The Pittsburgh Pirates have a chance at ending a near decade-long streak of missing the playoffs this fall. However, some MLB executives and experts recently explained why they shouldn’t push for big trades this week, and why they may not be able to anyway.
The Pirates have been one of the big surprises in the MLB standings this year. Entering the weekend they are two games over .500 and just a game and a half out of the final spot in the National League Wild Card race. It is a major turnaround for a club that lost 100 games in back-to-back seasons just a couple of years ago.
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Veterans Bryan Reynolds and Mitch Keller are having career years. Youngsters Oneil Cruz and Jared Jones are having breakout seasons. And highly touted rookie pitching prospect Paul Skenes is proving why he is the next big phenom in the sport.
Unsurprisingly, with the club on the cusp of a Wild Card birth this year, there has been speculation they could make some trades to bolster the roster to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2015. However, on Thursday, several MLB executives and baseball experts explained to ESPN why 2024 is not the year for the Pittsburgh Pirates to get back to the playoffs.
“I get that they haven’t made the postseason in a decade, but are they really going to add players and push Paul Skenes and Jared Jones down the stretch?” an AL executive asked. “That’s why I vote to subtract. It’s asking too much. They need to load up for when Skenes and Jones are in their prime.”
Even if they do try and make some notable trades, one expert on the league gave a harsh outlook on the team’s prospects of making a deal before 6 PM ET on July 30.
“I don’t think they have a lot of players other teams want,” they told ESPN. “It’s one of those times where those players who could be available are more valuable to them than the open market so I would do some small additions and see if I can sneak into a wild-card spot.”
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Yet, one executive did offer a little hope and suggested some worthwhile moves.
“I would call the Blue Jays. Maybe Justin Turner or Yusei Kikuchi have two good months in them,” the executive said. “If the Pirates could ever add money, I’d even take a flier on Cody Bellinger but you might be stuck with him.”
