The Pittsburgh Pirates are having the best season in over a decade and with Andrew McCutcheon and other young players looking like stars, the team is ready to make a playoff push and that means some trade options at the deadline as they try to fill weaknesses and some names coming up include Alex Rios, Matt Garza, Lance Berkman, Tim Lincecum, Raul Ibanez and many others.
The trade deadline is a tough time to navigate for some teams, but at 56-37 and just one game back of the Cardinals in the division, the Pirates appear ready to finally break their streak of below .500 seasons this year and they may make the playoffs on top of it. The team has gotten great performances from McCutcheon, Jeff Locke, Pedro Alvarez and Jason Grilli and now they need to add some players to get depth and strength in weak areas as the summer stretch comes.
The All-Star break is over and with half the season already done, some names that the team could go after includes, Alex Rios, Michael Young, Mike Morse and Raul Ibanez as well as pitchers like Matt Garza and Tim Lincecum. The Mariners would be big sellers this year and the Pirates could jump on some of their players. After his no-hitter, Lincecum has also been targeted by a number of teams, including the Tigers according to Fox Sports.
Garza has been linked to a number of teams, including the Cardinals, Blue Jays, Rangers, and Indians and he can be a top of the line starter for most teams. The Cubs are hoping to get some solid pieces for Garza and Theo Epstein will wait until he gets a deal that he likes before pulling the trigger. Alex Rios has turned himself into a trade option with the way he has played this year, as he is hitting above .270 with 11 homers, 40 RBI and 19 steals from last week and teams were impressed with what he did last season, hitting .304 with 25 home runs, 91 RBI and 23 stolen bases.
Last season Giancarlo Stanton hit .290 with 37 home runs and 86 RBIs, but this season he is at .250 with 10 home runs and 27 RBIs, but everyone knows that talent that he has. The other major name that is being talked about is Matt Garza and the Cubs so far have been patient, but it is likely that he will be moved. Garza has a 6-1 record and a 3.17 ERA into the break and CBS Sports reports that the Dodgers, Red Sox, Orioles and Indians all could be interested. Alex Rios has also been mentioned in talks with the Rangers.
Kendrys Morales has been solid with power in the lineup while hitting .280 with 14 home runs and 54 RBI this season and since Raul Ibanez has been playing like he's 20, the team may not feel bad about getting rid of some power. Ibanez has been mentioned as a possible chip since he has 24 home runs, but Morales will get the team a much better player in return since he is younger and ESPN is reporting that the Pirates could be a spot for him to land, as they need a first baseman type player.
The Tigers, Yankees, Cardinals and many other teams could come calling for the Mariners and even six wins in seven games likely won't stop the team from dealing. They are over 10 games back in the division after sniffing .500 earlier in the season and the team isn't getting much better. They rank 28th in runs and 27th in batting average and are just 23rd and 18th in on base and slugging percentage in the league.