The Pittsburgh Pirates had an amazing season in 2013 after breaking their streak of losing seasons and playoff appearances and while there are high hopes for next year, the team has a number of big needs, including at first base and that means trades could go down involving Ike Davis and the New York Mets, or Mitch Moreland from the Texas Rangers.
The Pirates have been mentioned as a destination for Davis all offseason and even more so now after the winter meetings, as Justin Morneau has signed with the Colorado Rockies after being traded to Pitt during the season. According to Hardball Talk, CBS Sports writer Jon Heyman reports that the team could be looking into trades for Davis or Moreland as options at first base and that would be a solid move for a team that has not had any sustained success over the past two decades.
The team's last winning season was back in 1992 and after winning over the Reds in the wild card game this season, the Pirates fell to the Cardinals in the National League Divisional Series and now they will try for a repeat in 2014. The team has already started making some moves, as they signed Charlie Morton to an extension and they also acquired another catcher in Chris Stewart from the Yankees. On top of that the team added to its already solid rotation, keeping Morton and signing Edinson Volquez and they bolstered the bench with the re-signing of Clint Barmes.
The team should have one of the best rotations in the National League next season with Jeff Locke, Morton as well as Gerrit Cole, Volquez along with Francisco Liriano and Wandy Rodriguez and if the team retains AJ Burnett they will have a deep roster of arms to pick from. The team also could be in the mix for one of the lower level free agents out there and the Orioles have been one of the main clubs looking at Burnett as a free agent option.
The deals for Davis and Moreland could go down in the coming weeks and while the Mets don't want to just give Davis away, they have had suitors in the Rays and the Brewers and they appear to like Lucas Duda over Davis as an option in the future. The Pirates and Brewers both desperately need some first base depth and while Davis had a tough season in 2013, many feel that he has great potential and that a change of scenery could really make him a solid ball player.
Davis had a big season in 2013 with over 30 home runs, but he regressed big time in 2013 and he was sent to the minors at one point and now along with the Pirates, the Brewers, Orioles and Astros all could be in the mix for him. Many thought that he would get dealt at the winter meetings, but Sandy Alderson did not get any deals he liked and now the Pirates could jump in and be the team that snags Davis. The Pirates made the playoffs last season and are hoping this is the start of a nice period of success.
