The Pittsburgh Pirates have the best record in baseball after sweeping a doubleheader this week against their NL Central rivals in the St. Louis Cardinals and as the trade deadline passed on Wednesday afternoon the team didn't make a big splash and instead snagged Robert Andino from the Mariners.
The Pirates were rumored to be interested in adding an outfield bat and a pitcher in the bullpen and the team was linked to Alex Rios as well as Oliver Perez and Greg Holland. The team made a quiet move and acquired Andino from the Mariners according to the Associated Press, moving him for a player to be named later or cash. The Mariners were expected to be one of the most active teams at the deadline with names like Raul Ibanez, Michael Morse, Oliver Perez, Brendan Ryan and Kendrys Morales being mentioned in deals.
Seattle had a nice stretch in July while putting together an eight game winning streak and going 15-9 at one point and that led GM Jack Zduriencik to stand pat instead of blowing up the roster. The Mariners have no hope for the playoffs, but with young stars like Kyle Seager, Brad Miller and Nick Franklin developing, the team feels it is best to try and finish the season strong. Andino started off the season as a primary player, but he ended up only appearing in 29 games for the team and played three different positions while hitting .184 with five runs on the year. Andino was in the minors after being outrighted at the end of May.
The Pirates were linked to numerous deals leading up to the deadline, including to Alex Rios and Nate Schierholtz as well as Mark Trumbo from the Angels, but that was only initial discussions and never got serious. The Pirates wanted to upgrade their offense but they didn't want to get fleeced for talent just as things have been going so well and one surprise from the deadline was that Pittsburgh made a serious offer to the Marlins for Giancarlo Stanton.
According to Hardball Talk and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the team made an offer that "caught the attention" of the Marlins, which likely means that the team included a top tier prospect in the proposal. While the Marlins have clearly been fine with trading stars in the past, this time it appears they want to keep Stanton along with young pitcher Jose Fernandez. The report didn't mention any specific names since the two sides kept them under wraps, but the website speculates that one of the team's prized prospects was likely included, possibly Jameson Taillon or even Gerrit Cole, with Cole being unlikely.
The Tribune also mentions Tyler Glasnow, outfielder Gregory Polanco and infielder Alen Hanson as options that may have been put in the deal. David DeJesus and Hunter Pence were also names that the Pirates were linked to an the report says that the team made multiple deal proposals for Stanton, but obviously none of them went through. The article also cites an example from last season when the Pirates balked at a deal for Hunter Pence when the asking price was Starling Marte. The Pirates have the chance to win their division for the first time in years and now Andino may play a part in that.
