When was the last time you heard the Pittsburgh Pirates would be buyers at the trade deadline? Well, the times they are a changin', and the Pirates will be looking to upgrade in more ways than one within the next two weeks.
Those areas include a starting pitcher, first baseman and outfielder. Previous trade rumors found the Pirates to be interested in Philadelphia Phillies' outfielders Jeff Francouer and Ben Revere, but it appears as if the need for a starter and new first baseman will take precedent.
We'll get to the starting rotation in a bit, but first base has clearly been an issue for Pittsburgh this season. Pedro Alvarez, who was moved to first base on a full-time basis this year, has 15 errors on the season and is statistically the worst defensive glove at the position, according to FanGraphs.
"The Pirates and [manager Clint] Hurdle eventually ran out of patience with Alvarez's defensive issues at third base last season," writes Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
"Alvarez played his last game at third base Aug. 17, 2014, at Washington. He made his 24th throwing error of the season in the seventh inning, the most throwing errors since Fangraphs.com began tracking them in 2002.
"Will they run out of patience again this season with Alvarez regardless of alternatives?"
It's very possible, especially since he hasn't really been making up for it with his bat. Alvarez is batting .230/.298/.419 (OPS of .717) with 34 runs scored, 12 home runs and 41 RBIs in 84 games. He has 30 home runs in 2014 and 2015 (206 games) compared to 66 in the two seasons prior (301 games). Here are some more advanced stats on Alvarez.
The Pirates have the third-best record in the MLB and trail the St. Louis Cardinals (who have the league's best record) by 4.5 games, so they can't afford to have such lapses on defense down the stretch.
As for the starting rotation, there are some question marks beyond Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano and A.J. Burnett. Jeff Locke (4.03 ERA) and Charlie Morton (4.34 ERA) have not been consistent and it seems as if general manager Neal Huntington wants to add more reliable depth. Locke has settled down after rough start, but he's only pitched seven innings or more three times this season while Morton started off hot and now owns an 8.03 ERA in his last five starts.
"The rotation has been a strength, but the Pirates' minor league depth has been depleted by injuries," writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "Although Huntington and manager Clint Hurdle have insisted they're happy with their in-house options, the presence of Pirates scouts eyeing big league starters suggests otherwise.
"The Pirates have checked out the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have put reliever Addison Reed and right-hander Jeremy Hellickson on the market."
Biertempfel also noted the team has "liked" Scott Kazmir and Dan Haren in the past and both could hit the trade market since they're impending free agents.
We also mentioned earlier in the week that Pittsburgh could be a top landing spot for Cole Hamels if the Pirates really feel this is their year. He would be the best option because A.J. Burnett will likely retire after this season and a trio of Cole, Liriano and Hamels would make up the Pirates' rotation through at least 2017.
After all, they'll be competing with the Cardinals and Cubs for years to come, so such a move could be on their radar.
Nonetheless, keep an eye on the Pirates as the July 31 deadline approaches because they'll be making some acquisitions to prepare themselves for the last couple of months as they make their third straight push for the postseason.
