The Pirates stand 29-18: Third-best record in baseball, a game-and-a-half out of first in the National League Central.
More important, perhaps, for a team that has disappointed so badly the last two summers, the Pirates pass the eye test. Acquisitions like Francisco Liriano, Russell Martin and Mark Melancon have come good. The Pirates look rock-solid. Nothing about them indicates a third straight late-season collapse.
That doesn’t mean one won’t happen. These are still the Pirates, after all.
But if the Pirates remain in contention as MLB’s July 31 trade deadline approaches, management must do what it wouldn’t do the last two years: Go for it. Get prime rentals, not projects, gambles or low-level talents (though last year’s get of Wandy Rodriguez is working out well).
That’s because this may be the Pirates’ last, best chance for a while.
The cornerstones of the Pirates are pitchers Rodriguez and A.J. Burnett. Jeff Locke has arrived early. Liriano is a Godsend: 3-0 after (finally) recovering from various maladies to various arms.
But Rodriguez and Burnett are the foundation. Steady. Rodriguez is 5-2, Burnett a deceiving 3-4. They give the Pirates a chance to win every time they pitch.
Next year, they’re gone.
Burnett, 36, is in the last year of his deal. He may retire. He says he’d prefer to pitch in Pittsburgh if he decides to continue his career.
But the Pirates won’t pay Burnett. He’s making $16.5 million this year. Burnett’s prior team, the Yankees, is paying $8.5 million of that. Owner Bob Nutting won’t pay full freight.
Rodriguez, 34, is scheduled to make $13 million next year, with his prior team, Houston, picking up $5.5 million. But Rodriguez can opt out of that deal. Chances are he will, and sign a long-term pact that’s more lucrative. Rodriguez won’t get it from Nutting.
Prospects Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon may one day provide what Rodriguez and Burnett do. But not next season.
This is the Pirates’ shot. It’s a legitimate one. Charlie Morton is on his way back. Add him to the pitching mix. Put that staff into playoff series, and it could be a nightmare for any opponent. Go get a couple of big bats.
Will Nutting allow general manager Neil Huntington to pull the trigger? Will Nutting allow payroll to balloon for a few months? Will Huntington know what to do if Nutting says yes? Will any prime rentals want to come to Pittsburgh? How much future should the Pirates sacrifice?
This will be a test. A much bigger test than the last two trade deadlines.
Nutting has proven he can con the fans indefinitely. They wait for a future that never comes while he rakes in profit.
But does the notion of winning even remotely appeal to Nutting? Taking a shot here could perpetuate his Ponzi for another decade or so.
What do the players think? They’re a bit more difficult to fool. The Pirates seemed to go limp when management performed less than heroically at the last two trade deadlines. Could the same thing happen this season?
When the Pirates stink, I’ve never been afraid to say so. But this team seems like it’s really onto something.
But if management lets the players down, the players will let the fans down. That precedent has been set. The ball is in Nutting’s court.
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