The Pirates are suddenly being talked about like a team that might actually add, not a club that’s already looking toward next year.
That’s the big takeaway from Jeff Passan’s latest trade deadline column for ESPN, which pointed Pittsburgh toward the buyer’s side of the market even after another painful injury hit. Rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin is out with a torn tendon in his ring finger, and the expectation is that he’ll miss about two months.
That kind of setback would normally knock a team’s deadline plans off course. For the Pirates, it complicates things without fully changing their lane.
Pittsburgh was already waiting on Spencer Horwitz and Oneil Cruz to come back from the injured list in July, with hopes that both would help give one of baseball’s best offenses another lift. Now the Pirates have to keep themselves close enough in the playoff race for those returns to matter when they finally arrive.
Even with Griffin sidelined, Passan’s read is that the Pirates are still in the market for bullpen help and could try to move earlier rather than later. That’s the part that should catch the attention of Pirates fans.
The names Passan linked to Pittsburgh were Garrett Whitlock and Luke Weaver, two relievers on multiyear deals. Neither would come cheaply, and that’s exactly why they stand out.
The Pirates would not be spending prospect capital on a short-term rental and hoping for a perfect two-month run. They’d be trying to help the roster now while also keeping an eye on what comes next.
Whitlock has been a steady, flexible arm for the Boston Red Sox. Weaver has been nearly untouchable for the New York Mets in what has been a rough season for that club. Either one would give Don Kelly another real late-inning option next to Gregory Soto, and that matters even more now that Evan Sisk is on the injured list with elbow issues.
Sisk has been Pittsburgh’s best reliever this season, so losing him only sharpens the need. The Pirates have enough starting pitching to stay in the mix, and even with Griffin hurt, there’s still enough offense here to believe Horwitz and Cruz can help if they return on schedule. What they can’t keep doing is asking a thin bullpen to absorb all the pressure in high-leverage spots.
Passan’s report doesn’t promise a deal. Pittsburgh still has to decide how far it wants to push, especially with Griffin out and the deadline picture made murkier by injuries. But the larger message is hard to miss: the Pirates are being treated like a legitimate buyer, with enough urgency and enough talent to justify acting.
For a franchise that has spent years making it feel like the future mattered more than the present, that alone is a notable shift.
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