With the MLB trade deadline a little over a month away, the Pirates will likely be trading away some talent to try and get better for next year and into the future.
So, who is safe within the organization?
One of America’s top baseball insiders, ESPN’s Jeff Passan says everyone is a possible trade piece, except for one.
“Really everybody but Paul Skenes,” Passan tells 93.7 The Fan’s Jason Mackey. “The Pirates are not in a position right now to sit there and say, ‘We have untouchables.’ Aside from the guy who’s arguably the best pitcher in baseball.”
With all those possible deals, Passan says, “I could see them doing anything and everything, but the focus has clearly got to be offense.”
And, Passan says the Pirates don’t just need different players.
“They need to coach ‘em differently. They need to improve their process and make it a lot more similar to what they’ve done with pitching.”
Passan adds he doesn’t know what that would look like but the organization has done so well with pitching, they need to bring that to the offensive side.
Listen to the full interview above.