Pirates writer all but confirms trade deadline approach fans will love

Building the Pittsburgh Pirates for this competitive window was always the goal for Ben Cherington, even if it came years later than expected. Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin — along with numerous farmhands who have yet to announce their presences as reinforcements — have turned Pittsburgh into a baseball tahn, even if the fans have yet to realize it.

The question is how Cherington will build on and sustain what he's created. And if Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's information is correct, it would appear the Pirates intend on buying at the MLB trade deadline.

The Pirates trade deadline goals start with adding to the bullpen. Pittsburgh's bullpen ERA ranks 17th in all of baseball, and pales in comparison to some of the very NL Wild Card contenders they plan on fighting come the end of the season.

The Pirates could use a right-handed relief arm, specifically, and one who could be used in high-leverage situations. It's far too early to name names, but Antonio Senzatela of the Colorado Rockies is on an expiring contract and likely to be moved by early August. Senzatela has a 1.93 ERA on the season and would immediately slide into the back-end of the Pirates bullpen, if not the closer spot depending on how Gregory Soto matures into that role.

Beyond the bullpen, Hiles also mentioned adding another outfielder. Doing so would give the Pirates the luxury of finally benching Marcell Ozuna, and helping an outfield that is lacking defensively. Ozuna has been one of the biggest free agency busts in Pirates history, as the $12 million man has just a .579 OPS on the season.

Do the Pirates have the assets to make these deadline deals happen?

Unequivocally, what the Pirates have working in their favor is the farm system. Cherington has done an excellent job building through the draft, even if he comes off a little tone deaf at times. Pittsburgh's young core has them over the .500 mark, and Cherington made the right moves with the limited money provided to him by Bob Nutting this past winter, minus Ozuna. The entire purpose of the Pirates rebuild was to reach this point.

What some front office executives fail to understand is that building a strong farm system isn't just about improving from within on the cheap, but also acquiring capital for future trades. The Pirates have organizational depth in the starting rotation and middle of the infield, all of whom are young and under team control for the foreseeable future. They have the trade chips to make any deal happen, no matter how big or small.

Pirates fans have been calling on this front office to be aggressive for years now. They caved in to that demand this winter, and it's worked wonders. A strong trade deadline could vault them into playoff contender status, though August is a long ways away.

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