Pirates believe in their group but still want to improve at Deadline

PITTSBURGH -- Major League Baseball’s Trade Deadline is less than a week away, but that doesn’t mean there is a clean picture for what will happen between now and 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Only a handful of teams are truly out of it, with over 20 clubs entering Wednesday either holding a playoff spot or within five games of one.

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That includes the Pirates, who have a 52-50 record and are one game out of a Wild Card spot. Pregame, general manager Ben Cherington expressed the desire to add to the Major League roster. Doing so, however, isn’t quite so black and white when so many teams are still in the playoff race.

“Maybe that can still happen by the weekend or early next week,” Cherington said. “You have a relatively small amount of true sellers and clearly available players and a lot of teams in the middle who may be trying to do a little bit of both, who may be trying to help themselves but not wanting to take off the Major League team in a way that hurts. I think it’s going to be really interesting.

“We’re right in the middle of it. We’re talking to every team. We’re gonna keep working at it. We want to find a way to improve the team. Hard to predict how that’s gonna play out. But we’ll keep working at it.”

Had the field not been as crowded, perhaps there would be a clearer path for how the Pirates could improve this ball club. There is a clear need for more offense, with the outfield very much in need of a boost in particular. They also have a wealth of Minor League pitching arms available, something that rebuilding clubs and Deadline sellers often covet.

But what do you do when there aren’t too many clear sellers? There is taking the buying and selling route, and buzz indicates that the Pirates are willing to talk about the possibility of them trading Major League players for Major League players, including from their bullpen.

“If you’re talking to a team that’s clearly in it, a team that’s going to be in the playoffs or has a good chance to be in the playoffs, well, if they’re making trades, it’s more likely they’re going to be making trades that somehow help their Major League team or at least keep them strong in a certain area or add depth to a certain area,” Cherington said. “In those scenarios, yeah, you gotta give to get. So it just depends on how it lines up. There are gonna be those kinds of conversations this year. Not just with us but across the league.”

Whether that’s marketed as buying and selling or just an old-fashioned baseball trade, it is a way to potentially deal from the pitching depth and strength for a much-needed bat. The search isn’t just for hitters, as Cherington acknowledged on his 93.7 The Fan radio show that a run prevented can be as valuable as a run created.

Cherington and the front office are going to work toward improving the Major League roster over the coming days, but the group is playing better ball in July and is still in the thick of things. They want to add, but failing to do so doesn’t write the team off from making a run.

“We believe in the group,” Cherington said. “We believe we’ve shown throughout the course of the season and also recently that we’re capable of playing really good baseball and getting on a run. Believe this group, without any changes, can still play even better in August and September given the amount of young players and opportunity young players have to continue to improve. Still feel we have players in the Minor Leagues who can help. I believe in this group. I believe we can play well enough and win enough games to get in.

“And, yes, I believe we have an obligation and a responsibility at this time of year to try and improve the team, give the team an even better chance.”