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Pirates To Designate Brent Honeywell For Assignment

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The Pirates are designating right-hander Brent Honeywell for assignment, reports Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The team has not yet formally announced the move.

Honeywell, 29, was only selected to the 40-man roster this past Sunday. He’s since tossed 3 1/3 innings, allowing a run on three hits and two walks with one strikeout. The former No. 72 overall draft pick (Rays, 2014) and longtime top prospect signed a minor league deal with the Bucs in the offseason and has spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A Indianapolis, where he’s pitched 39 innings with a 4.85 ERA, 19.6% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate over the life of 31 relief appearances.

It’s the third season with some big league work for Honeywell, who once ranked as high as No. 14 on Baseball America’s top-100 prospect list but has been beset by a devastating slate of injuries. The right-hander has undergone an incredible four elbow surgeries since 2017. He’s undergone Tommy John surgery, an ulnar nerve decompression, a procedure to repair/stabilize a fracture in his elbow, and an arthroscopic procedure that the Rays said at the time was performed “to relieve mild discomfort.”

All four of those operations came before Honeywell even made his big league debut with Tampa Bay, which finally happened in 2021 — seven years after he was drafted. That Honeywell even continued his career to reach the majors is remarkable in and of itself — a testament to his grit and perseverance. He’s since tossed 60 innings at the big league level and recorded a 4.95 ERA, 18.5% strikeout rate and 10.4% walk rate. He’s also pitched in parts of five Triple-A campaigns, totaling 277 innings with a 4.35 earned run average, 24% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate.

The Pirates will have a week to trade Honeywell, release him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. He’s out of minor league options — unsurprisingly so, given his career arc — so any team that trades or Honeywell or claims him would have to plug him directly onto the big league roster.

Pirates, Angels Reportedly Discussing Taylor Ward Trade

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1:14pm: The Pirates are indeed interested in Ward, per Noah Hiles of the Post-Gazette, though he’s one of multiple targets on their radar and a deal isn’t near the finish line at present.

11:24am: The Pirates and Angels are in talks on a trade that would send outfielder Taylor Ward from Anaheim to Pittsburgh, reports Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and 93.7 FM The Fan. While a deal isn’t yet complete, Zeise adds that Pittsburgh is actively trying to get the deal across the finish line.

Adding to the outfield is a sensible pursuit for a Pirates club that is in the NL Wild Card hunt but has received poor production from its outfield. While Bryan Reynolds is having one of his best seasons (.280/.344/.486, 17 homers, 131 wRC+), the rest of the group has been lacking. Even with that standout production from Reynolds, the outfield has combined for a .225/.297/.357 batting line overall. The resulting 84 wRC+ indicates that Pittsburgh outfielders have been 16% worse than average at the plate. Each of Jack Suwinski (.187/.269/.349), Michael A. Taylor (.202/.259/.274) and Edward Olivares (.216/.285/.324) have struggled mightily in the outfield. Connor Joe has roughly league-average numbers on the whole but hasn’t hit well when tasked with patrolling the outfield (.205/.292/.270 on those days).

Ward, 30, would give the Bucs a steady bat to plug into a corner spot, with Reynolds manning the other. The 2024 campaign hasn’t been Ward’s best, but he’s hitting .238/.321/.417 (107 wRC+) with 14 homers on the year. And dating back to a 2021 breakout, the former first-round pick carries a .259/.340/.441 slash with quality defensive marks, particularly in left field. Ward’s below-average speed limits his range, but he has a strong and accurate arm that’s helped him to be a solid defensive contributor.

For a perennially cost-conscious club like Pittsburgh, Ward makes extra sense. He’s being paid a reasonable $4.8MM in 2024 and is controllable for two additional seasons beyond the current campaign. He’ll earn a pair of raises in arbitration for 2025 and 2026, but his price tag isn’t likely to balloon to untenable levels, even by the Pirates’ standards. Those extra two seasons of control make him a particularly appealing target for a club that doesn’t have a top-ranked outfield prospect knocking down the door at the moment but is teeming with young pitching talent that looks like the foundation for a competitive core.

The Angels are reportedly reluctant to trade their players who are controlled beyond the current season, though it’s always possible that stance is at least partially posturing. It’s also feasible that the Pirates feel Ward checks enough boxes for them that they’re willing to make an offer the Angels don’t feel they can pass up, even if their general preference is to only deal from their stock of rental players. That talks are ostensibly substantial even with three weeks to go until the deadline would suggest that Pittsburgh is at least willing to discuss the possibility of parting with some compelling names.

Pirates Outright Justin Bruihl

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Pirates reliever Justin Bruihl accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis, the team announced. Pittsburgh had designated the left-hander for assignment over the weekend. Pittsburgh also reinstated Quinn Priester from the 15-day injured list and optioned Edward Olivares to Indianapolis.

Bruihl has been a member of the Bucs for around a month. Pittsburgh signed him to a big league contract on June 6 (coincidentally in tandem with Priester’s IL placement). Manager Derek Shelton called upon Bruihl seven times. He surrendered six runs on nine hits and a walk across 5 2/3 frames. That brief stint at PNC Park marked Bruihl’s fourth consecutive season logging MLB action. He split the 2021-23 campaigns between the Dodgers and Rockies, combining for a 4.22 ERA over 72 appearances.

While Bruihl was hit hard in his limited MLB action this season, he has had a solid year in Triple-A. Splitting his time between the top affiliates of the Reds and Pirates, he owns a 2.89 ERA in 28 innings. He has fanned around a quarter of batters faced against a slightly elevated 10.2% walk rate.

Bruihl has been outrighted once before, as he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Rockies last August. That gave him the right to elect free agency, but he bypassed that to remain with Indianapolis. He’ll try to pitch his way back into a bullpen that entered play Tuesday ranked 26th in the majors with a 4.51 earned run average. Bruihl would be eligible for minor league free agency next offseason if Pittsburgh doesn’t add him back to the 40-man roster.

Report: “Growing Belief” That Marlins Will Trade Jazz Chisholm Jr.

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The Marlins announced their status as deadline sellers more than two months ago with their surprising early trade of Luis Arraez, and with the trade deadline now just 22 days away, their activity on that front should pick back up. While much of the focus has been on closer Tanner Scott, who’s a free agent at season’s end, Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald reports that there’s a “growing belief” Jazz Chisholm Jr. will also be traded. Mish lists the Mariners as  a “club to watch” if Chisholm is moved and also suggests the Pirates and Royals could join the bidding.

Chisholm, 26, is enjoying a solid season at the plate, hitting .255/.326/.407 (105 wRC+) with ten homers and 17 steals (albeit in 25 tries). He’s struggled with strikeouts on the past, and while his 24.9% rate is still worse than average, it’s a notable improvement over the 29.2% clip he registered in the four prior seasons. He’s paired those improved contact skills with a career-best 8.8% walk rate.

There’s little doubting Chisholm’s raw tools and star-caliber upside. He’s averaged 26 homers and 32 steals per 162 games played in his career. However, he’s never topped 124 games in a season and has only reached 400 plate appearances once to this point in his major league career. Injuries have frequently hobbled Chisholm and caused him to miss significant time. Since establishing himself as a regular in 2021, Chisholm has missed time due to a shoulder injury, a back strain (which required a 60-day IL stint), turf toe and an oblique strain.

Chisholm is earning an affordable $2.625MM this season and is controlled for two more years following the current campaign. He’s been the Marlins’ primary center fielder over the past two seasons, though that move was borne out of necessity. Miami has been unable to develop a center fielder and has come up empty in its long-running attempts to acquire a controllable option at the position. Chisholm, a natural shortstop who slid over to second base early in his career, moved to center field last year and has drawn mixed reviews from most public defensive metrics. He was a plus defender in just over 1300 innings at second base before the move to the outfield.

All three of the potential teams listed in Mish’s report stand as clear fits in a theoretical Chisholm deal. Royals general manager J.J. Picollo has been open about his desire to add a bat capable of playing both the infield and the outfield — a need Chisholm would fill nicely. The Royals have fairly even platoon splits as a team, but the bulk of the team is right-handed — including Kansas City’s two best hitters, Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and second baseman Michael Massey (who’s been limited to just 142 plate appearances due to injury) are the only left-handed bats on the roster who have turned in average or better production, by measure of wRC+.

The Pirates, meanwhile, have received sub-par offensive production from second base this season. Since being called up, former first-round pick Nick Gonzales has delivered roughly league-average offense (.269/.307/.414, 99 wRC+), but he’s been more productive against lefties than righties. Pittsburgh outfielders are also hitting just .227/.299/.352 as a collective unit this season. Chisholm could provide an offensive boost in either role or potentially split his time between the two positions based on matchups.

Both the outfield and second base have been weaknesses for the AL West-leading Mariners as well. The hope in Seattle was that the offseason acquisition of Jorge Polanco would have solidified second base, but the switch-hitter’s steady offensive output unexpectedly cratered this season; in 214 plate appearances, the former Twins infielder has slashed just .189/.280/.284 with a career-worst 33.6% strikeout rate. Their outfielders have combined for a .230/.285/.365 batting line.

With two and a half seasons of club control remaining, an affordable salary and another productive season highlighted by his typical blend of speed and power, Chisholm should come with a relatively steep cost of acquisition. Mish notes that a deal in the offseason is possible as well, if the Marlins don’t get an offer to their liking in the next three weeks, and suggests that even some current non-contenders could look into a deal for Chisholm (both now and in the offseason) as they look toward the 2025 campaign and beyond.

Pirates Place Bailey Falter On 15-Day IL, Select Brent Honeywell Jr.

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The Pirates announced a series of roster moves this morning, headlined by the club placing left-hander Bailey Falter on the 15-day Injured List. The club selected right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. to take Falter’s spot on the active roster, and designated left-hander Justin Bruihl for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster for Honeywell. The club also activated catcher Henry Davis from the IL and optioned him to Triple-A.

Falter, 27, was removed from his start against the Mets yesterday after just two innings of work. As noted by Alex Stumpf of MLB.com, the club announced that lefty had been removed from the game due to left posterior arm discomfort. Falter was considered day-to-day after the game and received treatment from the club’s medical staff. The hurler seemed unfazed by the injury following the game, telling reporters (including Stumpf) that he wasn’t concerned and that they’d know more about the issue today.

It’s still not entirely clear how serious the injury is or how long Falter will be out, but the club will at least be without the southpaw for the next 15 days. That’s a significant blow to the Pirates’ rotation as Falter has provided steady back-of-the-rotation production for the club this year with a 4.08 ERA (100 ERA+) and 4.48 FIP in 90 1/3 innings of work this year. That loss becomes all the more significant given the club’s placement of right-hander Jared Jones on the shelf earlier this week due to a right lat strain, leaving the Pirates with just Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, and Martin Perez as healthy members of their regular starting rotation.

Right-hander Luis Ortiz is scheduled to make his second start of the year later today in Jones’s stead, but to replace Falter in the rotation it seems likely the club would have to dip into their minor league depth. Right-hander Braxton Ashcraft is one of the club’s top pitching prospects and is already on the 40-man roster, but only just recently came off the minor league IL and may not be ready for a promotion to the majors. That could leave Pittsburgh to turn to a non-roster veteran such as Jake Woodford or Domingo German in search of innings.

In the meantime, the club will turn to Honeywell in order to deepen their bullpen mix. The 29-year-old righty signed a minor league deal with Pittsburgh back in February and is best known for his time in the Rays system as a top prospect. A lengthy series of injuries that included Tommy John surgery and multiple elbow fractures left Honeywell to pitch just 103 1/3 innings in professional games from 2018 to 2022, but the righty nonetheless managed to make to the majors last year with the Padres. He posted a decent 4.05 ERA in 46 2/3 innings of work with the club but was pushed off the roster down the stretch last summer and ended up with the White Sox, with whom he was lit up for seven runs in just 5 2/3 innings of work.

In Triple-A with the Pirates this year, Honeywell has a 4.85 ERA in 39 innings of work with a 19.6% strikeout rate and a 10.1% walk rate. Making room for Honeywell on the 40-man roster is Bruihl, who the club signed to a major league deal last month. The lefty enjoyed some success with the Dodgers early in his career, pitching to a 3.65 ERA and 4.47 FIP in 65 appearances for the club from 2021 to 2023. Bruihl found himself shipped to Colorado at the trade deadline last year, however, and was lit up for seven runs (six earned) in 3 2/3 innings of work for the Rockies. The lefty struggled similarly during his time with Pittsburgh, posting a 9.53 ERA across seven appearances in a Pirates uniform.

Meanwhile, Davis is set to head back to the minors after being placed on the concussion IL last month. Joey Bart returned from the injured list at the end of June and reclaimed his spot alongside veteran Yasmani Grandal in the club’s catching tandem, leaving no room for the first overall selection of the 2021 draft in Pittsburgh’s catching mix. He’ll look to get regular reps behind the plate in Triple-A, although he clearly has nothing left to prove offensively in the minors given his career .336/.472/.629 slash line at the level.

Pirates Notes: Jones, Bednar, Jefferies, Ryan

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The Pirates placed right-hander Jared Jones on the 15-day injured list on Thursday, and manager Derek Shelton gave the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Andrew Destin and other reporters some details on the lat strain that has put the star rookie on the shelf for the foreseeable future.  Jones suffered a Grade 2 strain and isn’t likely to throw for the next two weeks, so the team can allow him to rest and recover before checking on his progress.  If all goes well and Jones is able to restart a throwing program at that time, Jones could be on track to return perhaps by early August, based on past timelines for other pitchers who have suffered similar injuries.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Jones get a bit more recovery time, both as a precautionary measure given his importance to the Pirates’ future, and because the team was already taking steps to manage the workloads of both Jones and Paul Skenes in their mutual.  Only two of Jones’ 16 starts have come on the standard four days of rest, as the Bucs have used a six-man rotation for the majority of the season.  Jones threw a career-high 126 1/3 innings combined between Double-A and Triple-A ball in 2023, and he is up to 91 innings in the big leagues this year.

Jones’ last start on July 3 came after an 11-day break, as he had a turn in the rotation skipped in order to help keep him fresh.  Shelton didn’t think the layoff played a role in Jones’ injury, as the Pirates still had Jones take part in a live bullpen session (“We did ramp his intensity up, we still did make sure he threw“) during his 11 days between starts, and instead chalked the lat strain up the vagaries of baseball.

While it’s good news that Jones’ injury isn’t overly serious, missing him for even a month is a hit to Pittsburgh’s postseason hopes.  The Pirates are 42-45 entering today’s play but are still four games out of a wild card spot, so there is time for the team to still mount a run — or, if things go south before July 30, to explore selling at the trade deadline.

David Bednar’s status is a key factor in how the Pirates’ July might play out, and the closer made progress in his injury recovery with a live batting practice session today.  As per MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf (X link), Bednar faced five batters over the course of 21 pitches, with Bednar using his entire arsenal.  A left oblique strain sent Bednar to the 15-day IL on June 20, and while he has already missed beyond the 15-day minimum, today’s throwing session is a good sign that he might not be too far away from a minor league rehab assignment or even a straight-ahead activation.  The closer has 16 saves and a somewhat deceptive 5.17 ERA over 31 1/3 innings this season, as Bednar has been lights-out following a rough April.

Speaking of bullpen injuries, Pittsburgh called right-hander Ryder Ryan up from Triple-A today after righty Daulton Jefferies was placed on the 15-day IL.  Jefferies is dealing with discomfort in his right elbow, and the injury comes just under two months after the Pirates claimed Jefferies off waivers from the Giants.

Jefferies has a 9.82 ERA split between 10 innings for Pittsburgh (6.30 ERA) and 4 2/3 frames with San Francisco (17.36 ERA), and both clubs have optioned him back and forth from Triple-A on multiple occasions.  This marked Jefferies’ return to big league action after missing all of 2023 recovering from both a thoracic outlet syndrome surgery and then a Tommy John surgery within a six-month span in 2022.  Considering that Jefferies also had another TJ procedure earlier in his career, it isn’t a good sign that he is experiencing another bout of elbow soreness.

Pirates Place Jared Jones On 15-Day Injured List

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The Pirates announced this morning that they’ve placed right-hander Jared Jones on the 15-day IL with a right lat strain. Jones was pulled from his start against the Cardinals last night after just 78 pitches last night after throwing five innings of one-run ball, and manager Derek Shelton told reporters (including Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) that the quick hook was due to the issue.

“He’s got a little right lat strain going on,” Shelton said (as relayed by Hiles). “So we decided to get him out.”

Pittsburgh has long been candid about their plans to carefully manage the workload of their young pitching this season, a group that includes rookie fireballers Jones and Skenes. The young duo have been a revelation at the top of the Pirates rotation as Jones has pitched to an excellent 3.56 ERA with a 26.4% strikeout rate in sixteen starts, while Skenes has struck out 34.1% of opponents with a 2.06 ERA across nine starts. That process of managing workload has already begun for Jones, as the righty’s last appearance prior to last night’s game was all the way back on June 22. Given the fact that the club was already carefully managing Jones’s workload, it’s hardly a surprise that the club would be cautious and sit the righty down rather than have him pitch through a lat problem, even if it proves to be as minor as both Shelton and Jones himself have indicated that it’s expected to be.

A specific timetable for Jones’s return has not yet been discussed publicly, although the Pirates will need to sort out a replacement for the righty in the rotation regardless of his IL stint’s length as the club will need a fifth starter on July 8 against the Mets. The club has called up outfielder Joshua Palacios to lengthen their bench mix for the time being but will need to figure out who will take the ball in Jones’s stead before then. Right-hander Braxton Ashcraft, the club’s #5 prospect per MLB.com, is already on the 40-man roster and has dominated the Double- and Triple-A levels for Pittsburgh this year with a 3.00 ERA and 25.9% strikeout rate in 69 innings but has made just three starts at the Triple-A level to this point.

If the Pirates want to take things slowly with Ashcraft, they could turn to a non-roster arm such as Jake Woodford, who pitched in the majors for the White Sox earlier this year and has looked good with a 2.08 ERA in three starts at Triple-A for the club since he joined the organization last month. Turning to Woodford (as well as other non-roster veterans currently in Triple-A such as Domingo German and Luis Cessa) would require the club to clear space on the 40-man roster, however.

Whoever the Pirates turn to in replacing Jones will be thrust into the club’s most competitive season in years. Pittsburgh has a decent 41-44 record that places them just three games out of the final NL playoff spot, and that respectable performance has led ownership to suggest that he and the front office will be aggressive in improving the club this summer. Much of that success has been thanks to the rotation, where Jones and Skenes have combined with Mitch Keller, Bailey Falter, and Martin Perez to deliver a combined ERA of 3.63 that ranks sixth among starting staffs around the league.

Pirates, Jake Lamb Agree To New Minor League Deal

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The Pirates brought infielder Jake Lamb back on a new minor league contract after granting him his release when he triggered an opt-out clause last week, reports Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He’s headed back to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he spent the first two-plus months of the season.

Lamb, 33, has had a nice season in Indianapolis this year. The 2017 All-Star has appeared in 55 games and taken 234 turns at the plate, posting a .289/.380/.418 slash with four home runs, 13 doubles, a 12% walk rate and an 18.4% strikeout rate. It’s a fairly quick return to the same organization, though that’s not uncommon for veterans in this situation. New minor league deals in these scenarios can often include a larger salary in Triple-A, additional opt-out dates and/or upward mobility clauses that weren’t present in the prior pact from which the player opted out.

A veteran of 10 big league seasons, mostly with the D-backs, Lamb was a former top prospect who broke out as Arizona’s everyday third baseman back in 2016-17, slugging 59 home runs during that two-year peak. Shoulder troubles arose for the 2012 sixth-rounder, however, and he eventually underwent surgery to repair his rotator cuff in 2018. He’s since had calf and hamstring injuries in addition to some lingering issues with that surgically repaired shoulder.

Prior to the surgery, Lamb carried a career .247/.332/.448 batting line in his career — including a heftier .248/.345/.498 output during that 2016-17 run. He’s since bounced from around the league, spending time with the A’s, White Sox, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Mariners, Angels and Yankees organizations in addition to this year’s Triple-A stint with the Bucs. In 223 big league games post-surgery, he’s a .199/.306/.363 hitter.

The Pirates stuck with first baseman Rowdy Tellez through an awful April and May stretch, and they’ve been rewarded with a much-improved .362/.413/.552 slash this month (albeit in only 63 plate appearances). That’s likely extended Tellez’s leash, but if he reverts to his early-season struggles and/or incurs an injury, it’s feasible that the Pirates could turn to Lamb and give him a look in the majors. He’s played first base almost exclusively in Indy this year — five games in right field being the only other defensive work he’s logged — so it’ll likely take a change in Pittsburgh’s first base/DH mix to get Lamb a major league opportunity.

Pirates Place David Bednar On 15-Day Injured List

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Prior to today’s 3-1 loss to the Rays, the Pirates placed closer David Bednar on the 15-day injured list due to a left oblique strain.  The placement is retroactive to June 20.  Left-hander Justin Bruihl was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Bednar last pitched on Wednesday, and Pirates GM Ben Cherington said in his weekly radio show (hat tip to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) said that the right-hander “felt a little something in his left side” following that outing.  Bednar and the team took a few days to rest and evaluate the situation, but after Bednar still felt some tightness after a throwing session, an IL trip was deemed necessary.

Cherington described the placement as somewhat preventative, as Bednar’s strain is considered relatively mild and there is hope he might be able to return once his minimum 15 days are up.  As Cherington noted, “We need him for the biggest part of the season, as possible….Hopefully, that means it’s a short stay on the IL, rather than it turning into something bigger and it being a longer absence.”

The Bucs dropped to 37-40 after today’s loss, but remain just a couple of games out of a wild card berth in the very crowded NL postseason race.  A hot week could easily get Pittsburgh into a playoff position, though the team’s struggling lineup will have to start producing, and naturally losing their closer for at least 15 days won’t help the Pirates’ chances.

Owner Bob Nutting believes his team can stay in contention, and recently said that the Pirates could make some additions at the July 30 trade deadline (and possibly receive some extra payroll space to make those adds).  However, given the Bucs’ lack of offense and now this hit to their bullpen, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Pittsburgh explored being deadline sellers if the team can’t get on track, or if other NL clubs start to catch fire and create some real space in the wild card race.

Bednar’s injury could make his trade candidacy a moot point, but even if he did return in 15 days and the Pirates looked to deal some players at the deadline, it isn’t likely that he’d be on the move by July 30.  While Bednar’s name has long been linked to trade speculation, the Bucs have shown that they’re eager to properly end their rebuilding period, so it isn’t likely that they would move such an effective closer in short order.  It isn’t out of the question that the Pirates could still trade Bednar as his price tag continues to rise during his arbitration years, but that concept will likely be explored more in the offseason than within the next month.

An All-Star the last two seasons, Bednar has a 5.17 ERA over 31 1/3 innings this year due to a very rough start.  After posting an 11.45 ERA over his first 13 appearances and 11 innings, Bednar has righted the ship and delivered a 1.77 ERA across his last 21 games and 20 1/3 innings.

With Bednar sidelined, Cherington said it’ll be “all hands on deck” for closing duties.  Aroldis Chapman and Colin Holderman are the likeliest candidates to earn saves — Holderman has been the more effective of the two pitchers this season, though Chapman has a long history of past closing experience.

The Pirates could also get some bullpen reinforcements coming in the form of Ryan Borucki, as the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Kevin Gorman writes that Borucki is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday.  Borucki hasn’t pitched since April 5 since a case of left triceps inflammation sent him to the 15-day and then the 60-day injured list.

Pirates Owner Bob Nutting Discusses Deadline Outlook

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The race for the final two Wild Card spots in the National League is quickly becoming a dogfight, and the Pirates are one of a whopping eight teams all within two games of each other in the standings currently vying for those final two spots in the postseason picture alongside the division-leading Phillies, Dodgers, and Brewers as well as the Braves, who have a firm grasp on the top Wild Card spot with a 5.5 game lead. That positioning in the thick of the playoff hunt comes in spite of Pittsburgh’s lackluster 36-39 record to this point in the season, but club owner Bob Nutting nonetheless recently indicated to reporters (including Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) that he believes the club can contend for the playoffs this year.

“I think we’ve shown it’s attainable,” Nutting told reporters (as relayed by Gorman) when discussing the possibility of postseason berth this year, before going on to acknowledge that the club needs more production from its offense, which ranks fourth from the bottom in the majors with an 85 wRC+. Nutting went on to suggests that the club is currently working to determine how much the offense can improve internally and how much of the improvement will need to come from external acquisitions.

Nutting went on to suggest that those external acquisitions won’t necessarily have to wait until the July 30 trade deadline is imminent, even as the league has generally gravitated towards making the bulk of its major summer transactions in the days and hours leading up to the deadline in recent years. As noted by Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the club’s owner suggested that the Pirates could “have opportunities well in advance of the deadline” this year.

“I think we should be prepared to move early,” Nutting told reporters (as relayed by Hiles). “I think we should be prepared to take advantage of opportunities when they arise. I know [club GM Ben Cherington] has that flexibility to look across a broader range of alternatives, options but also a timeline of when it makes sense to strike.”

Hiles goes on to note that Nutting reaffirmed his past remarks that more funds would be made available to the baseball operations department now that the club is, in his view, in a position to contend for a spot in the postseason. That’s good news for Pirates fans, as the club’s current payroll of just over $86MM is already the highest payroll they’ve posted since 2017 according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. The following offseason saw the departures of key players like Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole that served as a clear sign the club was entering the rebuild they’ve only just now begun to fully come out of.

The club has a strong starting pitching apparatus with Paul Skenes and Jared Jones offering top-of-the-line stuff at the front of the rotation while Mitch Keller and Bailey Falter serve as solid mid-rotation arms behind them. Between that strong pitching staff and the club’s aforementioned difficulties on offense, it’s hardly a surprise that Robert Murray of FanSided recently reported that the Pirates are expected to making buying offense a “high priority” this summer. As things stand, the only clubs that are currently clear sellers are the White Sox, Rockies, Marlins, Angels, and A’s. Those clubs certainly have some interesting potential targets available, ranging from Chicago’s star center fielder Luis Robert Jr. to late-blooming A’s slugger Brent Rooker.

Either of those targets make sense on a speculative level for a Pirates club that has clear room for improvement in the outfield, and it’s also certainly possible to imagine the club having interest in adding at first base, where Rowdy Tellez has a 71 wRC+ in 61 games this year. Star first basemen Pete Alonso and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have both found their names in the rumor mill fairly frequently this winter, although even a smaller acquisition such as long-time Pirate (and currently Marlin) Josh Bell or recently DFA’d A’s corner bat J.D. Davis could potentially constitute an upgrade for the club over Tellez.

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