Buyers or sellers?
That's the question facing the Pirates in a few weeks as the non-waiver trade deadline arrives at the end of the month.
The truth is it's not entirely up to them. As much as fans might want to "get rid of" Tony Watson, what's the market for a relever who hasn't offered much relief? Warson pitched his way out of the closer's role, and has struggled since he moved back to a set-up spot. He's a free agent after this year, too. Someone might -- emphasize might -- be willing to take him, but the return would be negligible.
Mike Williams used to pile up saves for bad Pirates teams. But when it came time to trade him (and the Pirates did twice), all they could get were terrible pitchers Frank Brooks and Tony McKnight.
There are more reasons to keep Andrew McCutchen than to trade him. His June surge provided a reliable bat, but even his .400-plus average couldn't get the Pirates to .500.
There's no ready replacement for McCutchen, so his departure would blow a hole in an already weak lineup. The numbers McCutchen has posted lately aren't sustainable. His history has been hot months and really cold ones, but he's worth keeping, especiially considering a good return is unlikely.
How many teams are looking for an outfielder? McCutchen is a star in Pittsburgh, but he's likely a corner outfielder and a No. 6 hitter in a stronger lineup. Contenders don't want to give up players from their major league roster, so any proposed return would be in prospects.
Trading Gerrit Cole makes no sense unless the return is overwhelming. He still has the ability to be a legtimate top of the rotation starter, and those are hard to find. The Pirates still have two years of control and would have to be knocked loopy by a fabulous offer to deal Cole.
Buyers or sellers? It's up to other teams as much as it is the Pirates.
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--PARTISAN VIEW
So much of the perception of player performance is colored by which colors the player is wearing.
The other night in Philadelphia, Pirates left fielder Jose Osuna threw out three Phillies runners at second base. Two of them came on consecutive plays.
A Pirates fan watching that probably reacted this way: "Osuna has a rifle for an arm, and is a heads-up player."
If the Pirates had been thrown out three times at second base from left field, the reaction likely would have been: "There isn't a team in baseball worse at running the bases."
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--BY COMPARISON
Osuna's accomplishment sent researchers scrambling to find the last time it happened.
Some of those searches bring impressive results. For example, Josh Bell has the most home runs before the All-Star break by a Pirates rookie since Ralph Kiner in 1949. That's something. Kiner was one of the prolific home run hitters of his era, and power is what punched his ticket for the Hall of Fame.
Other "first since..." facts don't carry as much weight.
Osuna's three outfield assists in a game were the first since Cecil Espy did it in 1992. Espy was a forgettable part-time outfielder who was part of the committee that tried to fill in after Bobby Bonilla left.
Bell has the most runs batted in before by the All-Star break by a Pirates rookie since....Warren Morris in 1999. Morris was a half-season phenom who fizzled quickly after the league developed some familiarity with him.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
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