The MLB trade season is not here yet, but there are a number of pitchers that could be on the move, as names like David Price, Jeff Samardzija, Rick Porcello, Zach Britton, Jacob Turner and Max Scherzer could come up as potential players that interest teams like the NY Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox and the LA Dodgers in 2014.
The Pittsburgh Pirates suffered a tough injury after finding out that top prospect Jameson Taillon needs Tommy John surgery and now the team could be in the mix for a trade once the season gets going, with names like David Price, Jeff Samardzija and Rick Porcello likely to get dealt in 2014.
The Pirates are coming into the season after making their first playoff appearance in two decades and Taillon is considered the franchises best pitching prospect and now he needs reconstructive elbow surgery. According to ESPN.com, Taillon will undergo Tommy John surgery and that means he will miss the rest of the 2014 season guaranteed and he also could miss part of next season as he rehabs from the injury. The surgery has been done for young pitchers recently in Matt Harvey and Stephen Strasburg and now Taillon will also have the procedure.
The 22-year-old could miss up to 18 months with the injury and this comes after he was previously the number two overall pick back in 2010. Tallion came into the season after going 16-21 with a 3.72 ERA during three seasons and that has been in 75 games and now the Pirates could look to add depth in the organization. There was a chance Tallion could have made an appearance later in the season and now he may not be able to return until 2015 or later than that.
There's no doubt that the Pirates have a deep rotation with Charlie Morton, Francisco Liriano, Gerrit Cole, Wandy Rodriguez along with Edinson Volquez and if everyone can stay healthy, the team can make the playoffs with that. But with Tallion out, there is a big void in the pipeline and that could spark a band-aid type trade for Price, which could be an interesting rental deal for the Pirates if they feel strong enough about this team as a World Series contender. The team also has Jeff Locke to use when he comes back from an injury, but either way, the loss of Taillon hurts.
The Pirates have started off the season with a 4-2 record and they are coming back after NL MVP Andrew McCutchen led the team to the playoffs. The appearance was the first in two decades and now the team is looking to go back to back.
