Pirates Trade Talk

Murderer's Row and Hot Steel join topics today, as Pirate trade rumors are afloat like oil in the Cuyahoga. Although there is not one guy that is the focus of Bucco trade rumors, it is obvious that the Pirates are pushing and possibly already shopping for a trade before the July 31st trade deadline. They're also showing signs of trades by promoting guys rapidly down on the farm.

Although some are saying that the Pirates wont trade a big-time player so soon after the Nate McLouth trade, I think it's exactly what the Huntington needs to do in order to stay on track. If the Pirates don't trade the mediocre/.500 players now for upside prospects or pitching, then they're just going to leave when their contract expires and we won't get anything in return.

Next year, Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche, and Jack Wilson become Free Agents. Seeing that these guys wont likely resign, I think the Pirates will need to trade two of these three guys to get some young talent if they want to compete in the coming years. They need to get support around Andrew McCutchen, Alvarez, Tabata, and possibly Andy LaRoche, and they have a chance at being a playoff team in 2011.

I'm personally hoping that the Pirates can trade Adam LaRoche. He's extremely slumpy and has a bad taste in his mouth from the McLouth trade. He wants his team to compete but isn't doing anything to contribute! He's also the kind of guy that will probably hit better on another team, because he's really a deadbeat in the clubhouse at the moment. In terms of replacements, the Pirates have already called up Steve Pearce to try him out at 1st base.

I don't want to see Sanchez go, but I think the Pirates could get A LOT by trading him. He's a great hitter and I would love to see him take us to the playoffs, but his age and price just don't bode well for those dreams.

I really would like to see the Bucs keep Jack Wilson, because no one can match him defensively in the infield. He's really an asset to the team for double plays, and is a clutch hitter at times. He's a great guy to have on the field and at the bottom of the lineup, not to mention he doesn't come with as much of a price tag as the other two guys in the long run. Also, how great would it be to see Jack Wilson win a championship with the Pirates after all these years as a suffering bucco? I'd be in tears.

In other buccos news, I hate Eric Hinske and I think Delwyn Young is an asset if he learns how to field. Andrew McCutchen is already leading the NL in triples, after 17 games; he also has a 10 game hit streak. whoa.