The Pittsburgh Pirates are quickly slipping below .500, and they may be planning for next month’s trade deadline accordingly.
MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reported on Thursday that the fourth-place Pirates are expected to be sellers at the deadline and make their veteran players available, unless they climb back into the NL Central race. Morosi also adds that, based on how the team has approached past sub-.500 years, they will “probably” listen to offers for players who are soon to hit free agency. Those included on the list are Francisco Cervelli, Josh Harrison, Ivan Nova, and others.
The Pirates, who have not made the playoffs since 2015, are currently 33-35. That is eight games behind the division lead and 5.5 games behind the second wild-card spot in the NL.
Pittsburgh already traded away cornerstone players like Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole in recent months. Others who are still on the team have openly requested moves if winning now is not team’s priority. Thus, further trades prior to the July 31 deadline could very well be in order for them.
