The race for the ultimate two Wild Card spots within the Nationwide League is shortly changing into a dogfight, and the Pirates are one in all a whopping eight groups all inside two video games of one another within the standings at the moment vying for these closing two spots within the postseason image alongside the division-leading Phillies, Dodgers, and Brewers in addition to the Braves, who’ve a agency grasp on the highest Wild Card spot with a 5.5 sport lead. That positioning within the thick of the playoff hunt comes despite Pittsburgh’s lackluster 36-39 report up to now within the season, however membership proprietor Bob Nutting nonetheless just lately indicated to reporters (together with Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Overview) that he believes the membership can contend for the playoffs this 12 months.
“I believe we’ve proven it’s attainable,” Nutting instructed reporters (as relayed by Gorman) when discussing the opportunity of postseason berth this 12 months, earlier than occurring to acknowledge that the membership wants extra manufacturing from its offense, which ranks fourth from the underside within the majors with an 85 wRC+. Nutting went on to means that the membership is at the moment working to find out how a lot the offense can enhance internally and the way a lot of the development might want to come from exterior acquisitions.
Nutting went on to counsel that these exterior acquisitions gained’t essentially have to attend till the July 30 commerce deadline is imminent, even because the league has usually gravitated in the direction of making the majority of its main summer season transactions within the days and hours main as much as the deadline in recent times. As famous by Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Publish-Gazette, the membership’s proprietor prompt that the Pirates might “have alternatives properly upfront of the deadline” this 12 months.
“I believe we must be ready to maneuver early,” Nutting instructed reporters (as relayed by Hiles). “I believe we must be ready to make the most of alternatives once they come up. I do know [club GM Ben Cherington] has that flexibility to look throughout a broader vary of options, choices but in addition a timeline of when it is smart to strike.”
Hiles goes on to notice that Nutting reaffirmed his previous remarks that extra funds can be made accessible to the baseball operations division now that the membership is, in his view, able to contend for a spot within the postseason. That’s excellent news for Pirates followers, because the membership’s present payroll of simply over $86MM is already the very best payroll they’ve posted since 2017 based on Cot’s Baseball Contracts. The next offseason noticed the departures of key gamers like Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole that served as a transparent signal the membership was coming into the rebuild they’ve solely simply now begun to totally come out of.
The membership has a powerful beginning pitching equipment with Paul Skenes and Jared Jones providing top-of-the-line stuff on the entrance of the rotation whereas Mitch Keller and Bailey Falter function strong mid-rotation arms behind them. Between that robust pitching workers and the membership’s aforementioned difficulties on offense, it’s hardly a shock that Robert Murray of FanSided just lately reported that the Pirates are anticipated to creating shopping for offense a “excessive precedence” this summer season. As issues stand, the one golf equipment which can be at the moment clear sellers are the White Sox, Rockies, Marlins, Angels, and A’s. These golf equipment definitely have some fascinating potential targets accessible, starting from Chicago’s star middle fielder Luis Robert Jr. to late-blooming A’s slugger Brent Rooker.
Both of these targets make sense on a speculative degree for a Pirates membership that has clear room for enchancment within the outfield, and it’s additionally definitely doable to think about the membership having curiosity in including at first base, the place Rowdy Tellez has a 71 wRC+ in 61 video games this 12 months. Star first basemen Pete Alonso and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have each discovered their names within the rumor mill pretty often this winter, though even a smaller acquisition equivalent to long-time Pirate (and at the moment Marlin) Josh Bell or just lately DFA’d A’s nook bat J.D. Davis might doubtlessly represent an improve for the membership over Tellez.