Pirates owner explains club’s approach to transfer deadline

The race for the last two wild-card spots in the National League is quickly becoming a bitter battle, and the Pirates are one of a whopping eight teams, all within two games of each other in the standings, currently battling for the final two postseason spots, alongside the leading Phillies, Dodgers and Brewers (plus the Braves, who have a firm grip on the first wild-card spot by 5.5 games). This position in the thick of the playoff battle comes despite Pittsburgh’s lackluster 36-39 record to this point in the season, but club owner Bob Nutting has nonetheless indicated to reporters (including Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) that he believes the club can contend for the playoffs this year.

“I think we’ve shown it’s achievable,” Nutting told reporters (as relayed by Gorman) when discussing the possibility of a postseason berth this year, before acknowledging that the club needs more production from its offense, which ranks fourth-to-last in the major leagues with an 85 wRC+. Nutting further indicated that the club is currently working to determine how much the offense can improve internally and how much of the improvement needs to come from outside acquisitions.

Nutting suggested that these outside acquisitions don’t necessarily have to wait until the upcoming July 30 trade deadline, although in recent years the league has generally tended to make the majority of its big summer transactions in the days and hours leading up to the deadline. As Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted, the club owner hinted that the Pirates “could have opportunities well before the deadline” this year.

“I think we should be ready to act early,” Nutting told reporters (as relayed by Hiles). “I think we should be ready to take advantage of opportunities when they arise. I know (club GM Ben Cherington) has the flexibility to look at a wider range of alternatives and options, but also has a timeline of when it makes sense to strike.”

Hiles further notes that Nutting reiterated his previous comments that more funds would be made available to the baseball department as he believes the club is now in a position to compete for a postseason berth. This is good news for Pirates fans as the club’s current payroll of just over $86 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, is already the highest they’ve recorded since 2017. The following offseason saw the departures of key players such as Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole, which was a clear sign that the club was entering the rebuild it has only just fully emerged from.

The club boasts a strong starting lineup with Paul Skenes and Jared Jones providing top-tier stuff at the top of the rotation, while Mitch Keller and Bailey Falter serve as solid mid-rotation pitchers behind them. Given that strong pitching staff and the club’s aforementioned struggles on offense, it’s hardly surprising that FanSided’s Robert Murray recently reported that the Pirates are expected to make acquiring offensive players a “high priority” this summer. As things stand, the only clubs that are clear sellers right now are the White Sox, Rockies, Marlins, Angels and A’s. Those clubs certainly have some interesting potential targets at their disposal, from Chicago star centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. to late-blooming A’s hitter Brent Rooker.

Both of those targets make sense on a speculative level for a Pirates club that has significant room for improvement in the outfield, and it’s also entirely conceivable that the club has interest in adding reinforcements at first base, where Rowdy Tellez has a wRC+ of 71 in 61 games this year. The names of star first basemen Petonso and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have both been in the rumor mill fairly frequently this winter, though even a smaller acquisition like longtime Pirate (and current Marlin) Josh Bell or the A’s recently DFA’d corner bat JD Davis could potentially represent an upgrade for the club over Tellez.