Pittsburgh Pirates: Three likely trade candidates at the deadline

With the 2020 MLB trade deadline quickly approaching, these three Pittsburgh Pirates may be on the move soon.

Believe it or not, the 2020 MLB season is quickly chugging along and this year’s August 31st trade deadline will be here before we know it. For the Pittsburgh Pirates, that could mean seeing a few of their top players on the move.

It’s difficult to guess how this year’s trade deadline will work out, but if it’s anything like the 2020 regular season has been thus far, it could get weird and raise a few eyebrows.

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Teams don’t have long this year to evaluate their rosters and define their needs. Interrupted schedules due to COVID-19 cases have made this even more difficult for some teams. However, 16 teams will be making the playoffs in 2020, meaning more teams are going to be buyers at the deadline, we think.

There’s also the uptick in injuries, specifically to pitchers across baseball. Bullpens are being wiped out, starting rotations are being filled with rookies, waiver claims, and anyone with a live arm within team’s player pools, so healthy pitchers could bring in a notable return this year.

Of course, there are the new roster rules that come into play, like only being able to trade players who are a part of your 60-man roster. We have seen teams work around this rule, however, with everyone’s favorite, PTBNL trade.

We don’t know what to expect at the trade deadline, but we do know that the Pittsburgh Pirates are currently 4-13 and they have a few pieces that may be in demand over the next few weeks.

Here are three names to watch closely.