieces, they could just choose to go from within. If they sell, they could get rid of some pieces that can really help contending teams. So what will they do and where will they go? Let’s take a look at the Bucs.
Next: Starting off