With teams like the White Sox and Angels reportedly already listening to inquiries on players such as Luis Robert and Taylor Ward, the door may be open for early-season deals if general managers are willing to pursue them.
The Pirates are a team -- with arguably one of the best, young starting rotations in baseball -- that could be in a position to eventually upgrade their lineup or bullpen to further improve their hopes of battling for a playoff spot. It's unclear whether anything would imminently occur on the trade front, but the Pirates certainly have the assets to make moves happen.
Ben Cherington said the organization, which has recently acquired talent when looking at the long-term future, has to continue doing that while also aiming to improve the club in the short term to focus on competing this season.
"I think we always have to be doing both. We're gonna always be willing to do both," Cherington told reporters Saturday. "They're not mutually exclusive and that's where we should be. We should be willing, prepared, ready to give up a minor-league player for a major-league player if it helps our team and we think it makes sense. If it's a trade we think makes sense for the Pirates, then that's what we should be prepared to do. At the same time, we've got to be just as dogged about continuing to build up our young talent base, whether that's through the draft or how we're doing player development. We're not satisfied with that. We've got to keep getting better there. So it's both. We've got to do both all the time."
Cherington acknowledges that teams have already begun talking to one another, even with the July 30 trade deadline a long ways away. The Pirates, Cherington said, are among those teams gauging what might exist on the trade front, even if is considered too early for many teams to solidify deals.
"Doesn't mean that trades can't happen this early. They can. There probably are some players that could be traded earlier," Cherington said. "But a lot of teams are still trying to figure out what they are still, not really willing to give up a major-league player trying to get better themselves. Teams are talking and we're one of those teams. We'll stay on the phones. We want to keep getting better, so if there's an opportunity out there to do that, we want to be ready for it."