The Pirates should trade for a starting pitcher

     The strongest part of the Pirates this season has been their pitching, with a lot of great work coming from the starters which is highlighted by the three-headed monster of Cole-Burnett-Liriano. Those guys have been more than anybody could've asked for. But what about after that? Early in the season the Pirates had to go with Worley because of Morton's injury, and Jeff Locke. Since, Worley has moved to the bullpen while Morton is back, which we thought would be a huge shot in the arm. However, Morton, after a good start, has struggled recently which started with the debacle in D.C. Jeff Locke, on the other hand, has been better recently but very inconsistent all year. There needs to be another starter. 

     The inconsistencies of Locke and Morton have been well documented. They'll look good one night and bad the next. This sometimes even happens to them from inning to inning. I feel it's really difficult to continue to contend with that. People will say "but they're the 4-5 starters". Yes, you're right, but that doesn't mean a change shouldn't be made. It's okay to have one inconsistent starter, but two is hard to overcome. 

     The other problem plaguing the Pirates is lack of depth. It seemed they had all they needed when the year started, even with Morton on the shelf. Kingham was healthy, Taillon was working his way back, Sadler wasn't hurt, Richard was still around etc. That has all gone away. The best of the depth now is Worley, Liz, and Angel Sanchez, which is not good at all. These guys are good, but I don't want them starting big games in September. 

     There are a few issues, however. I don't see the Pirates moving Locke or Morton out of the rotation, honestly. It's hard with Morton because of that contract he got. Locke would be more likely to be bumped even though he's been better than Morton. It's baseball business. If they get a starter, Locke will be bumped, and I don't even see that happening. 

     There is one thing that goes into the Pirates favor, and that is that the pitching trade market seems to be a buyer's market. That is something that the Pirates can and should capitalize on. I'm not saying they will, but they should. It wouldn't take much to get a solid back end starter like Haren, Kennedy, or any other guy like that. They'd solidify the rotation while adding depth by pushing Locke or Morton out. 

     In conclusion, I'm not sure they'll get another starter, but it's definitely something that needs to be considered. After the big three at the top of the rotation, I'm not sure. When Morton and Locke are at their best, they give the Pirates ace type performances. The problem is that we don't see that too much. One more starter certainly wouldn't hurt.