Former MLB exec predicts Pirates will absolutely clean house at trade deadline

Paul Skenes blanked the Detroit Tigers earlier this week, lowering his league-leading ERA to 1.91 in what will likely be a Cy Young campaign for the reigning National League Rookie of the Year.

Despite this, the Pittsburgh Pirates are 19 games under .500, unable to draw a crowd unless there's a one-of-a-kind collectible giveaway at PNC Park, and careening toward yet another last-place finish in the National League Central division. If general manager Ben Cherington wasn't already on the hot seat, he definitely is now.

The Pirates had already been destined to be sellers at the trade deadline since, well, before the season even started. What's remained a bit of a question mark all season, though, is just how aggressively they would sell. At some point, the Pirates are going to need to turn some of their vast pitching depth into some impact bats, and with his job now seemingly on the line, Cherington may have no choice but to be aggressive as possible on the trade market during the next week in order to make that happen.

Pirates Rumors: Jim Bowden predicts Pittsburgh will absolutely clean house at trade deadline

In a recent column for The Athletic, former MLB general manager Jim Bowden gave even more credence to the idea that the Pirates will be particularly aggressive sellers at the deadline.

Bowden called right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller the "headliner" of the group of Pirates players who could be on the trade block and added that a fellow starter, left-hander Andrew Heaney, is a "solid back-of-the-rotation arm they could dangle" at the deadline. Further adding that several teams had been in talks with the Pirates about closer David Bednar and set-up man Dennis Santana, Bowden said he could see "a scenario where they trade all four of those pitchers" by the July 31 deadline.

Bowden said he also expects the Pirates to engage in talks on outfielder Bryan Reynolds and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, both of whom are signed to long-term extensions and could therefore demand heftier packages in return.

"The Pirates are ready to make a tidal wave at this deadline," Bowden said. "They have to rebuild their offense now, and the front office knows it’s on the clock and jobs are on the line."

The clock is already ticking. The next week will tell us how serious Cherington is about keeping his job – though, at this point, it might be too late.

More Pirates content from Rum Bunter