Inbox: Should Bucs buy or sell at Trade Deadline?

PITTSBURGH — Welcome to a special Trade Deadline edition of the Inbox.

While Pirates officials consider their options inside their PNC Park offices, let’s talk about what Pittsburgh should, could and might do before Monday’s 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline.

@adamdberry Is it even worth it? Pirates should stand pat.

— Randy Slack (@Slackamania) July 27, 2016

@adamdberry Is it even worth it? Pirates should stand pat.

Interesting place to start this discussion. On one hand, maybe not.

Why hurt the depth of the farm system to add a piece when the best-case scenario might still be a spot in the National League Wild Card Game? Why change the current roster when you’re playing well and pushing for the postseason?

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On the other hand: This year’s Deadline is not strictly about the final two months of the season. In that sense, it should either yield an impactful move or nothing at all.

General manager Neal Huntington has said that the Pirates plan to be buyers, and that’s the sense throughout the industry. Pittsburgh is looking for pitching, specifically starters, as the current rotation continues to struggle.

Yes, the Pirates have prospects on the way. But a proven big league pitcher would bolster a rotation that features Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon and a bunch of question marks — and won’t hurt down the road, either.

@adamdberry if the Pirates decide to go after a pitcher at the deadline, what low cost pitcher would they target?

— Chris Smith (@Smitters6789) July 27, 2016

@adamdberry if the Pirates decide to go after a pitcher at the deadline, what low cost pitcher would they target?

The operative adjective here might not be low-cost, but cost-controlled.

Why bother getting a back-end rental starter when you have Jonathon Niese …

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