The Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins could be partners for the trade deadline.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are just a few days away from the MLB Trade Deadline and they could look to be buyers as they sit a few games above .500 towards the end of July.
The Pirates are in need of another bat or two, and the Miami Marlins represent one of the few sellers on the market.
The Athletic insider Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Pirates are keeping an eye on some of the Marlins’ prospects.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are scouting Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and left fielder Bryan De La Cruz, according to sources briefed on their maneuverings.
Chisholm would make particular sense — the Pirates’ center fielders, primarily Michael A. Taylor and Jack Suwinski, entered Thursday ranked 29th in the majors in combined OPS.
In addition, Chisholm should fit the Pirates’ budget and is under club control for two more years. He is owed the balance of his $2.625 million salary this season. That number likely will jump to the $5 million range in his second year of arbitration, and increase again in his third.
Chisholm, 26, is batting .248 this season with 13 home runs for the Marlins and would give the Pirates another player with some offensive juice.
De La Cruz, 27, is batting .241 with 17 homers, which would put him one behind All-Star Bryan Reynolds for the team lead.
BD community, what do you think of the possibility of acquiring Chisholm or De La Cruz? Chime off in the comments section below.