2011 MLB Trade Deadline: The Curious Case of the Pittsburgh Pirates

Buy, sell, or back to hell, the Pirates are alive! 

A team that for so long couldn't hit water falling out of a boat suddenly has every writer's keyboard aflame. It seems the Pittsburgh Pirates are actually good again, or at least good enough for long enough for the world to take notice the past week or so. What initially began as the shock and dismay surrounding Andrew McCutchen's All-Star snub has fully taken on a life of its own as people began to notice more than the Bucs rising star.

While it's nice to see the Bucs in the news during the trade deadline cast as potential buyers rather than sellers in the midst of yet another lost season, one has to wonder how the pressure of the ever crowding bandwagon is getting with each passing day and how the timing of this attention may effect the key decision makers like GM Neal Huntington?

Right now Huntington and the Pirate front office has to feel...

Blessed with a ball-club that is finally competing and drawing fans;

AND

Cursed with a ballclub that is exceeding expectations and a fan-base itching for a winner.

This recent drive and media exposure puts Huntington in a position to define himself and the franchise for better or worse. Do you gamble on this being THE year or hold your cards for the future? 

If you gamble, it almost plays out as an equation where to acquire a player of great impact, you need to trade the same value in potential. Carlos Beltran will probably cost you more than Josh Willingham, but which one is worth it for this season and based on what you lose long term?

Meanwhile timing also plays an issue as Jack Zduriencik could have just as easily found himself in the same dilemma. 

By comparison Jack Z now knows he needs to SELL as right now the Mariners are in the midst of a miserable 12-game losing streak that has all but cemented their fate; however it was only a few weeks ago that I foolishly saw the M's as buyers. Lots can happen in short time, but the Pirates are this year's darlings as chosen by the media and Huntington has to live or die with that. 

Ultimately though I feel bad for the true fans in these cases that have hung on through the hard times.

The fans that didn't shut off their TV and the Pirates for two decades after watching Andy Van Slyke sulk in centerfield at Fulton County Stadium after Sid Bream slid home safe for the Atlanta Braves. I'm talking about the fans that can never erase the vision of Jason Kendall's ankle and the other ghastly horrors of all the seasons before and after.

Suddenly everyone is invading your space by firing off opinions and theories that range from lucid to ludicrous. 

It's reached the point where even one Sports Illustrated writer changed his own opinion from last week.

Deep down no one really knows what to think, and no one will probably for some time given the current level of competition in the NL Central. 

But something needs to be done, doesn't it?

Unfortunately though, 18 years is a long time.

If a deal presents itself that makes sense and doesn't involve the next Jose Bautista, then the roll the dice. You have waited long enough and life offers no guarantees as evidenced by the unfortunate summer Jose Tabata is having. 

Deep down though I still think the franchise needs to stick to the long term plan. This year's team is good, but not one player away from winning a World Series. Meanwhile you have talent within your own farm system with some truly quality arms (Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Stetson Allie) that can lead to much bigger things down the road. You also have a potential home-grown power threat coming back into the fold that may help the current lack of offense.  

Pedro Alvarez has largely been ignored or written off as a bust in many of the articles recently written. While it is hard to argue that he has yet to see a pitch he didn't like, has there ever been a better time or way to find out what you really have in the former No. 2 pick? Jose Bautista may have gotten away, but hopefully Pedro can come back and live up to the promise that once made him so highly coveted. 

At any rate, good luck Pirate fans!  Here's hoping this season finally lives up to the empty promises of the eighteen prior, but more importantly leads to the beginning of something truly special and long lasting.