Pirates Trade Rumors: 1B Upgrades Weak, Maybe Dom Brown is Answer?

One of the weaknesses

the Pirates would like to upgrade at the trade deadline is the first base position. The arguments about how they do that are many.  The debate could rage for hours, but time is ticking away.

It might not be as simple as grabbing a 1B before the clock strikes zero on Sunday. Internal options are available, but none of them blow me away. Garrett Jones should be an option, but the Pirates don’t seem sold. A Garrett Jones/Steve Pearce platoon seems an option, but as solid as that could be on paper, Jones hasn’t been consistent and Pearce hasn’t been healthy.

Would those options strike fear into the bad guys down the stretch? It’s doubtful based on what we have seen this season. Jones has been called streaky by fans, the numbers show otherwise. He simply hasn’t been very good.  Yes, there could be a few reasons why Jones and Pearce could work, but let’s face it, they haven’t to this point.

Some say Matt Hague from AAA Indianapolis.  We say no.  Not yet.

So most feel a deal should be made. The challenge for Neal Huntington and staff comes down to who will it be?

The list below is sorted by On Base Percentage. Who do you like?

We are fans of the wOBA for offensive players so we took a look and discovered the following on some of the latest names to be swirling in the rumor mill:

wOBA
377 for Cuddyer
362 for Kotchman
340 for Pena
306 for D. Lee
289 for the current first baseman Lyle Overbay

Kotchman had a big month of May and his OPS this month is .762, so consider those factors when you think he might be the answer.  Whatever you do don’t look at his numbers last year, because those numbers make Overbay look ok.

Maybe we should just look away from the first base options and plug in a right fielder.  There simply isn’t a first baseman that seems to project enough of an impact for this team.   On paper at least.

So let’s look at this option, does the Phillies Dom Brown interest anyone?   Word from Heyman is he is being shopped to possibly work a three-way deal with Houston.

God I love buyer talk.

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