Pirates Rumors: Jeff Passan just fueled major trade deadline hopes for Pittsburgh

For once, the Pittsburgh Pirates are not being discussed as a team that should sell, reset or wait for next year. In fact, they're being discussed as a team that could strike early.

In his latest trade deadline column, ESPN’s Jeff Passan painted the Pirates as one of the more interesting teams to watch before the deadline, especially after the latest injury blow to rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin. Griffin’s torn tendon in his ring finger, which is expected to sideline him for roughly two months, changes the equation for Pittsburgh in a brutal way.

The Pirates were already waiting for Spencer Horwitz and Oneil Cruz to return from the injured list in July, hoping that would give one of baseball’s best offenses another jolt. Instead, Pittsburgh now has to hope it can stay close enough in the playoff race for those reinforcements to even matter by the time they arrive.

These injuries, along with Griffin's, could reasonably push the Pirates away from paying a premium for short-term rentals at the trade deadline. But they apparently have not pushed Pittsburgh out of the buyer’s lane altogether. According to Passan, the Pirates remain on the hunt for bullpen help and could be a team that tries to make a move sooner rather than later.

That should be music to Pirates fans’ ears.

Konnor Griffin injury hasn't affected Pirates' deadline buyer status, per Jeff Passan

Passan specifically connected Pittsburgh to two relievers on multiyear deals: Garrett Whitlock and Luke Weaver. Neither would be a cheap acquisition, but that's also the point. Instead of dumping prospect capital into a two-month rental and hoping everything breaks perfectly, the Pirates would be using the deadline to address both the current roster and the future roster at the same time.

Whitlock has long been a dependable, versatile relief arm for the Boston Red Sox. Weaver, meanwhile, has been nearly untouchable in a lost New York Mets season. Either one would give Don Kelly another legitimate late-inning option alongside Gregory Soto, which has become even more important with Evan Sisk hitting the injured list with elbow issues.

Sisk has been Pittsburgh’s best reliever this season, and losing him only adds urgency to a bullpen search that was already a top priority. The Pirates have the rotation to stay relevant. They have enough offensive upside, even after Griffin’s injury, to believe they can survive if Horwitz and Cruz return on schedule. What they cannot afford is to keep putting high-leverage innings on a thin relief corps and hope it holds.

Passan’s report doesn't guarantee anything. The Pirates still have to decide how aggressive they want to be, especially with Griffin out and the deadline picture complicated by injuries. But the bigger takeaway is encouraging: Pittsburgh is being viewed as a legitimate deadline buyer with enough urgency, enough talent and enough reason to act.

After a decade of watching the Pirates operate like the future mattered more than the present, that alone feels like a major shift.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow