MLB Insider Predicts Pirates Add Two Former All-Stars At Trade Deadline

The Pittsburgh Pirates are competing for a playoff spot and could be looking for help soon.

The 2024 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline occurs on July 30 at 6 p.m. EST, meaning teams around the league will make deals left and right to solidify their teams for the playoff race. Rumors are swirling, as expected, with plenty of big names coming up like the Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal and Chicago White Sox’s Garrett Crochet.

It’s an exciting time to be a Pirates fan with the likes of Paul Skenes and Bryan Reynolds leading the way — trying to make the MLB Postseason for the first time since 2015. Pittsburgh has been featured heavily in the rumors, reportedly seeking bats to bolster their lineups. Some insiders believe that help could be on the way.

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman is among those insiders, predicting that the Pirates will acquire Miami Marlins outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and first baseman Josh Bell.

“Pittsburgh, I can see them getting Chisholm,” Heyman said on his Bleacher Report Walk-Off show. “That’d be my prediction for Jazz. Seattle (Mariners), (New York) Yankees still in there. Josh Bell, he was pretty good in Pittsburgh. He’s certainly a threat. I could see him for Pittsburgh as well.”

Chisholm is hitting .251 with 13 home runs, 47 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, and a .736 OPS. The 26-year-old would certainly give the Pirates a spark at the top of the lineup, bringing both speed and power to the lineup while being able to play center field or second base.

Bell, on the other hand, is an old friend of the Pirates. The first baseman played his first five seasons with Pittsburgh from 2016 to 2020, having an all-star season in 2019 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs.

The 31-year-old hasn’t had the hottest season, hitting .228 with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs. A change of scenery last season proved to be a spark for Bell, so perhaps returning to a familiar club could be what does it for him this season.

It remains to be seen what the Pirates will do before the trade deadline, but there are options out there for them to make a splash.

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