Pittsburgh Pirates Rumor Mill – all eyes on Huntington

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Jun 28, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez (16) hits a double in the seventh inning during the game against the Minnesota Twins at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Bench Bat

With the injuries to Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer, the Pirates not only weakened their starting lineup but, in turn, weakened their bench as well. They added Aramis Ramirez to help combat this, but Sean Rodriguez, Pedro Florimon, and Travis Ishikawa aren’t ideal options off the bench for a contending team. The Pirates could add a utility infielder for cheap, and many external options out there would be better than Rodriguez and Florimon. We’ve seen the Pirates connected to Ben Zobrist and a few Diamonbacks infielders, so I could see the team adding a bench bat for cheap tomorrow.

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Gregory Polanco has been hot this month, but still has a .179 average against lefties this season. The team could add an outfielder to platoon with Polanco for the rest of the season, which would also improve the bench. An outfielder would probably be more expensive than an infielder, but there are some available out there.

So these are the Pirates’ needs heading into Friday. They could also add another reliever, but that’s probably not a priority anymore with the addition of Soria. There were very few rumors, if any, connecting the Pirates to the three players they added so far, and all seems to be quiet right now. But Huntington could strike at any moment. Will he remain quiet like he has the last two years at the non-waiver deadline, or will he make a deadline-day move? Next, we will take a look at some of the latest rumors and potential players available.

Next: The starting pitching market