Pirates Trade Rumors Recap: Pittsburgh Will Trade For Entire League

The Pirates’ Alex Presley has been a disappointment all year. Can they replace him?

According to latest rumors, the Pirates are willing to trade for every player available. Seriously. Neal Huntington is looking for ANYTHING that he can get without trading away one of the Pirates’ blue chippers. So below I’ve complied a list of all the different stories about potential Pirates’ trades before I get into what’s plausible.

Pirates still looking at Chase Headley as an option for third base/right field.

While their at it, they also asked about Royals power bat Billy Butler.

Pirates still in the Justin Upton mix, but as RumBunter points out they may have moved to plan B.

The Bucs see Shane Victorino as a “perfect fit” if the price is right.

What if the Pirates reunited with Paul Maholm?

Finally, the Pirates could be in the market for Hunter Pence.

As you can see, out of all the rumors, only one pitcher comes up in the sea of names. It seems as if the Pirates are content with Rudy Owens or Jeff Locke giving Kevin Correia and Erik Bedard some rest down the stretch. I get it. Even though starting pitching isn’t the strongest, a bat of the same impact caliber as a starting pitcher will come cheaper because there are more bats that arms. Happens.

As for the myriad of bats the Pirates are going after, here is the hole the Pirates are in: Alex Presley is extremely disappointing this season.  The leadoff spot needs to be more effective with the 2-5 spots finally producing. If you can’t get a lead off hitter (Victorino)  the Pirates are looking for another bat to solidify the center of the lineup. Jones, Walker and Alvarez are all right handed crushing hitters but when a lefty comes to the hill, the only threat is McCutchen. Hence, a right handed corner outfielder like Justin Upton, Hunter Pence, or even Chase Headley could really help.

The bottom line is that the Pirates need to make a move. They aren’t making ground on the Reds even though they’re missing Joey Votto. Will the Pirates part with a blue chipper to get one of these guys? For everyone except Upton, the answer should be no. But we’ll see what happens.