The final day of the 2020 Major League baseball trade deadline was a quiet one for the Pirates, who after trading away outfielder Jarrod Dyson a few days prior made no moves despite being one of the clear sellers on the market.
A day after all of the smoke and dust has cleared away, word has spread that the club was close to pulling off what would've been one of the more significant deals of the deadline.
Per a report from MLB insider Robert Murray, the Pirates and Blue Jays nearly reached an agreement that would've sent opening day starter Joe Musgrove to Toronto - or for this season Buffalo - for an unknown return.
Murray reported that the deal between the two clubs fell through in the "eleventh hour." Instead, the Blue Jays landed lefty Robbie Ray from the Diamondbacks.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) September 1, 2020
Perhaps the main thing that prevented the trade from happening was Musgrove's health. After making just three starts this season, where he went 0-and-3 with a 6.75 earned run average and 17 strikeouts in 14.2 innings of work, Musgrove was placed on the injured list with right triceps inflammation.
Both Director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk and manager Derek Shelton mentioned that Musgrove was also dealing with an ankle injury.
While it is a bit uncommon for a player on the injured list to be dealt to another club, it has happened before. If the Blue Jays were to have acquired Musgrove they likely wouldn't have had to wait long for him to be healthy.
When asked for an update on Musgrove's status during his media briefing on August 26, Tomczyk told reporters the club believed both he and Mitch Keller would be pitching for the club shortly.
With the trade deadline now in the rear-view mirror, the Pirates await for Musgrove, along with many others to return from the injured list where they can hopefully finish the year healthy and possibly impress clubs who would be interested in making a deal in the offseason.