Pittsburgh Pirates: 5-and-a-Half Moves That Can Get Them into the Playoffs

The MLB trade deadline is July 31, and the Pirates could be buyers. While I think the Pirates have a shot at finishing atop the NL Central without making any moves, any of these five moves would help.

I'm no general manager, but it's easy to see that the Pirates have some soft spots in their lineup. A solid bat at shortstop or first base could work wonders for the Pirates. Not only would the extra bat produce, but Andrew McCutchen would get more pitches to hit with a power threat behind him.

I think the Pirates most trade-worthy player is Paul Maholm. He is good enough that teams would take him, and I think Brad Lincoln could fill his shoes in the rotation. All of the moves I suggest are for him, unless I say otherwise.

The Half Move

The first move isn't really a move. Tabata and Alvarez have to get healthy, and Alvarez needs to hit like he did last September. When these guys return, think of it like a free trade. I think this is far more important than any move the Pirates can make, but since it's not technically a move, I'll count it as a half.

Pudge

This is the only move that isn't completely offensive minded.

While the Pirates have a solid defensive catcher in Michael McKenry, a more veteran presence behind the plate may help out the already impressive starting rotation. A caller to 93.7 The Fan today made an interesting point. He pointed out that Charlie Morton's numbers started to slide when Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder went down with injuries.

However, the Washington Nationals have decent starting pitching. Instead of Paul Maholm, maybe they would take Starling Marte and Jose Veras. 

Adam Lind

Adam Lind may not be a premier hitter in the MLB, but his .303 AVG with 16 HR and 51 RBI certainly wouldn't hurt.

Furthermore, the Blue Jays have Jose Bautista and they have been getting knocked around a bit in the strong AL East, so I'm sure they wouldn't mind a quality starting pitcher.

Jeff Keppinger

The struggling Houston Astros will be sellers near the deadline, and Jeff Keppinger would be a great pick-up for the Buccos. I know he plays second base, but perhaps he or Neil Walker could make the move to shortstop. We all saw on Jeff Karstens' squeeze play what Keppinger can do with, excuse me, without his glove. Other than that, he's hitting a .323 through 35 games with the Astros.

The Astros are another team that could use some starting pitching, which is something that has been a strength for the Pirates so far.

Carlos Pena

Carlos Pena is only batting .225, but his 18 HR and 46 RBI would add a power threat to the Pirates lineup.

With 10 of his homers being hit in June, it seems like he is just getting hotter. I would much rather see Carlos Pena than Lyle Overbay at first, even though Overbay has been hitting lately. 

Michael Cuddyer

He's playing right field for the Minnesota Twins now, but utility man Michael Cuddyer would be a good fit at first for the Pirates. He's hitting for a .294 AVG with 13 HR.

What makes this deal even more likely is that the Twins are eight games back and have a history of making late runs at division leaders. One of their weaknesses is starting pitching.