Pirates trade Mark Melancon to Nationals

     The Pirates drop their first trade of the 2016 trade deadline by dealing away closer Mark Melancon. In return, they receive 2 hard-throwing lecture. One being MLB reliever Felipe Rivero. The other being A-ball lefty Taylor Hearn. 

     Firstly, let's look at Rivero. He is a young lefty that can throw upwards to 100 mph with a devastating changeup that is great against righties. If he can get lefties out more, he'll be great. In any case, there's a lot to like there, not to mention he'll be around through 2021. A nice value addition there.

     As for Hearns, he is a lefty as well. He's recovering from injury and has been working less innings because of it, but he can also hit 97-98 if not more. Pirates plan to use him as a starter, but he is a long way off still. 

     I'm going to miss Melancon. However, this is a good business move by the Pirates. You would've of course wanted more, but Rivero has a chance to be a can't miss guy. Pirates could've probably gotten better prospects, but they took the reliever instead, which isn't necessarily bad in this case.

Pirates are in no position to stand pat at the trade deadline

     The Pirates sit at 52-49 but are still in the mix for a playoff spot. However, their playoff chances are low according to whatever percentages you read, even though they mean little. In any case, this puts the team in a tight jam as we approach the non-waiver trade deadline on Monday at 4 pm ET. Between now and then, all the front offices around the league will rattle their heads thinking of the best route to success. One front office that figures to work exceptionally hard is the Pirates. GM Neal Huntington has a ton of evaluations to do about this team and future Pirates' teams that should make this a very interesting deadline for him and the organization. 

     The feel around is that the Pirates will be buyers. However, there is also a feel that they may trade off short-term assets if they get the right return. Players like Freese, Joyce, Rodriguez, Niese, Jaso, and even Melancon would be considered. Guys like Locke and Hughes maybe too based on ineffectiveness alone. So, all in all, Neal Huntington has a lot on his plate, and it will all play out within the next couple of days. 

     One thing the Pirates can't afford to do is stand pat at the deadline. The reason for this is because they are in such a weird situation that standing pat would be dumb. Standing pat will lead to the same results for the most part. The results the team is getting now isn't good enough to mean much. If they keep going like this, they will more than likely miss the playoffs and be barely above .500. That just ends up being a waste of many resources. 

     I don't think teams should really stand pat in nearly any scenario. Not many teams are ever in a position to do nothing at the deadline, and that's what makes it fun. The Pirates are a team that is certainly in no position to stand pat either. They are stuck in a situation where they have enough but too much at the same time. It's a really strange situation for a team to be in. I don't have the answers as to how to fix that because I'm not a GM, but I do know it won't be fixed by sitting around while the deadline passes by. 

     That being said, I fully expect a flurry of deals made, not just involving the Pirates, but throughout the MLB over the next couple of days. It's certainly shaping out to be an exciting deadline, and I'm intrigued to watch it all unfold. 

Pirates at Brewers series preview

     Pirates take a trip they haven't made this year yet but one they will make a lot over the latter part of the season. This trip is to Milwaukee. We all are aware of the Pirates' seemingly endless horrors in Miller Park. The Pirates have been slightly better there over the last couple of years, but it still haunts them. The Pirates have overcome that in previous seasons to still be really good, but they have to start playing better in Milwaukee. Hopefully it starts in 2016, particularly starting this series. 

Friday: Junior Guerra (6-2 2.85 ERA) vs Steven Brault (0-0 2.25 ERA) 8:10 ET

     Pirates faced Guerra last time and got to him early but not again. He's had a shockingly good season. Pirates bats are going to have their hands full. For the Pirates, it's Steven Brault, who is making his 2nd major league start. He looked good despite only going 4 innings. Hopefully he is able to keep up what he did in that start except go deeper in the game. He has looked great his last few starts in AAA, so he's riding a good stretch right now. He will have to continue that. 

Saturday: Chase Anderson (5-10 5.40 ERA) vs Jameson Taillon (2-1 3.83 ERA) 7:10 ET 

     Pirates also faced Anderson last time and actually pounded him. The problem was that Locke was worse. If the Pirates bats can do that again, the Pirates have a shot. For the Pirates, it's Jameson Taillon, who was hit in the head by a liner the last time he saw the Brewers. He still dominated despite it. He also had a decent start against the Phillies after that. He just looks to keep steady as a starter for the Pirates because that is just what the team needs the most right now. 

Sunday: Matt Garza (1-4 5.74 ERA) vs Francisco Liriano (6-10 5.36 ERA) 2:10 ET

     This is a battle of two struggling veterans. Firstly, we'll look at Garza. He's been nothing but bad, and the Pirates took advantage of it just a week ago. The Bucco bats will look to build on that, and Garza will look to rebound. It's a battle of who makes the proper adjustments. For the Pirates, it's the guy that beat Garza in that start, Francisco Liriano. He dazzled in a start to beat the Brewers that night. However, his last start was the exact opposite. He has yet to get in a groove this season, and that really needs to change. The Pirates trot Liriano out there with the belief that he will do just that. If we see the Liriano of the last few years, it'd be an enormous boost. It has to start sooner rather than later. 

     Pirates have to start winning in Milwaukee. It is quite literally that simple. If they don't, it's going to be a rough rest of the way for the team. If so, they'll get a massive boost. It all starts with this series. It's time to end this Milwaukee curse and start anew in Miller Park.  

The Pirates are buyers and that's that

     Pirates are in contention and look to get into the postseason for a 4th straight year, something they've never done. They don't sit too far back of the wildcard and have been among the best teams in baseball over the last month as well. Huntington has also overstated his intent to add at the trade deadline. Despite all this, there is still a notion that they will sell, and I don't get why. 

     True that they might get rid of unfavorable such as Niese, Locke, or Hughes, but that doesn't make them sellers. That's just putting the roster in a better position to win more games and have greater success. Instead, it looks like they are going to look to add for the 6th straight year going back to 2011. The idea of selling hasn't been an idea that has popped in my head. When they were 34-39, yes, but now they are above .500 and in the thick of wildcard race. It makes no sense to do that now. 

     In my opinion, this roster that Huntington built and what was and is in AAA has been the best the Neal Huntington has built by far. He built an offense amongst the best in the NL, a bullpen that is improving, and a club that looks so much better defensively. That's 3/4 of the core things a team needs to be successful. They also have some core starting pitchers that are capable of doing the work every 5th day. In my opinion, they are one starting pitcher, and one pitcher coming from Indy and being effective enough, to be a serious threat in the NL. Of course, another bullpen arm helps this time of year too. There's no reason not to think that they can't make the playoffs. 

     So, overall, it seems much easier to me to fix the one or two issues at hand then to just blow it up and start over. This team looks closer to a complete team than a complete waste. Whether 2017 will be good or not remains to be seen, but it looks good already. There's no need to trade assets that can help you right now for assets that'll help you in 2017. No guys the Pirates would realistically trade now would net them a guy that will make a massive impact anyways (not even in a Melancon trade). Sometimes, teams have to take a gamble on a year like this. I'm not saying mortgage the future for rentals, but it seems more productive to add than to subtract. And if you do subtract, only subtract the guys that aren't helping. 

     I know a team like the Pirates has to be weary of the future, but they are already built so well for the future that they can afford to gamble at least a bit with this current team. There's no need to trade assets that can help this year's team for fringe players that may never help or will not help immensely later on. The Pirates have it all in front of them right now with a foundation built for later. There's no need for the Pirates to sell right now and retool. That just seems like a waste of a very talented roster and a team with all the potential you could ask for. Just realize that this roster isn't having a massive overhaul and the idea of selling shouldn't come up. This team is a buyer once again, and that is the reality here. 

Pirates need for another starting pitcher is clearer than ever

     Pirates have had a revolving door at starting pitching all year. Between injuries and ineffectiveness, we've seen 11 different starting pitchers this season. 3/5 of the rotation out of spring training is now in the bullpen (Nicasio, Niese, and Locke). Liriano has been massively inconsistent as well. Cole was hurt for a month, but he's back and there'll be no issues with him. Taillon has been good in his MLB career so far, which certainly has helped. However, the rest of the rotation has been a mess. 

     Also, the recent DL trip for Tyler Glasnow and a potential injury for Chad Kuhl as well has put this team in a bad situation where their already massive need for another starting pitcher has become even greater. 

     It's already difficult to roll with three rookies in the rotation, even if those rookies are Taillon, Glasnow, and Kuhl. It gets even tougher when the job goes to Brault, Williams, or Boscan. I'm not knocking those guys, but to trust them when a team is approaching a stretch run is a really tough spot to be in. This is especially so when the other options are Niese, Locke, or Nicasio, who were bumped for a reason, Masterson, who has no business touching an MLB roster right now, and Vogelsong, who shouldn't start regularly in the MLB. All this combined leads to the Pirates not being in a position where they "could use" another starter, but rather more to the point where they "need" another starting pitcher. 

     Between now and August 1, Neal Huntington needs to get a deal done for another reliable (reliable is the key word) starting pitcher. There are no excuses this time. This team cannot get by with what they have now. I'm sure Neal Huntington is trying his hardest, but it's time to get the deal done. 

Mariners at Pirates series preview

     The Pirates clawed and scratched their way to a series win over the Phillies, making it a 4-2 week against lowly teams. You can't ask for much more than that. The dream of seeing Cole, Glasnow, and Taillon all back to back was realized this weekend. However, it became more of a nightmare when Tyler Glasnow left with shoulder discomfort and Taillon had a shaky start at best. Despite all of this, they won the series, which is all you can ask for. Now, they set their sights on the Mariners, a team that has been up and down and average most of the year. It's a brief two game series, so get ready for that. 

Tuesday: Francisco Liriano (6-9 4.96 ERA) vs Felix Hernandez (4-4 3.23 ERA) 7:05 ET

     Liriano turned in his best start of the year on Thursday against Milwaukee. He's been on a roll of looking more and more like vintage Liriano over his last few starts. He looks to continue that against the Mariners, and the Pirates could certainly use it. For the Mariners, it's King Felix. Still one of the best pitchers in the league, Felix Hernandez is still very capable of dominance. Nobody really ever wants to face Hernandez, but that's the task the Pirates bats were given. This will be a test for both teams' lineups. I expect a little amount of runs in this game. 

Wednesday: Gerrit Cole (5-6 2.99 ERA) vs James Paxton (3-4 4.18 ERA) 7:05 ET

     Gerrit Cole seems to have started to shape back into form after giving up just 1 run over 6 innings against the Phillies. It wasn't the sharpest of outings, but it's a start for sure. He will try to continue getting back to the Gerrit Cole of old against the Mariners. For the Mariners, it's southpaw James Paxton. Paxton hasn't been able to quite find his footing in the MLB yet. He's not a bad pitcher, but he was certainly supposed to be better than what he's been to this point. The Pirates will look to take advantage of Paxton while he's not at his best. The Pirates could certainly stand to give Cole some run support this time around. 

     This series will be telling for both teams. Both teams share similar records and both will send their aces to the hill for one of the games. A series split seems like the most reasonable conclusion, but two-game series' can be a little tricky. 

Pirates can't trade Mark Melancon

     The Cubs acquired closer Aroldis Chapman and got a massive haul in return. This has gotten people licking their lips about what the Pirates could get for closer Mark Melancon. I'm here to say, hold your jets. 

     Firstly, I want to debunk the similarities of the Yankees and the Pirates this year. The seasons have been similar, but the Yankees playoff chances in a tougher AL is definitely much lower than the Pirates. Also, you look at the Yankees back end and they have two guys in Betances and Miller that would be closers on many teams. The Pirates don't have that. While Watson and Feliz have been good, the Yankees guys are in a league all their own. I'm not bashing the Pirates bullpen by any means, but I can't get behind Watson or Feliz filling in for Melancon at this point in the season. That's playing with fire unless you have another established option like the Yankees have with Miller, who has closed in the past and has been the best closer that is not a closer. 

     Secondly, Melancon's value to this bullpen is extraordinary. When he comes in the game, I'm almost assured the Pirates will win. You don't get that with too many closers. Melancon is one of the rare ones. He rarely blows saves, and even when he does the Pirates win. That's an invaluable asset you can't put a price on. That kind of closer puts them in a much better situation with almost every other team contending with them. The only team it doesn't is the Mets who have Mr. Automatic in Jeurys Familia, a guy that is climbing up charts in consecutive saves converted records. In any case, Melancon is a guy that gives the Pirates a massive edge over many teams. Trading that away would kill that advantage the Pirates have. 

     Now, I know the Pirates are going to be so much better in 2017 and beyond. That's no secret, at least we hope. However, there are guys that are here right now that won't be back. Joyce, Freese, Rodriguez, Feliz, and others will likely not be around in 2017. Combined this with the questions surrounding Kang as well. This team has maybe the best roster of any team, before trade deadline, that Huntington has built. It's extremely difficult to believe that this team can't do big things even this year. It's not time to subtract good players from the this roster. It's time to add good players to this roster. The future is most likely bright, but it's always hard to guarantee that with any team. We've seen teams just fall apart when it looked like their peak was coming. I doubt that'll happen to this organization but who knows. The Pirates are in contention right now, and while it's a crapshoot in the wildcard race this year, it's better than where most teams are.

     Lastly, if this team was interested in punting on 2016, they wouldn't have tried to make a good roster that could contend, and they would've certainly traded Melancon in the offseason. In my mind, trading one of the best closers in the game is essentially giving up on any playoff hope, especially since big-time backend bullpen arms are essential in postseason play. Giving up one of the ones that the Pirates have would be telling, and it would send a bad message. Neal Huntington wants this team to make the postseason for a 4th straight time (a franchise record), and giving away a closer with the pedigree of Melancon would go against the whole point. 

     Firstly, it would take a massive change over the next week for the Pirates to trade Melancon. I don't see it happening, and it shouldn't. This team can't keep looking into the future or they'll lose the present. I'm all for balancing the future and present, but this move would signify an imbalance in my opinion. Secondly, Melancon gives the Pirates more value being around helping them get to the playoffs and beyond than the return the Pirates would get in a trade for him to do what he's been doing here for years somewhere else. Melancon is one of the most important players the Pirates have. Losing him would have consequences that the Pirates don't want to deal with. It's time to go on a run for the playoffs, and to do that, Melancon has to be in Pittsburgh for that to happen. 

Phillies at Pirates series preview

     The Pirates took advantage of a lowly team by taking 2 of 3 from the Brewers. Glimpses of the offense and the pitching staff's potential showed throughout the series. Now, they shift their attention to another lowly team, the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Friday: Gerrit Cole (5-5 3.11 ERA) vs Zach Eflin (2-3 4.14) 7:05 ET

     Gerrit Cole was not great his first start back from the DL. However, it is almost a certainty that he will figure it out. Pirates hope it's sooner rather than later. Even if they can get close to what they got from Cole last year, it'd be a huge boost. It hopefully starts against a Phillies squad that has been offensively-challenged for the most part. For the Phillies, it's Zach Eflin. He is a good pitcher, but there are certainly no eye-popping features to him to this point. If Cole can be good, the Pirates will have a good shot. 

Saturday: TBA vs Aaron Nola (5-8 4.41 ERA) 4:05 ET

     There is no starter announced for the Pirates yet, but all signs point to it being Glasnow. Glasnow will get his second big league start after looking okay in his first one. It'll be interesting to see if it's a one start thing or more. It might depend on him. For the Phillies, it's one of the bright young arms in the game, Aaron Nola. In the midst of a bad year, it's just a matter of time before he figures it out. Pirates hope he waits a bit longer to do that. Nonetheless, this is a very intriguing pitching matchup of two young righties that'll headline the NL in just a few short years. 

Sunday: Jameson Taillon (2-1 3.44 ERA) vs Vince Velasquez (8-2 3.15 ERA) 1:35 ET

     Talk about two good young pitchers. These two are very bright as well. Firstly, Jameson Taillon; he is shockingly able to make this start after getting hit in the head by a line drive but stayed in the game to pitch 6 great innings. It'll be interesting to see how he rebounds. On the other end, it's Vince Velasquez. Acquired in the massive Ken Giles deal over the winter, Velasquez has looked really good since joining the Phillies rotation. He owns a top notch strikeout rate and has looked phenomenal doing it. The batters of the Pirates will have a lot on their hands on Sunday. 

     Pirates certainly look to continue to take advantage of an easier schedule that has been paved for them. The goal is obviously just to win series'. A sweep would always be preferable, but let's start with 2 of 3 first. The Pirates are sending their future top 3 rotation guys out there one after the other with Cole, Glasnow, and then Taillon. This is rather exciting stuff if you are a fan of the Pirates, or just the game in general. There will certainly be some good, young pitchers on the hill this weekend in Pittsburgh.

Pirates trade target: Jeanmar Gomez

     It has been reported by Buster Olney that the Pirates are among the teams looking at reliever Jeanmar Gomez. 

     If you remember, Jeanmar Gomez was on the Pirates in 2013 and 2014 after being acquired for next to nothing. He was pretty effective for the Pirates but was let go anyways. He's pitched pretty well for the Phillies the last two seasons, obtaining the closer's role this season. In such a role, he has had an extreme amount of success. He has a 2.76 ERA and 26 saves for the Phillies, who seem to be slipping out of the race once again. 

     His other stats don't look bad either. His FIP is 3.52 which isn't bad; he has good control as he's only walked 2.2 batters per 9 innings. On the contrary, he strikes out just 5.7 per 9, which is odd for a closer. He also keeps the ball in the ballpark, with a HR rate of just 0.6. And as we know, the ability to keep the ball in the park in Citizens Bank Park is rather impressive. Combined with all this, he is only making $1.4M this year and is arbitration eligible one more time. 

     Jeanmar Gomez might not fit in this bullpen, at least not this year. He's been so successful towards the back of the bullpen, but the Pirates already have one of the better backend bullpen trio already with Feliz, Watson, and Melancon. Gomez could certainly take a spot with Watson and someone else in a backend bullpen slot next year with Melancon and Feliz as impending free agents. I see the fit next year, but not this year unless if they want to use him as a guy that can come in and give the other guys a break, which isn't a bad idea. The other idea thrown around in this is if they are thinking about trading Melancon and replacing him with Gomez, which is highly speculated but I don't think it'll happen. 

     Jeanmar Gomez would provide the Pirates with a familiar face in a new role. He'd give the Pirates another late game guy to roll with. However, I think it's more prudent that the team get a lefty reliever to help with matchups rather than another righty. 

     I don't see the Pirates getting Gomez. I just don't think the fit is there. It doesn't hurt to look I guess. This bullpen could stand for an upgrade even though they've done a better job lately. I still sustain that another lefty would be more favorable, but anything to give this team a nice additional, stable bullpen piece I'm all for. 

Brewers at Pirates series preview

     The Pirates had a rather disappointing series out of the break in Washington. They played bad all series and had to use all their pitchers in an 18-inning win on Sunday just to avoid getting swept. Well, I bet the Pirates were glad to get out of Washington with a win, however they got it. Now, they play a ton of games against teams that are wishing their 2016 season didn't even exist. This starts with the Brewers. We know the struggles the team has with the Brewers, but those are primarily in Milwaukee. This is the first series they have played against the Brewers in quite awhile, as they get them 16 times in the second half. It starts here. 

Tuesday: Jameson Taillon (2-1 3.86 ERA) vs Junior Guerra (6-2 3.06 ERA) 7:05 ET

     This is a rather intriguing pitching matchup. Jameson Taillon is making his first start in a little while after needing down time. He figures to give this rotation a boost. Hopefully he can hop on the high horse quickly and give the Pirates a shot in the arm. For the Brewers, it's Junior Guerra. Guerra has been super surprising for the Brewers. His 3.06 ERA has been something that not many could've expected from him. Pirates, who scored 3 runs in 36 innings against the Nationals, won't have an easy task against this righty. 

Wednesday: Jeff Locke (8-5 5.26 ERA) vs Chase Anderson (4-10 5.44 ERA) 7:05 ET

     

     Jeff Locke takes the hill on Wednesday for the Pirates. The guy has been inconsistent all year. For the most part, he's been better at home than on the road. This time, he gets a home game. One can hope that this home cooking gets Jeff Locke going. For the Brewers, it's a disappointing Anderson. For all they've gotten from Guerra, they've gotten little from Anderson. Chase Anderson was one of the center pieces in the Jean Segura trade over the winter, but he has been bad. Pirates offense will certainly look to get going against a struggling righty. 

Thursday: Francisco Liriano (5-9 5.11 ERA) vs Matt Garza (1-3 5.74 ERA) 7:05 ET

     Liriano got the the short end of the stick in his start on Friday. Firstly, he drew Stephen Strasburg. Secondly, he came out to stop the seventh inning which he blew up in, making a great pitching line into an average one. In any case, he is taking baby steps forward, and the Pirates need him to continue that against the Brewers. For Milwaukee, it's struggling veteran Matt Garza. Garza, when not being hurt, has been really not giving the Brewers any sort of help. Garza is no stranger to the Pirates, having been a member of the Cubs and Brewers for much of his career. He could be a July trade candidate if he can give the Brewers a couple good starts. The Pirates bats will try to make sure that doesn't happen. 

     This is an important stretch for the Pirates. They have to start finding a way to pile up wins against the Brewers and Reds. It starts now with the Brewers. Their performance in 16 games against the Brew Crew could very well decide their fate for the rest of 2016. 

It's all about control for the Pirates at the trade deadline

     It's no shocker that the Pirates are looking for pitching, particularly starting pitching. Everyone knows it. Even Pirates general manager Neal Huntington has acknowledged this very candidly this past week. The Pirates have reportedly been connected to multiple pitchers, namely Chris Archer, Matt Moore, Nathan Eovaldi, and Ervin Santana. There is no doubt that there are certainly more as well. You can sort out and compare these players until your brain hurts. Trust me, I've done just that. Through everything, all these players have one thing in common and that thing being years of control. 

     Years of control for pitching has become all the rage amongst teams this summer when it comes to trades. Teams are trying to capitalize on the trade market now before the terrible stock of free agent pitching dawns this offseason. Teams selling are trying to get good returns for their guys under control while buyers are loading up now to help them contend the rest of this year and for years to come. It seems the Pirates are looking to acquire pitcher(s) with control attached to them as well. This is a great move for the Pirates for a few reasons. 

     Firstly, when you look at the rotation currently, there are question marks all across the board. Cole has questions about whether he will find his groove this year, Liriano is struggling with similar (just without the injuries), Jon Niese was bumped from the rotation, and the rest of the options are rookies, Vogelsong, or Masterson. Not exactly eye-opening if you ask me. In fact, the only guy without question marks is Locke, not because he's been good but because he's been what you expect from him. In all senses, the rotation could obviously be upgraded. Not just for now, but for years to come, even with the pipeline of prospects coming. 

     Secondly, the wildcard situation in the National League is a crapshoot and the division race might be out of reach (notice the word "might"). It could stand to reason that the Pirates don't want to put all their chips into 2016 alone, and they aren't wrong for that strategy given their circumstances. To take that kind of gamble on the 2016 Pirates would take a lot of guts and not one that they need to be taking right now with 2017 and beyond looking really good. I don't see any way they would give up anything of substantial value for a rental piece that'll maybe get them to another wildcard game, which is a game where you might as well just flip a coin to decide a winner. 

     Thirdly, the Pirates are big fans of years of control. Every time they grab a starting pitcher, it's one that they want to have for at least a year. Take Wandy Rodriguez and Jon Niese as examples. Pirates like to stabilize a rotation of young guys with veterans that they can control. This is no secret, so it should be of no surprise to anybody that they are looking in that direction once again. 

     They can certainly help this team without putting all their eggs in one basket this year. They can acquire guys that can help them this year and for at least next year too. This trade market is the proper market for that, as many sellers are seeing their opportunities to deal guys that they may not have when they project to contend again. The buyers could really use these guys to help them contend for a couple years, especially in a weaker pitchers' market this upcoming winter, as I mentioned before. Undoubtedly, we will see many trades like this within the next couple of weeks. The Pirates will seemingly be wrapped up in it somewhere.   

Pirates have discussed Nathan Eovaldi trade with Yankees

     The Pirates have discussed a potential Nathan Eovaldi trade with the Yankees, per Rob Biertempfel. It is not known how deep those talks are at this time. 

     Pirates continue to cast a net for many different starters that can help this rotation. For Eovaldi, he has struggled this year, pitching to a 5.11 ERA but is a candidate to pitch at least a bit better than that. He was moved to the bullpen for the Yankees after a rough time in the rotation. However, he is being moved back to the rotation in possibly an attempt to show teams what he has. 

      Eovaldi was linked to the Pirates a few years back before the Yankees landed him. The Pirates seem to love his plus fastball, and he appears to be a more fixable pitcher for Searage than what he was given this offseason. 

     I would welcome this trade. I was always high on Eovaldi and wanted him a few years back. He has a couple of years of team control left and would have an acquisition cost a bit lower than many other pitchers on the market, if that's what the Pirates are going for. It seems that the Yankees may feel motivated to move him in an attempt to reload their roster for a future that might not have Eovaldi in it. 

Pirates inquiring on Rays starting pitchers

     It has been reported by Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish that the Pirates are one of the teams that have inquired on Rayf starting pitching. They have seemingly made Matt Moore, Drew Smyly, and Jake Odorizzi available. If they get really frisky, then maybe Chris Archer gets on that list, but I doubt it.

     This goes in line with what Huntington said today regarding the rotation, where he candidly said that the team could add as well as subtract pitching at the trade deadline. It appears that they are surveying the market for improvements over Niese, and to a lesser extent, Locke. While it shouldn't be hard to find improvements over those two, you'd be shocked. 

     The Rays control a ton of the starting pitching market based on these three. With Alex Cobb, seemingly never healthy, returning, they could trade one. However, they may feel inclined to deal more with the peak interest they are receiving. For the Pirates, Matt Moore and Drew Smyly seem like much likelier targets. While all of them are cheap and controllable, the Pirates may be able to figure out a way to deal for one of those two. Given Huntington's past, it might be Matt Moore. Moore is a controllable lefty, which the Pirates love to acquire (which is what I said regarding Pomeranz). Though, it could make sense to buy somewhat lower on Smyly, even if he's not a big-time starter. 

     Rays might want to deal from their depth right now and pack it up for future years. You really never know with Rays GM Matt Silverman, who at times is known for running a whacky operation. We will see if this is serious stuff for the Pirates of just due dillegence on their part. 

Pirates at Nationals series preview

     After getting to soak in the All-Star break, I hoot you are all ready for baseball once again. The Pirates surged to close out the first half, including a series victory over the Cubs to finish it off. The Pirates look primed to make a deep run into this season as a team that can get to the playoffs once again. However, the road to that doesn't start off easy. It starts in Washington, where they had terrible fortunes a season ago. This misfortune started with a no-hitter thrown by Scherzer and Charlie Morton not even getting through the first inning in a disastrous start the next day. The Pirates hope to turn it around this year against the first-place Nationals, but it will certainly not be easy. 

Friday: Stephen Strasburg (12-0 2.62 ERA) vs Francisco Liriano (5-8 5.15 ERA) 7:05 ET

     Who could forget the night that disappointed many Pirates fans but at the same time enlightened many fans of the game to young righty Stephen Strasburg. From the minute he walked out and dominated the Pirates, except Delwyn Young, that night, Strasburg has been revered (not like his teammate Ben Revere) as one of the best the league has to offer. The oft-injured righty got a huge contract extension this season, in the middle of his start coincentially, which took the best free-agent-to-be starting pitchers off the board. Pirates won't enjoy seeing this guy for sure. For the Pirates, it's Liriano. While he has looked better lately, this lefty has been nothing short of disappointing this season. Hopefully a brilliant second half is over the horizon for him. 

Saturday: Tanner Roark (8-5 3.01 ERA) vs Gerrit Cole (5-4 2.77 ERA) 7:05 ET

     The big story out of this game is that Gerrit Cole is returning from the DL. He missed over a month with a triceps injury that he suffered against the Cardinals. Pirates should get a big boost with the team's ace returning. It would be huge for the Pirates to have him be right out of the get go. It starts against the Nationals lineup which isn't a soft or hard landing by any means. 

Sunday: Max Scherzer (10-6 3.03 ERA) vs Chad Kuhl (1-0 6.08 ERA) 7:05 ET

     Who could forget Max Scherzer's start against the Pirates in D.C just a season ago. He was one Jose Tabata elbow away from a perfect game. He still was able to get a no-hitter. While people can't expect he does that again, he is still a pitcher that has shown dominance. The Pirates offense is going to have a huge challenge. On the Pirates side, it's Chad Kuhl. It's surprising that Kuhl gets a rotation spot to start the second half, but the Pirates are rolling with it. His last start was nowhere close to good or even acceptable. We will see if he can rebound and give the Pirates the kind of start he gave them in Oakland instead. 

     It would be a huge boost if the Pirates come out in the second half and win this series against the Nationals. While it isn't a "must win" series, it would be great to get it, especially given the schedule going forward after that. It'll be interesting to see if Liriano can figure it out and if Gerrit Cole can get it going early and often. Both of those guys will be key in their series and in the second half in general. 

Drew Pomeranz would be a great fit for the Pirates

     A few days ago, I talked about the starting pitchers that could be targets for the Pirates come the trade deadline. Read that here: https://bucconation.wordpress.com/2016/07/11/pirates-trade-target-starting-pitchers/ 

     Anyway, the one name that stuck out to me was Drew Pomeranz. Pomeranz was part of a swap with Oakland in the offseason that included Yonder Alonso. Pomeranz, 27, is enjoying the best season of his life, pitching to a 2.47 ERA. The addition of another pitch to his arsenal has put him over the top. That and the fact that he has been much more durable than in recent years, logging his first 100 inning season. 

     Pomeranz hasn't just enjoyed a breakout year, he's still young with so much potential going forward. Not only that, but he's controlled through 2018. So, he's more than just a rental. He would be towards the top of a rotation for 2 additional seasons. Just imagining a rotation anchored by Cole, Pomeranz, Taillon, and Glasnow as the top 4 is enough to make any Pirates fan excited. 

     Another thing that is important to note is that he may want to stick around after 2018 at a decent cost. Not only is he a candidate to want sustainability because he's jumped around so many times, he is also represented by the same agency that worked out the Polanco and Cervelli extensions. The Pirates have a great relationship with them, which could facilitate an extension to keep Pomeranz around beyond his current contract. All in all, this is the kind of deal that could reap the benefits now and in years to come. 

     Pirates love to trade for controllable lefties. Wandy Rodriguez and Jon Niese are prime examples of that very thing. Pomeranz fits the profile perfectly. Mind you he won't be cheap to acquire, but the Pirates are certainly primed to put together the right package for a guy like him, without giving up any of their mega prospects, such as Glansow, Bell, Taillon, or Meadows. 

     In a market of pitchers that is going to be dull for awhile, this is the right opportunity for the Pirates to get their hands on a talented, young pitcher that has the poise and the will to do whatever it takes to get to the next level. In turn, this is the perfect storm for the Pirates. Pomeranz is currently a cheap lefty in terms of money, which may change, but it won't be outrageous by any stretch of the imagination. They also will probably want to trade for someone they have beyond 2016 because of the crapshoot the wildcard has been this season. If I were the front office, I'd take a serious run of trading a bit more for Pomeranz for the extra years as opposed to less for rentals such as Hellickson or Hill.

     There have been players in previous years that the Pirates could've used their deep prospect pool to acquire but luckily didn't because, in hindsight, they weren't the right fit. However, Pomeranz is a different story and seems like a perfect fit. Padres will demand a lot for him, but nowhere close to the David Price or Cole Hamels packages of the past. He's actually a stud pitcher that can be had by the Pirates in terms of acquisition and financial cost. He seems to be a pitcher that the Pirates can definitely make a run at within the next few weeks. 

     Whether the Padres would trade him is another thing, but I doubt they don't. His value is sky high right now, and the Padres next contention year might not be until at least 2019, according to many surrounding the organization. Pomeranz might not be around San Diego in 2019. Padres have leverage, but not enough to seriously not consider (unlike the Braves and Teheran). Because of this, it would appear AJ Preller and the Padres would love to go pluck a few quality prospects from a team and make good on their offseason afterthought investment. if I was the front office of the Pirates, I'd be checking in on Drew Pomeranz a lot and making a serious run at the left-hander.     

Pirates 2nd half success lives and dies by the Reds and the Brewers

     The Pirates were able to put themselves in a good position going into the All-Star break. Now, they sit at 46-43 and are in the thick of things in the wildcard and division race. Looking at their second half schedule, it's no surprise that people think this team can make a serious run at getting to the playoffs once again. The thing people cite most is the huge chunk of games against teams that aren't very good.

     However, the biggest chunk of this comes against the Brewers and the Reds. Combined, they have 16 games left against the Brewers and 11 against the Reds. So all in all, out of the 73 regular season games left, there are 27 against left for the Pirates that are against these two division foes. That equals more than a third of their remaining schedule. 

     It's no secret that the Pirates have really struggled in recent years against these two teams. The Reds and Pirates seem to always be pretty even, but the struggles with the Brewers have been all too existent to ignore. Despite showing improvement against the Brewers in recent seasons, there is still an overall sense of frustration amongst people when the Pirates consistently lose head-scratchers to the Brewers. 

     This Pirates team can't afford to struggle against these two teams like they did a season ago. They masked it in 2015 by playing insane outside of the division. This year, that's not the case. To get up in the standings, it's important to beat the teams that are dreaming that the season is over. Not many teams have as many games against teams like that than the Pirates. They've endured so much just to get to the point they are now. It would be a real shame if struggling against bottom-feeder teams ruined that. 

     Pirates have a real chance to make up plenty of ground in the playoff standings in the second half. Their schedule just about begs them to make a serious run. It would be hard to imagine they don't make up ground if they simply do their job against teams that are packing it up once again in 2016. 

Pirates trade target: Starting Pitchers

     The Pirates have used 11 different starting pitchers. If you can name them all, good work. However, it's no surprise that they have combined really struggled. The below league average ERA as a group combined with the lack of going deep in games has really hurt. Getting Gerrit Cole back will help, but many fear it may not be enough or wonder how much Cole will be limited, if at all, the rest of the year. The rookies will also be limited for the most part, especially Taillon. That can be masked if the other guys are eating up innings. There is one issue though; they aren't. Liriano, Locke, and Niese all have struggled to give the team lengthy starts for the most part. This team needs another innings eater, even if Cole is able to do that.

     It has been reported that the Pirates are shopping Jon Niese. Many speculate that this is because they want to make room for the young guys. In my opinion, that may not be the case. True it would be strange to trade a starting pitcher just to later acquire another, but we've seen stranger things in this game for sure. 

     So with that being said, what kinds of pitchers could the Pirates go for. I dive into that. 

Jeremy Hellickson: Hellickson has really enjoyed his best year in quite awhile. He has a 3.92 ERA while having been able to give the Phillies a good amount of innings, which, as I mentioned, the Pirates need. He's a huge regression candidate though. Also, the Phillies don't seem inclined to need to trade him because they can get the qualifying offer and either get a draft pick or have him next year again. Phillies also have been playing better lately, so they might feel they can contend. However, in a light pitcher's market, Phillies might hedge their bet on getting a good return back for him.

Andrew Cashner: Do we have to talk about Cashner? Why yes, at least sort of. He's struggled in recent years, and he's been hurt a lot too. I don't see anybody giving up anything of substance for him. I also don't see a team getting desperate enough to acquire him. 

Drew Pomeranz: Sticking with the Padres, Pomeranz might end up being the most sought after starter out there, along with Rich Hill. That's if Teheran and Gray prove to not be out there. Padres might capitalize on their great investment and get a big prospect or two in return. I honestly would love this, but the price might be too astronomical, especially given his cheapness and 2 years of arbitration control left. 

Hector Santiago: We haven't heard too much about him, but he might be out there. Angels, not anticipating a massive rebuild, might unload this impending free agent though. He's a lefty that'll help the Angels from a value standpoint as to what they can get in return. However, I don't think this guy would be any sort of upgrade to Niese or others.

Rich Hill: Rich Hill has had a magical last year, coming all the way back to the big leagues and succeeding. A's won when they signed him for $6 million; a deal that seemed risky at the time. Now, they are in position to turn him in for a great return. I think the A's are going to get more for him than they got for Kazmir just a season ago. Injury issues and his age are problems for some teams but not for others. I don't see this one in play for the Pirates at all, despite reportedly scouting him in a start, which was ironically his start against the Pirates. 

Jorge De La Rosa: De La Rosa always has seemed to be a guy that the Pirates would have to fix at some point. However, he may have fixed himself in Colorado. He got moved to the bullpen and pitched great. He got moved back to the rotation and hasn't let up. The Rockies might turn him around for something this year, despite being owed a good bit of coin still. This one might be too pricey for the Pirates unless the Rockies take on the contract, which would demand a bigger return of course. 

Nathan Eovaldi: Literally zero people have talked about this guy, but it's a fun speculation. He's been put in the doghouse by Joe Girardi in New York. The hard thrower could be falling out of favor in New York perhaps? Well I doubt it, but nonetheless an interesting thing to think about. Pirates have had interest in him in the past when he was in Miami. If the Yankees have any thoughts about trading him, the Pirates might line up to try.

Clay Buchholz: You can basically take what I just said about Eovaldi and copy it because the situation is similar. Buchholz has been placed in the Red Sox bullpen for ineffectiveness and could certainly use a change of scenery. However, Buchholz is very expensive and much more risky than Eovaldi. The 31-year old righty Buchholz has had all kinds of injury issues, which makes him a high risk/maybe not even high reward scenario at this point. The guy is a huge question mark, and someone the Pirates might and should avoid, even if they could get him at a cheaper than normal price. They had apparent interest in him a season ago, but I presume that sentiment has changed. 

Ervin Santana: Santana has pitched better lately. However, he seems to be a ticking time bomb. He's owed a ton of money for the next few years for possibly average pitching or worse. I don't see the Pirates going after him for any reason. They already have two relatively high-priced, underachieving starting pitchers already in Jon Niese and Francisco Liriano. They don't need a third one.

Ricky Nolasco: Staying with the Twins, let's regretfully talk about Ricky Nolasco. Another overpaid veteran on the Twins has not enjoyed a great year at all, with a 5.22 ERA. He'd be no help for any contender, let alone the Pirates. 

Rays trio of Matt Moore, Drew Smyly, and Jake Odorizzi: I only see one of these guys actually being dealt, and that being Drew Smyly. He had a career year last year but hasn't been the same guy this year at all. A candidate to bounce back a bit the rest of this year, Smyly might be a guy a team can buy somewhat low on but get better from him than Tampa Bay has this year. Pirates might fit that bill, but who knows if he will be an improvement at all. If he figures it out, he will be. If not, then he will be a worse option, actually. As for the other 2, I don't see them going anywhere. Matt Moore maybe, but the haul they'd demand would be grand. That's even more so for Odorizzi. 

Jhoulys Chacin: Chacin was traded to the Angels from Atlanta once this year already. He could be a candidate do be traded again if the Angels feel inclined. He hasn't had a great season at all, which means the Angels will likely hold onto him. Like Nolasco, he could be conceivably traded but probably can't help a contender at all. 

Matt Garza: Garza has had a major falling out in Milwaukee. As for this year, he hasn't pitched much and hasn't been effective even when he has. There's no way anyone takes a chance on this fading veteran, in my opinion. 

Dan Straily: Reds have had a lot of rotation ins and outs, but Straily has been consistent for them, having a 4.35 ERA in over 100 innings pitched which has covered mainly starting but some relief outings as well. Reds seem very likely to turn in Dan Straily for something more than they gave, which was nothing. Whether he can help a contender is unknown, but he would cost less financially and acquisition-wise than many others out there. A team needed a steady veteran will take him, but I don't think he would improve the Pirates rotation at all unless he continues showing ability to eat up innings. 

Tyler Chatwood and Jordan Lyles: Rockies would love to move Lyles, but I doubt anyone would take him. As for Chatwood, if they made him available, teams would be lining up. The oft-injured righty has been good when healthy, especially this year. He's been even better outside of Coors Field. Teams would love to pry him away because of that. Being made available would shake up the market, as the Rockies would demand a huge haul. Pirates probably wouldn't meet that cost. 

Lucas Harrell: Harrell hasn't been seen too much this year, but he's thrived in his little time with the Braves. The 31-year old journeyman might get dealt by the Braves when his stock is high. However, the Braves aren't motivated to deal him, as he's under team control for another 4 years. Braves could use him as a steady veteran rotation presence if they believe that he can have sustained success. If not, they'll trade him to capitalize on their investment. Teams would like to see a few more starts from him, and they will with a couple of weeks until the deadline. They may not want to trade him, but in what could be a weaker pitching market, they might feel they can get something decent back, like with Bud Norris. He might cost less than most of the guys out there, but he's a risky guy to trade for, even for the Pirates. 

     I don't expect all these arms to get dealt. Some off them seem to be going out the door while others are longshots. Pirates might not have a great crop to choose from unless they go out of their comfort zone. Unlike previous years, it may not be worth it. We'll see if it becomes a more fair or even a buyer's market as the deadline approaches. Pirates might be looking at sticking with what they have, even if many don't want to see that. 

Cubs at Pirates series preview

     Pirates continued playing well, capturing 3 of 4 from the division-rival Cardinals to pull to within a half a game of them. They have also closed the gap on the Cubs to less than 10 after it was 15 when the Pirates left Chicago just a few short weeks ago. Oh by the way, the Cubs are the next opponent. The Cubs come into PNC Park, and they have dominated the Pirates this season. However, they have looked more vulnerable lately, so there's hope. 

Friday: Jake Arrieta (12-3 2.33 ERA) vs Francisco Liriano (5-8 5.38 ERA) 7:05 ET

     While Arrieta's numbers still look otherworldly in nature, he's been pretty bad lately. Some figure the problem to be him starting to try too hard and his pitching motion suffering because of it. Pirates can only hope that the problems for him continue for at least one more start. For the Pirates, it's another stop on the Liriano frustration station. While his last start didn't tickle the frustration meter's max level, it still got pretty high up there. Lack of chases and a high walk rate are still contributing to so many problems for him. He has really struggled against the Cubs this season as well after coming in with great numbers. 

Saturday: Jon Lester (9-4 2.67 ERA) vs Chad Kuhl (1-0 4.09 ERA) 7:15 ET

     Chad Kuhl has left quite an impression on the fans of the Pirates. Outdueling Kershaw and then trading blows with Sonny Gray. He's given the Pirates two important outings when they've needed it the most. For the Cubs, it's Lester. He got humiliated in his last start after a fabulous June that landed him pitcher of the month honors. I fully expect the All-Star Lester to get it right. However, that won't stop the Pirates from trying to steal off him. This is especially so because his beloved personal catcher David Ross has hit the disabled list. Wilson Contreras will catch Lester in his place. We will see how that works out. Watch out for Marte and Harrison, mainly, to take bases if they can reach. It actually might be a good day to put in Frazier in RF over Polanco. Frazier hits lefties very well and Polanco hobbling makes a difference. Frazier would add another base stealer to the mix, which Polanco can't do when hobbled (well, against Lester it might be possible). 

Sunday: John Lackey (7-5 3.50 ERA) vs Jon Niese (7-6 4.87 ERA) 1:35 ET

     John Lackey has been a very good veteran presence for the Cubs rotation this year. A pitcher that has always made less money than he could've, Lackey is working on yet another good season. For a guy of his age to pitch at the level he is is truly terrific. We will see if the Pirates can figure him out. Meanwhile, the Pirates bring Jon Niese to the mound. Niese has been the subject of a minor knee issue and even some trade rumors all within the past couple of days. Niese pitched effectively on Monday, in terms of his runs allowed at least. He looked very mediocre in spite of that. I have a hard time believing this is the last start for Niese as a Pirate but if it is, he can do the team a favor by beating the Cubs on his way out. 

     This is a pretty big series for the Pirates. I wouldn't call it "must win". I would rather call it "don't get swept and you're good". Pirates need to win one in this series to go into the break above .500 while the worst record they can have at the break is 44-45. However, they would hate to get swept here and go into the break with 4 straight losses after winning 7 in a row. Pirates have to find a way to get to the Cubs while they are struggling, even if it means only winning one in the series. Of course, winning or even sweeping the series would be wonderful. 

What to do with Andrew McCutchen

     We've heard it before, and we hear it almost everyday; Andrew McCutchen is struggling. Not even sort of struggling. It is a massive struggle. With a slash line of .241/.315/406 with 12 HRs but just 32 RBIs and a whopping 86 strikeouts, it's clear to see that the guy has not been anywhere near himself. The Pirates have been hesitant to change anything for him because they don't want to mess with too much regarding him to this point, and for good reason. However, this hasn't stopped many from trying to suggest a number of things that can help McCutchen. Whether they will work for him will likely never be known, but I will explore some of the possibilities that have been brought up. 

     First one I want to bring up is the position change. This is very unlikely to happen, in my opinion. Even though Polanco and Marte are clearly better defenders and have wicked arms that puts McCutchen's in the dust, I don't think they'll change the OF now. Something like that might happen when Meadows comes up, but they won't do it with McCutchen now. He's played his whole career in center field, and that won't change, not in Pittsburgh anyways. Sometimes a position change can spark a player offensively for whatever reason, but other times it doesn't and then it becomes a mess defensively as well (see: Pedro Alvarez). There's no need to make this change right now. Even though a Polanco in LF, Marte in CF, and McCutchen in RF outfield looks better defensively, the fit isn't good and the juggling of players is too risky at this point. 

     The second one I will mention is a move down in the lineup. McCutchen started the year batting 2nd but then got put back in his signature number 3 spot to try to spark him, which hasn't really worked. Now, I do not think he will be moved down in the lineup for any reason. It gets to be a fragile scenario when you lose confidence in your star player to the point where you have to move him from the top of the lineup to somewhere else in the lineup. Pirates don't want to do that at this point. The other thing is that it would juggle the whole lineup. Though Clint Hurdle is famous for his constant juggling of players in the lineup due to matchups, McCutchen has normally batted third, outside the outset of this year. Moving Cutch lower in the lineup has an affect on many players as well. Kang/Freese, Marte, Cervelli (when healthy), Harrison, and others are all affected by a lineup movement that significant. That's not something that would fit the Pirates plans right now. 

     The final idea is, of course, trading him. I'm not going to get too far into this, but it's worth mentioning. While I don't think this is an option right now, it could be later on. However, that's not the point. Trading McCutchen might fix him because of the "change of scenery" thing. However, that improvement wouldn't help the Pirates; it would help someone else instead. It would just fix a problem for the Pirates, not because he needs to go away but because he's struggling and Meadows is coming fast, which I talked about here: 

All in all, this is not something that would help the Pirates besides clearing salary and a spot for Meadows and possibly to help Cutch get a fresh start. It won't happen now, if ever honestly. We will just have to see how that plays out. 

     I honestly believe nothing the Pirates can do right now can help McCutchen, unless if he is genuinely bothered badly by that thumb. If he's assumed healthy, which is a longshot actually, all the team can do is let him play it out and change nothing, hoping he will figure it out like he knows how to do. Currently, the Pirates are stuck with a star that is a shell of his former self and if that doesn't change, the problem is evidently deeper than lineups, positions, or trades. All we can do is continue to root for the Pirates' superstar in hopes he will look like that once again.  

Pirates' Jung Ho Kang accused of sexual assault

     It was revealed today that Pirates' infielder Jung Ho Kang is being investigated by Chicago police for a sexual assault claim that was made against him. The event in question is said to have happened last month while the team was in Chicago. The details get iffy and much more disturbing from there, so I'll leave them out. If you want to check it out, click this article from the Chicago Tribune http://trib.in/29fmzcv

     Pirates released a statement on the matter which basically says that the team is aware of the investigation, the status of Kang is still the same, and they will respect the investigation by not commenting further, nor will anyone in the organization. 

     For the sake of everyone involved, we can hope these allegations are not true. Any time something like this happens, there is so much pain to go around everywhere. True or not true, the pain is still there for everyone. All we can do is let the investigation play out and see what happens. 

This week will be huge for the Pirates trade deadline plans

     Pirates have probably their most important week of the season to date. They play the Cardinals and then the Cubs, two teams in which they are chasing. As this team has sat around the .500 for most of the past two weeks, there is a huge decision to be made about where this team will go at the trade deadline. In my opinion, this is the week that could decide just that.

     Let's first look what could happen if the Pirates go 2-5 or worse this week. That puts them at best 43-46 at the All-Star break as well as essentially at least giving back the 4-1 trip in Seattle and Oakland that dug themselves out of a hole. That would be deflating for this team going forward. Teams that are below .500 by that much at the All-Star break typically are not playoff caliber teams. It is rather rare that teams like that make it to October. This could lead the team to trade impending free agents such as Nicasio, Melancon, Feliz, Freese, Joyce etc. as well as trading guys like Niese, Liriano, and maybe even Watson. A bad week, even with an easier schedule coming up after the break, gives the team a different feel. 

     Now, say they go 3-4 or better. This puts the team at worst at 44-45. I know that would only be a one game difference from 43-46, but the two records have a totally different feel, especially around the trade deadline. Being 44-45 wouldn't be quite as deep of a hole. On the other hand, say they have a winning record this week. That would give this team a massive boost where the front office might feel like they have a chance, especially since they would show that they can beat the Cardinals and Cubs. 

     The worst case scenario for this team is that they go 3-4 and get stuck in the middle somewhere whereas they don't know what to do. The All-Star break is where teams really need to evaluate what they want to do at the trade deadline. They have to have at least some sort of an idea. Pirates would surely not want to be caught in the middle with all the trade chips they have in the majors and/or all the depth in the minors they can trade from to get a player or two that can get this team over the top against the other wildcard teams. They also would hate to be caught in the middle to the point where they stand pat and regret doing nothing no matter how the season pans out, similarly to what happened in 2014. 

     This week could very well be the tipping point of this season for the Pirates. Where the season is going could be dependent on this week, and the Pirates aren't the only team in that boat in fact. A terrible week could lead this front office to pack it up and put the "transition" stamp on this season. However, if they have a good or great week, this front office would definitely feel compelled to help this team contend for a playoff spot. A so-so week would lead to some serious decision making and a lot of head scratching for sure. It'll be interesting to see how this week plays out for the Pirates. Expect a buyer or a seller to be made out of the Pirates based on it. 

Pirates at Cardinals series preview

     Pirates have to be feeling much better now than they did just 10 days ago. They have now won 7 of their last 9 after being able to sweep the Oakland Athletics in the Coliseum to get back to .500 at 41-41. However, this week is very crucial for the Pirates as they face 2 division foes they are chasing, the Cardinals and the Cubs. It starts in St. Louis with the Cardinals for 4 games. 

Monday: Carlos Martinez (7-5 2.83 ERA) vs Jon Niese (6-6 5.07 ERA) 2:15 ET

     Carlos Martinez has been dazzling lately. Their young righty is finally coming into his own. Also, he is no stranger to the Pirates, as he has done great against them throughout his career. The Pirates may have troubles again. Opposing him is Jon Niese. Niese, of course acquired this offseason for Neil Walker, has been disappointing to say the least. Pirates hope that this is the beginning of a turnaround for him. The Cardinals may just be the soft landing he needs, as they employ a ton of lefty hitters and typically don't hit well against southpaws. 

Tuesday: Mike Leake (5-6 4.13 ERA) vs Jameson Taillon (2-1 3.86 ERA) 8:09 ET

     Mike Leake has really started to turn a corner for the Cardinals after a shaky start. Leake is another familiar pitcher that the Pirates have seen so often throughout the years. And like Martinez, he has overall done a great job against the Pirates. Jameson Taillon opposes him. The rookie right-hander has had a few good starts and a few bad ones, which is to be expected. He pitched well against the Mariners his last time out. We'll see if Jameson Taillon can build on that performance. 

Wednesday: Jaime Garcia (6-6 3.84 ERA) vs Jeff Locke (8-5 5.13 ERA) 8:15 ET

     Jaime Garcia is often forget about in the Cardinals rotation. However, he has been one of their better ones. Jaime Garcia, putting together a nice stretch of being relatively healthy, has been very good. Pirates offense doesn't get any breaks with this guy. For the Pirates, it's Jeff Locke. Locke has been a total hit or miss for the Pirates this year. He's fought his way through all kinds of inconsistencies this season to put together a season that we can put up with at least. It's just a matter of which Jeff Locke we will see. The good version can beat Bumgarner and Maeda, as we've seen. The bad version loses to guys like Jorge De La Rosa, which we have also seen. It's important for Locke to command his pitches on the corners. If he does that and is working in a groove, he's getting quick outs with many groundouts. When he's bad, he's working slower, walking many guys, and is getting hit hard. Whichever version of him we get will be important to the outcome. 

Thursday: Adam Wainwright (7-5 4.70 ERA) vs TBD

     Adam Wainwright has experienced a renaissance this year........... with his bat. In terms of pitching, well that's another story. He's had major inconsistencies with nearly all his pitches. He doesn't look like the Adam Wainwright of old, and I'm sure many around the league, including the Pirates are glad to see that. For the Pirates, it'll likely be Chad Kuhl to start. While Kuhl hasn't looked over the top incredible, he's gotten the job done his first two starts, beating Kershaw and matching Rich Hill. Despite Wainwright not being the same version of him, it's still tough competition for a rookie. We will see if the Pirates can take advantage of a lesser version of Wainwright. That would help out Chad Kuhl a whole lot. 

     This series will be important for the Pirates. They have to find a way to grab at least a split. One thing is for sure in this series though. It is that it should be a fun four games, as these two always play each other very competitively. So, buckle up! 

Pirates claim catcher Eric Fryer

     Pirates have claimed catcher Eric Fryer from the St. Louis Cardinals. Fryer, 30, was designated for assignment by the Cardinals when Brayan Pena got healthy. He was slashing .368/.415/.421 with 0 HRs and 5 RBI in limited time with St. Louis this year. 

     Of course, we all know that Eric Fryer began his MLB career with the Pirates in 2011 after being drafted by Milwaukee in 2007. He's also had a stint with the Twins and one with the Cardinals before his current return to Pittsburgh. 

     He figures to replace Erik Kratz, who scored the winning runs in 2 games for the Pirates, but only collecting 3 hits in all his time. He also put together a scoreless inning in relief against the Giants. It is unclear whether the Pirates will hold onto Fryer once Cervelli gets back from the DL and Stewart gets back to 100%. For now, Fryer should provide the Pirates will a little bit more stability behind the plate as a backup than Kratz. We will see.