By Alex Stumpf | Thu, 07/16/2015 - 09:35

Five Realistic Trades the Pirates Could Make

If the Pirates’ recent weekend series against the Cardinals proved two things, it’s that the team is for real, and that there are a few holes still to fill.

The Pirates seem to be attached to a big name player every year despite there being little to no chance of a trade actually happening (think back to Jon Lester last year and Giancarlo Stanton in 2013 before you get your hopes up for Cole Hamels). Here are a few players who could realistically wind up in PIrates uniforms by the end of the month. This is not ranked by probability, but by how much it could improve the team as a whole.

5. Jeff Francoeur, OF Philadelphia Phillies

UPSIDE: Francoeur entered this season with a minor league contract from the Phillies and has exceeded expectations so far. While he is only hitting .245 on the year, he does have six home runs in 195 plate appearances and his OPS stands at a respectable .685. His asking price should be very low, so he could help the bench without giving up anyone of note from the farm system.

DOWNSIDE: For a right-handed hitter, he has had a hard time hitting lefties. He is only hitting .211 against southpaws this year, and that number decreases to .163 when he faces them away from Citizens Bank Park. For a team full of righty-killers, he might not be the best fit. He is also not defensively gifted. While he has a good arm in right, his RngR (range runs above average) is -4.9 and his UZR (defensive runs above average) is -3.9.

4. Ben Revere, OF Philadelphia Phillies

UPSIDE: Revere could give the bench a much needed lefty stick. The Phillies’ leadoff man is hitting .294 and has swiped 21 bases so far. He has produced 1.7 WAR on the year, and his speed has made him a valuable player in the field for the Phillies, producing an RngR of 3.1 and a UZR of 3.5. He has an excellent strikeout rate of 9.4 percent and is under team control until 2017. If Gregory Polanco falters, Revere is the type of player who could go to the top of the order.

DOWNSIDE: As you would expect with a speedy leadoff man, Revere has no power. He has hit only three career home runs in over 2,300 plate appearances and has an isolated power mark of just .082 on the year. Considering the opening day bench consisted of Andrew Lambo, Corey Hart, Sean Rodriguez and Jung Ho Kang, all of whom had 5-10 home run power potential, you have to wonder how a singles hitter would fall into the mix.

3. Mike Napoli, 1B Boston Red Sox

UPSIDE: Napoli is having an off year, hitting only .193. Despite that, he has still produced some numbers that make him an appealing platoon mate for Pedro Alvarez. Against lefties, his OBP is .337 and he has logged five long balls in just 70 at-bats. He also has a good track record, entering this year posting a wRC+ (runs per plate appearance scaled where 100 is average) of at least 109 every year.

DOWNSIDE: Boston is in a peculiar position, sitting in the cellar of the AL East but still within 6.5 games of first. Despite having Napoli’s role being reduced to a bench player, there is no indication on whether or not Boston is looking to buy or sell at the trade deadline. Even if they decide to sell, GM Ben Cherington has a history of trading for major league players instead of prospects. It may cost a back of the rotation starter like Charlie Morton or Vance Worley for a few months of Napoli, so the price might be too high. Napoli could be a better candidate in August if Boston decides they are out of the race, but the Pirates will be at the mercy of the waiver-wire.

2. Starting pitcher (The names keep changing, so let’s call it the “flavor of the month”)

UPSIDE: Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton have been inconsistent throughout their careers, so acquiring another arm could add a little more stability. Depending on which teams are buying and which teams are selling, there could be a nice collection of back of the rotation arms that could fit into the Pirates’ price range.

DOWNSIDE: The pitchers the Bucs have been linked to are either going to cost too many prospects (Scott Kazmir) or do not improve the rotation that much (Dan Haren). Jeff Locke and Vance Worley are also out of options, so acquiring another starter would either force Locke into the bullpen--which would take a job away from a reliever--or designating one of the two pitchers for assignment. Starting pitching is also going to be in high demand this month, so the cost of a rental player might not be worth the return.

1. Ben Zobrist, Utilityman, Oakland Athletics

UPSIDE: Zobrist could take over Josh Harrison’s 2014 role as the utilityman and post similar numbers at the dish. He has played every position besides pitcher and catcher at some point in his career and posted at least 5.2 WAR in every year from 2009-2014 besides one (3.8 in 2010). Even after missing the early part of the season in Oakland, he has produced a wRC+ mark of 119 and walked in 12 percent of his plate appearances. He’s scored 35 runs and driven home 31 in just 58 games for the team with the worst record in the American League. If you believe in the new age “Moneyball” and sabermetrics philsosophies like the Pirates do, the switch-hitter is a dream come true.

DOWNSIDE: Zobrist is on the final year of his contract, and even at 34, he might be out of the Pirates’ price range to resign. Oakland gave up one of their best prospects in Boog Powell to acquire him from the Rays, so there is no word on how much the Bucs would have to surrender to bring him to Pittsburgh. It will be less, but the question is how much less? Also, he has not played first or third base since 2010 and only has four career games at the hot corner.