How about those Pittsburgh Pirates? Paul Skenes has been somehow even better than advertised, and Mitch Keller has been superb too. Yet, while the Pirates are in reach of a playoff spot entering MLB games today, they still have plenty of issues offensively.
But there could be some help on the way via trade.
Earlier in the week, Pirates owner Bob Nutting revealed that Pittsburgh is “prepared to move early” ahead of MLB’s July 30 trade deadline. It’s become clear that the pitching staff has enough to compete, so if the Pirates do get aggressive, they’re expected to prioritize improvements to the batting lineup.
According to FanSided’s Robert Murray, the Pirates are “expected to” make a strong push to upgrade the team’s offense before the trade deadline passes. While his sources don’t provide specific positions the Pirates are trying to upgrade, there’s plenty of room for growth for the team that ranks 13th out of 15 NL teams in runs scored.
A few potential areas that Pittsburgh could prioritize are finding a catcher, first baseman, or another outfielder, preferably one who can handle center field duties too. Yet, while the Pirates are eyeing a trade, they’re far from the only team ready to make a stronger playoff push before the trade deadline passes.
The Pirates have gone just 5-5 over their last ten games, so it’s understandable that they’d want to upgrade the roster as soon as possible before risking a slip down the MLB standings.
Related: See where the Pittsburgh Pirates land in Sportsnaut’s MLB Power Rankings
