4 rentals the Pittsburgh Pirates should look to acquire at MLB Trade Deadline

Mark Canha, First Baseman/UTIL

At the beginning of the year, many fans believed the Pirates needed to find a left-handed replacement for Rowdy Tellez, but now he is one of the better hitters on the team. Connor Joe got off to an excellent start to the season, but has cooled off, and might require an upgrade.

That first base platoon has not been great, but generally it has not been as bad as advertised. The Pirates could decide to do something differently, though, by acquiring another first baseman in Mark Canha. He could platoon with Tellez and make Joe a primarily platoon right fielder with Jack Suwinski or Josh Palacios.

This season, Canha has a batting average of .228 with six home runs and 34 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .676, which includes an on-base percentage of .334 and a slugging percentage of .341. His wRC+ is at 96 and his strikeout percentage is at 19.1%. His offense has not necessarily been good or an improvement on the Pirates' current offering across the board, but he is excellent against left-handed pitching. His wRC+ against southpaws is 145. This platoon could be perfect for the Pirates.

He also provides solid defense at first base with an outs above average of one. Overall, this could be a decent pickup in hopes of him staying consistent against left-handers.

Any of these rentals could help the Pirates improve. All four of these players fill positions of need, but they may not be at the top of anyone's wish list. The trade deadline is still just over two weeks away, which means the clock is ticking for players to get moved. Put it this way: the smart teams will be after marginal upgrades, and that means the Pirates should be, too.