Pirates can protect Paul Skenes with one smart trade deadline move

Paul Skenes' struggles had been a major concern for the Pittsburgh Pirates and their fans over the past few weeks. Against the Atlanta Braves on July 7, the Pirates' ace bounced back amid a stunning offensive eruption by Ryan O'Hearn, which began to quiet the noise. He won his second straight start Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers, carrying positive momentum into the All-Star break.

These last two starts suggest Skenes will most likely be fine, but there are some points to consider. Even though the 24-year-old allowed just two earned runs over six innings against the Braves, he was able to go on cruise control pretty early on, as Pittsburgh put up a four-spot in the bottom of the first, alleviating a lot of the pressure. Still, Skenes allowed a lot of traffic on the bases, scattering eight hits and a walk during his outing.

Some have speculated that Skenes and the Pirates would benefit by adding another starting pitcher and moving to a six-man rotation before the August 3 trade deadline. The logic is that by spacing out Skenes' starts, Pittsburgh can give him a chance to catch his breath and lighten his load, eliminating fatigue from the equation.

Skenes wouldn't be the only one to benefit, though, and while the Pirates have bigger needs like the bullpen, Ben Cherington would be wise to really consider this path.

Paul Skenes isn't the only Pirates starter who would benefit from a trade for another starter to form a six-man rotation

A quick perusal of the other members of the Pirates' rotation seems to suggest that adding another arm to the mix would be beneficial.

Braxton Ashcraft has been phenomenal for the vast majority of the season, but he has a lengthy injury history and is already at a career-high in innings pitched at 113 1/3. Bubba Chandler hasn't been phenomenal this year and has yet to reach his career-high in innings for a single season, but he's on pace to blow it out of the water.

Mitch Keller has imploded since putting up a 3.18 ERA over the season's first month, so less is more when it comes to him until he can figure out if he can get back to the solid mid-rotation innings eater he's been for the majority of his career.

Finally, Jared Jones has been trying to get back into the swing of things following elbow surgery, so treating him with kid gloves the rest of the way while he gets his sea legs makes a ton of sense.

Jeff Passan named the Pirates as a top suitor for Washington Nationals starter Foster Griffin, and that'd be a great place to start. Griffin has been great with a 2.87 ERA over 103 1/3 innings, but shouldn't break the bank to acquire. He came into the season with a total of eight major league innings under his belt, and spent the last three seasons toiling in Japan's NPB.

He'd also add a different dimension as a lefty addition to an entirely right-handed rotation, which could help with matchups and make everyone a little better via the change of pace.

If Cherington decides he wants a more accomplished option, there is no shortage of starting pitchers expected to be available. In fact, it might be the deepest position group in this year's trade market.

Finally, a six-man rotation doesn't need to be forever. Instead, after getting a handle on things and giving everyone an adequate rest, the Pirates can take advantage of the competition that it fosters and keep the best five in the rotation and use the man who is left out to bolster the bullpen, essentially solving two needs at the same time. There are just so many reasons why adding another starter makes a ton of sense for Pittsburgh.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow