Rockies All-Star Mentioned As Possible Reunion Candidate For Pirates

How are the Pittsburgh Pirates going to bolster their offense heading into the second half of the season?

With one series to go against the Chicago White Sox before the All-Star break, the Pirates are in a good position to fight for a Wild Card playoff spot. The Pirates are 45-48, only two-and-a-half games back from the New York Mets for the last playoff spot. With the trade deadline coming up, the Pirates seem committed to improving their offense.

Pittsburgh is coming off of a 1-0 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers where All-Star pitcher Paul Skenes made Pirates history with his eighth consecutive start with 7+ strikeouts. The Pirates pitching staff as a whole is dealing this season, with a team ERA of 3.91, which is top-ten in the league. The only downside is that the Pirates are 27th in the league in batting average and 26th in OBP, so there are some things that could be improved.

The Pirates are expected to be active at the deadline and have even been called a “potential suitor” for Colorado Rockies All-Star catcher Elías Díaz by CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson.

“Díaz’s All-Star Game appearance last summer became a joke of sorts as his park-adjusted numbers settled in close to his career norms,” Anderson said. “There’s no laughing at his performance thus far this season. He’s having a legitimately good year, albeit without the kind of accompanying underlying indicators that suggest he’s made serious gains at or behind the plate. (His framing has graded significantly better in 2024 than in all but one of his previous seasons.)”

“The sustainability of Díaz’s apparent improvements may not matter because of the laws of supply and demand — as in, there’s a large demand for competent catchers and almost zero supply of them. Potential suitors: Nationals, Guardians, Pirates.”

Colorado is at the bottom of the National League West by far and rapidly is approaching a rebuild and Díaz is an attractive trade piece. In 65 games so far this season, Díaz is slashing .296/.340/.417 with 5 home runs and 30 RBIs.

Even with Yasmani Grandal being one of the heroes in their most recent win, trading for Díaz would put Pittsburgh in a significantly better place down the stretch as they push for a Wild Card spot.

More MLB: Pirates’ Rising Superstar Paul Skenes Given Historic Nod To Start MLB All-Star Game