Let's Make a Deal, but seriously.

I think through this whole 18 years of misery, Pittsburgh has been a closet "baseball town."  It is hard to show the true passion, or even show your own face wearing a Pirates t shirt during the past decade and change.  The Pirates brought shame to this very proud sports driven area. Well it is funny how a few wins over .500 can make any town into a "Baseball town."  But the way this team is playing has done just that. Pirates fever has spread and will only keep spreading if this month finishes up well.  There is no reason in the world to not believe the Pirates will come out and do what they've been doing.  They have taken down the mighty Red Sox and Phillies, and played with the other best teams in the National league thus far.  They seem unfazed and loose and the most noticeable thing is, they believe they can win any game. The fans behind this team have the same belief, nobody is turning games off after the Bucs go down 3-0 after the fourth, because certainly Neil Walker can come up with another timely two out hit, or Andrew McCutchen can hit the ball in the gap and run for days, and even one of the twenty rookies this team seems to have will get the base hit when needed. A team playing with confidence is a dangerous thing for the opposition, and that is just what is happening in Pittsburgh. And this is turning into the Summer to remember in Pittsburgh. The start of Steelers' training camp is the last thing on everyone's mind, and for an avid Baseball guy, and a casual NFL fan that brings a smile to my face.  Pirates baseball is the number one game in town, and it seems more and more people are willing to admit they are Pirates fans again.

      This all brings me to the point of it all. The Pirates are undeniably the least talented team in the four team race brewing in the National League Central. With that said, The Pirates need to make an upgrade, or an attempt at an upgrade, for several reasons.  The first being the fans are finally starting to believe in this team, and more importantly this management group.  They can not miss this opportunity to make a good impression on the fan base. Also have the Pirates really turned this whole thing around?  Or this may just be some sort of freak thing happening right now, whatever it is winning has not been an option around here too much lately.  This is something you have to pounce on and give it all you got.  Stretch out Pirates fever as long as possible. And the last reason is, forgetting all things Pittsburgh, this is a team that is a half game out of first on July18, any other team in their right mind would be adding too. These are all no brainer reasons to improve the Pirates where they stand right now.  

        The pitching has been absolutely out of this world. Never in a million years could anyone imagine Jeff Karstens(expect for my buddy Freeman, had to throw it in) and Charlie Morton  anchoring a top flight pitching staff, but it is happening. Maholm and Correia have been great, and McDonald has been, well alright.  Is this where Pittsburgh makes its upgrade?  Starting pitching, in my opinion, is the only reason why this team is competing. But with that said, it is coming from an unlikely bunch.  Who is to say they do not revert back to the level that they pitched at during their whole career? There are no guarantees in baseball, and I could see something of that nature happening for a few of these guys.  So maybe make a deal for a Pitcher to sure things up?  How about Ubaldo Jimenez? He currently sits with a 5-8 record, 4.08 ERA and 99 strikeouts, but has a whip of only 1.31 and let us not forget he plays for a non contending team and that always hurt stats, not to mention having his home park being Coors Field.  So he would certainly make a huge splash, he did have 19 wins a year ago.  Thats something to keep an eye on especially since Colorado does seem like they would be willing to trade him.  Houston has Wandy Rodriguez, who is the middle of his third straight solid season.  He's 32, and would definitely add another veteran presence. He is 6-6 with a 3.67 ERA,1.37 WHIP and 93 strikeouts(including 17 strikeouts his past two outings against the Bucs) .  It is all a matter of what you have to give up for these guys. The Pirates farm system seems much stronger in the lower classes rather than AAA, and AA. But the Bucs do have intriguing pieces abound.  Starling Marte is one of the top Outfield prospects in all of Baseball, but do they really want to trade him? They have four potential top line starters in A right now, with Jameson Taillion, Luis Heredia, Stetson Allie, and Colton Cain along with first round pick, Gerrit Cole.  Stetson Allie or Colton Cain seem like the most expendable in that group, do they part with them? Huntingdon has done a great job of building up this depth, I think its worth giving up some prospects to improve this years team.  Do they upgrade the offense rather than sure up the staff?  I would be in favor of it, if the guy is an All Star. I would not trade for someone and pray he is better than Lyle Overbay.  Carlos Pena and Derek Lee do not really get me excited, same with Josh Willingham and Connor Jackson.  Guys like Ryan Ludwick, Carlos Beltran, and Hunter Pence?  

 Yeah I'm very much excited.  There are a few ways this can be approached, they can add a guy like Pena and bench Overbay and pray that is the answer, they can stand put on offense and hope Presley is as good as he has been playing, and Tabata and Alvarez come back and provide enough of a spark. And they can go out and be aggressive and try for Carlos Beltran.  An outfield of McCutchen, Beltran, and Tabata is something to be reckoned with. Either way, people need to understand that to get something, something has to be given up.  And for once, Pittsburgh will get the better end of the deal more than likely and not get 30 prospects that never work out.  I am in complete favor of getting guys like Beltran and Jimenez, not Willingham or Derek Lee.  They do not have to make a deal for the sake of doing it. If you are going to be a "buyer", be a buyer in the sense of how the Yankees and Red Sox would be and go out and get a guy that will significantly improve the team, not a guy that you hope might give it a spark.