ESPN Links Pirates to 2 Trade Deadline Pitcher Targets

ESPN Links Pirates to 2 Trade Deadline Pitcher Targets originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh.
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The Pittsburgh Pirates all of a sudden have a chance to win a lot of baseball games this season.

That could make this July one filled with the exciting kind of trade rumors — the ones speculating on what players can be added to the MLB roster to make it better.

In Pittsburgh’s case, an obvious need is the bullpen.

That’s why in a new article on Thursday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan has picked out two relievers that could help the Pirates.

“Pittsburgh’s desire to win now is understandable,” Passan writes. “It’s been a decade, and even then, the Pirates didn’t have the ceiling they do now. At the same time, the rash of injuries could mitigate the urgency to pay significantly for rentals, which leaves the two bullpen options on multiyear deals.”

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His first he calls the “best fit,” and that’s Red Sox righty Garrett Whitlock.

He also names a “dream fit,” the righty from the Mets, Luke Weaver.

“Neither will come cheap,” Passan writes. “Whitlock is a consistently solid relief arm. Weaver has been near unhittable amid the Mets’ flop this year. Either would offer an alternative for manager Don Kelly to use in the ninth inning alongside — or instead of — Gregory Soto. And with the Pirates’ best reliever this year, Evan Sisk, hitting the injured list with elbow issues, they’re on the hunt for help — and could be a team that tries to strike a deal sooner rather than later.”

This Pirates’ season is more likely to be derailed by injuries than by anything else. Konnor Griffin, Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz are all out right now.

If anything, that could increase the urgency to make a trade. There’s still a lot of potential with this Pittsburgh team if everything comes together, and positive additions could be exactly what the Pirates need to stay afloat right now and then reach their ceiling when everyone is healthy.

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