Pirates trade target: Hunter Pence

For the third consecutive year the Pirates are rumored to be interested in Hunter Pence. Pirates were interested in Pence in 2011 before he got dealt to the Phillies. Pirates were also interested in him in 2012 before he got traded to the Giants, who won the world series. The Giants who sit tied for last place in the NL West and are way back in the wildcard seem like they'd be obvious sellers. When you're the defending champion the mindset is different. Giants have begun to listen to offers on Pence but no offer has convinced them to sell yet. If they do sell then they'd want good, young pitching prospects which is something the Pirates are flooded with. The Giants and Pirates would match up great on a deal for Pence. The problem is that Pence wants to sign long term with somebody and not hit the free agent market. That may not be an option for the Pirates because of the up and coming Gregory Polanco. All the Pirates need is a guy that is here through 2014 till Polanco is ready. Pence may not be that guy.

The cost: Given the fact that he's a rental player his cost should be lower but his name value has a lot to do with it. Also the thin trade market rides up the price. Giants would want a top pitching prospect like Kingham, Heredia or Glasnow. Every team in the league knows they aren't getting Taillon from us. It will take a pitcher like Kingham and maybe another B or C level pitching prospect to get him.

I would do it at the right price. We may not have Pence next year which means he's a rental. That may keep the Pirates away but Neal Huntington has always liked Pence but hasn't been able to get a deal done for him the last 2 years. Is third time a charm?

Should the Pirates sign Brian Wilson?

After it was announced that Grilli will be out 4-8 weeks, the Pirates may need to get an extra bullpen arm. Of course they could go with internal options but some of those guys aren't proven and I don't know how they'd handle the pressure of a playoff race. That being said I think the Pirates should try to sign Brian Wilson. Even though he hasn't pitched in a long time, scouts say he's close to major league ready. The Pirates were one of the teams that scouted him at his audition. This was before they got word of how long Grilli will miss. They may be more interested now then they were before. Wilson has playoff experience.  In 2010 postseason he pitched 11 2/3 scoreless innings while closing out that World Series championship for the Giants. I like that experience. Wilson would also be very cost effective, even for the Pirates.

I would sign Brian Wilson. You can never have too much depth and experience and that's what Wilson would bring. He would also bring it at a very good cost.

Pirates need to be in win now and win in the future mode

There are both sides of the argument on whether the Pirates should go for the "win now" mentality or the "hold on to your prospects and win later" idea. I think we can find a nice common ground in the middle somewhere. A team can't be successful by constantly looking into the future. If they do, the future will never come. The Pirates have been on the side of holding on to prospects and winning later side the last 2 years and I think that has led to the 2 straight collapses. The future is now for the Pirates and they have to do what they must not to let an opportunity like this slip through their fingertips. On the other hand I don't want the Pirates to do what the Brewers did. They went all out for 2 years, traded all their top prospects and now their paying for it. Small market teams need their prospects more than say the Yankees or Dodgers. The Brewers did nothing after all they did those 2 years and now they suck again. The Rays are a rare example of a team that can win constantly with "future" in mind. They're the exception to the rule.

I think the Pirates approach should be in the middle of the Rays and Brewers approaches. Get an impactful player or two but don't drown out your farm system. The Pirates have a good enough farm system that their 2nd tier players are as good as some teams top prospects which is a luxury if you ask me. You don't have to use Polanco or Taillon to get a deal done. You can use guys like Hanson, Heredia, Kingham, Bell etc. instead and those guys are still top line prospects. The Pirates can get an impact player or two with some years of control with a few of those guys and it wouldn't even dent the system. The system would still be very strong and we wouldn't miss those guys a bit. The other thing is we don't know what prospects will become. That's the risk you take. Even if they become good, if the Pirates are successful than who cares how well the player you traded years ago is doing? Definitely not me.

I say the Bucs should trade a few of their top 20 prospects(which in most minor league systems are top 10) to get impact major leaguers that can help the big club. This way they don't drown out the minor league system but at the same time they have success at the major league level. The Pirates have the proper farm system to do this type of things and its time now to take action.

Pirates trade targets: White Sox players Alex Rios and Alexei Ramirez

It was reported last night that the Pirates are heavily targeting Alex Rios and may have interest in Alexei Ramirez as well. If both come to Pittsburgh in a package deal it would vastly improve the Pirates lineup by fixing two weak points in the lineup with proven major leaguers that are good. Pirates right fielders have had a lack of power, bad defense and bad baserunning. Rios has power, good defense and is a good base runner. He would vastly improve the right field position for the Pirates. Plus he would also improve a lagging spot for the Pirates which is hitting left handed pitching. Then there's Alexei Ramirez. His power numbers have gone done every year and so have his RBI numbers. He has just 1 HR and 20 RBI this year but he's hitting .280 which is good. He has more or a track record than Mercer who has been struggling recently. Barmes nor Mercer aren't going to get it done for the Pirates in the stretch run. We may be able to get by with Mercer but if we can get Ramirez than it would be a huge improvement. A guy with experience and a good track record. The one problem with him is that he makes a lot of errors. Some of that may be bloated by bad hops or bad scoring decisions. Alvarez makes a lot of errors too but he's seen as one of the top defensive players in the league. So errors aren't the biggest stat that tells a players defensive ability. Ramirez is an improvement over what we have now.

The cost:

The cost really depends on how much of both guys contracts that the White Sox would pay. It would at least cost one top prospect. Most likely Hanson or Kingham. We can get away without trading Polanco or Taillon in the deal. It'll take a few prospects but you have to trade value to get value. The deal wouldn't kill the farm system but it'll definitely take some talent from the minors to make the deal.

I would make the deal as long as Taillon nor Polanco are dealt and it's reasonable. Both guys are proven and would help the Pirates in the stretch run and possibly the postseason. They would bolster the lineup and that is what the Pirates need.

Pirates trade target: Justin Morneau

It was reported today by Jim Bowden that the Pirates are a suitor for Twins first baseman Justin Morneau. Morneau looks like he's going to be dealt before the deadline. He has a .273 average with 7 HRs and 52 RBIs. He's a pretty good run producer. He's an upgrade but not as much as people think. His power numbers would improve as a left handed batter in PNC Park as opposed to Target Field. However, he has the same problem as everyone else on this team, he can't hit lefties. That makes him a little more unnattractive as a trade target for me. Also he's in the final year of his contract which gives him a good amount of money. Twins will have to eat up most if not all of his remaining contract. He's not the most attractive trade piece but he'd be an upgrade. However he has platoon splits which means he'd be a platoon player here which I don't think will fix the problem that much. He'd help but not that much. Neal Huntington's history would say that getting Morneau would be a Huntington type of trade since he'd come very cheap and Huntington likes cheap trades.

Cost:

The cost would be very low considering his contract doesn't match up to his numbers. He's no longer the MVP player like in 2006. He would be cheap even if the Twins eat up his whole contract. At best the Twins would get two C level prospects if that even. The deal would be similar to the Derek Lee deal in 2011.

I would do it if we can't get Morales. Morneau has a good amount of RBIs and a decent average. He can produce which is what the Pirates need. He should be plan B if we can't get Morales. My problem with him is that he can't hit lefties. He'd be a much better platoon partner with Sanchez than Jones since Morneau produces more runs.

Pirates trade target: Matt Garza

Yesterday it was reported from David Kaplan of CSN that The Pirates are one of six teams that are classified as "serious players" for Matt Garza. The Pirates have scouted his last 2 starts which makes it make more sense. It seems weird that the Pirates of all teams would want more pitching but you can't ignore the old adage that you can never have enough pitching. Matt Garza would help any rotation in the league, even the Pirates. Matt Garza has postseason experience which would help any contending team. It'd be nice to be not have to rely on guys like Locke,Gomez,Morton and Cole in September and October. It'd be much better to have Liriano,Burnett,Garza and possibly Wandy. We don't know when and if Wandy Rodriguez will be back this season. Another pitcher would protect the Pirates from injuries or if any pitcher regresses which could happen to Locke(like McDonald last season) or even Liriano. Also, Cole has been struggling recently and Morton has been just barely good enough. Gomez is another guy due for regression. Some of the pitchers are not doing what they're supposed to be doing. They won't all fall apart but you got to prepare for one or two of them to, especially considering what has happened to the pitching staff in the second half the past two seasons. A proven starter with postseason experience never hurt. Garza has been very good this year, especially since coming off the disabled list. He finally looks like he's healthy again for the first time in a while.

The cost: Despite being a rental player, the cost to get him will be sky high because there aren't many big arms on the market. He'd cost at least one top 50 prospect and probably 2 more "2nd tier" prospects. They probably want at least 1 pitching prospect out of that and he would probably have to be age 22 or younger. It probably won't cost Taillon or Polanco since the Pirates have other top prospects that could entise the Cubs. A package of Kingham/Heredia and Bell would probably get it done. I think that's a deal that wouldn't hurt. Pirates would be trading from their best minor depth spots, pitching and outfield.

I would do it if we don't need to give up Polanco or Taillon. If they want either of those two than hang up the phone. The other thing is that Garza and Dioner Navarro are most likely a package deal since Garza loves being caught by Navarro. Navarro could be Martin's backup. It would help the bench and McKenry would be gone. Also, since the Pirates don't want to bring Sanchez up to start once a week, there'd be no immediate need with the backup being Navarro. As I said, if the price doesn't include Polanco or Taillon and its reasonable, it's a deal that wouldn't kill the Pirates.

Pirates trade target: Kendrys Morales

On Sunday, Jayson Stark connected the Pirates to Kendrys Morales. I'm not sure if that was speculation or if the Pirates were actually talking to the Mariners about him. The Pirates have gotten terrible production out of the 1st base position. At the beginning of the season the Jones/Sanchez platoon was great but it hasn't been good for a while. Jones hasn't been able to hit anything, Sanchez too. Sanchez hasn't provided good at bats off the bench either. The platoon is a fail. 1st base is supposed to be one of, if not, a teams strongest position in terms of offensive production. Pirates aren't getting it done. Morales has been great this year as he's finally getting fully healthy. He also wouldn't need a platoon partner since he's a switch hitter. A switch hitter that can hit for power is a great thing to have if you can get it. He's been hitting lefties very well this year which is what the Pirates need. His ability to switch hit would make him an everyday player and would give the Pirates a legit power bat coming off the bench in Jones. It would also make the middle of the order better against lefties. The middle of the order has been a big hole against lefties. Morales could fix that. Jones coming off the bench with legit power would fix the bench exponentially. Morales wouldn't lose any power changing home ballparks to PNC Park since his home ballpark is in Seattle where it's hard to hit homers.

The cost:
Morales wouldn't cost as much as people think. He's a 2 month rental. Rental players normally cost less. He wouldn't cost any of the Pirates top prospect. Seattle is in search of young pitchers. At best he costs 2 B level pitchers. Probably not even that much. Maybe one B and one C level pitcher.

I definitely would love it if Morales came here. He'd help our offense in the middle of the lineup. The ability of him to switch hit is really nice and he'd move Jones to the bench which would make the bench better. Pirates need offense and Morales would be a huge addition to the lineup.

Is Jose Tabata the answer for the Pirates in right field

Since his return from the disabled list, Jose Tabata has been on a tear. He has been getting an extended look in right field to see if he's the guy that is the answer out there. It begs the question, is he the answer? I still am not sold on Tabata. I don't think he's the answer out in right field. I have come up with 3 reasons why.

1) He can't hit left handed pitching

At one time is his career Tabata was pretty good against left handed pitching but this season he's been bad. He crushes right handed pitchers as a right handed batter. I don't think he's a full time player. He could use a platoon partner that can hit lefties and that would drastically help the team on days that they face left handed pitching or late game when they bring in a tough lefty from the bullpen.

2) His injury history

Tabata has had plenty of injury troubles and I always question if he can ever stay healthy for a full season and he has troubles staying healthy long enough to make an impact and that bothers me. I'm uncertain if he can make it through the rest of the season without getting hurt again. He's a very risky player to have and he's not a guy a team should rely on in a playoff race because its always uncertain if he's healthy or not.

3) Lack of hustle(especially on defense)

Sometimes Tabata shows lack of hustle, especially when he's playing defense in the outfield. It seems like he doesn't try hard enough on defense. He's dogging it a lot. He tries much harder on offense than on defense. I don't know if injuries play into that but it's possible. His defense is a very risky factor to his game and its very unreliable. He has to be great on offense to make up for his below average defense. He always looks so uncomfortable out there. It's an undesirable part of his play.

I say Tabata is much better this year than he's been the last two years but he's not an everyday player in my opinion and he's a risky player to have and a hard guy to rely on.

What will the Pirates do at the trade deadline

Everybody knows that the Pirates should be looking for Right Field help at the deadline. In the next few weeks, the Pirates are having an open tryout to see if their answer in RF is in the organization. They haven't called it an open tryout but that's what it pretty much is. Tabata will get a bulk of the time in the next 3 weeks to show his stuff and to prove that he's the answer. He's been pretty good since his return in terms of hitting but I don't think he will sustain and he's a very risky player. Very injury prone and occasional lack of hustle. Plus he looks uncomfortable at times in the outfield. With that being said I think we have to go out and get a new RF that can produce. I'm still rooting for Tabata but I'm not sold on him as our answer. Tabata's offense has to be amazing to make up for his defense. He's so bad on defense, they replaced him on Thursday defensively for Garrett Jones. That's pretty sad. Getting replaced in the outfield on defense by a first baseman. No thanks on Tabata unless if he can put up offensive numbers like Cutch last year. If not than, no. He's too risky in my opinion. Pirates need offense but they can't risk defensive skill for it. That's why we need a dependable defensive RF that can hit. Nobody on the Pirates roster is that and neither is AAA outfielder Andrew Lambo so lets stop bringing him up. I don't think Tabata is the answer but if he can prove me wrong than I won't be the slightest bit mad. If Tabata fails his tryout, there's a few options Huntington could go with. Rios is one but his contract is not favorable for the Pirates. Michael Morse is an option I like. He's the type of slugger that would fit in great here. The most likely option would be Nate Shierholtz. He's cheap and Huntington loves cheap. Shierholtz has done great this year in limited playing time with the Cubs. He'd be a great option because he'd bring good production for a cheap price.

The other thing the Pirates may do is get a starting pitcher. The Pirates will get AJ Burnett back on Sunday which is pretty much like picking up an elite right handed pitcher and adding him to the roster. Wandy Rodriguez may be out for awhile so that means Gerrit Cole will get more time up in the majors but do we really want to depend on guys like Cole,Morton and Gomez in September? Maybe not. It never hurts to get more pitching. There's no such thing as too much pitching. Top option would be Bud Norris but there will be a pretty good pitching market this year.

The Pirates may also look to bolster their already great bullpen. Jesse Crain is a prime option but he may not be back from the DL in time for July 31st. Another option is a long shot maybe but I guy I like is former Pirate Oliver Perez. He's a good comeback story. Mariners will probably trade him. Wouldn't it be a great story if he returns to Pittsburgh where he belongs.

Then there's always the option of doing nothing. In my opinion, a contending team that does nothing is foolish. No team is ever good enough. You can always get better. If you're a contending team and don't make a trade, you're not putting the teams best interest in mind. The goal every year is World Series so why wouldn't you improve your team any way you can in order to achieve your goal. The Pirates aren't often the team with the best record in baseball. Can't squander this opportunity by watching the deadline go by and doing nothing. I'm not saying make a huge trade but one or two tweaks can and will make all the difference.

Should the Pirates trade for another starting pitcher?

My answer to this is yes. We learned a few days ago that Wandy Rodriguez may be out for awhile, worst case scenario out for the rest of the season but he could come back late in the year. With that, the Pirates should trade for another starter but I don't think it should be the first order of business. We have a ton of depth but most of their starters would be hard to depend on in September and possibly October. It's very hard to depend on guys like Gomez, Cole, Morton and Locke in September/October. I think the guys would be up to the task but one more veteran starter wouldn't hurt. There are plenty of nice pitching options out there that the Pirates can afford. A deal similar to the Wandy Rodriguez deal last year would suffice. The Pirates have proved this year that you can never have enough pitching. As I said earlier, if I were Huntington, i'd at least try to get a pitcher but I wouldn't make it the top priority. Everyone knows the top priority is a right fielder that can hit. We don't necessarily need another starting pitcher, but I think getting one would benefit the Pirates.