Pittsburgh Pirates Rumors: Joe Musgrove Trade Becoming More Likely

The Pittsburgh Pirates have already traded away one of their most prominent position players.  Could they do the same with one of their pitchers?

Everyone knows that the Pittsburgh Pirates likely will trade Joe Musgrove this offseason.  As a pitcher, he has a lot of upside that he started to flash last year, which would make him an attractive trade chip for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Also, he only has two years of contractual control left, so really he does not exactly fall in the Bucs next window of competing.

These reasons all make sense.  However, there is more to it than just that.  Yes, Musgrove is a good pitcher who looks like he could take a step forward.  However, Ben Cherington knows this and any trade for Musgrove should bring back a haul to be excited about.  There is evidence that Musgrove could very well land a big package.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network is reporting that the Musgrove market is heating up now that Snell is off the market:

This makes a lot of sense.  As of now the only teams we know in on Musgrove are the Toronto Blue Jays, who showed interest at the deadline, and maybe the two New York teams.  Although the two New York teams being interested is more speculation than a legit rumor at this point.

Who are some teams that could make sense?  The Yankees continue to make a lot of sense.  They have a strong farm system and are looking to add a starter while staying under the luxury tax.  The same can be said for the Mets.  Other teams like the Angels and Red Sox could also be in the mix, with perhaps a surprise team such as the Rays after dealing away Snell.

This is not the first rumor that has surfaced about Musgrove.  There have been reports all offseason about Cherington receiving interest in his veteran pitchers.  Also with Cherington trading Josh Bell, it appears he is likely to start really overhauling this roster.  Musgrove, Frazier, or even Steven Brault all make sense as potential offseason subtractions.

Musgrove is the team’s most valuable trade chip and it appears there is going to be a bidding market developing for him.  Let’s hope that Musgrove can bring back a nice haul.  He will not net what Blake Snell did, but there is no reason to believe the Pirates cannot acquire multiple top 10 prospects for Musgrove.  It will be interesting to see how quickly this plays out, especially with a thin starting pitcher market.