CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman: For Pirates, 'Corner Bat May Be The Priority'
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) - CBSSports.com senior baseball writer Jon Heyman joined The Fan Morning Show Thursday to talk about some of the latest buzz surrounding the approaching trade deadline.
John felt that the Pirates probably won't shoot for the stars should they be buyers and seek outfield help.
"I'm not sure there's a match with Justin Upton, but I do know they're looking at other corner outfielders... [Josh] Willingham's going to be tough because Minnesota just does not want to trade him. Carlos Quentin is a possibility. I don't think it would take a [Gerrit] Cole or [Jameson] Taillon to get a good corner outfielder," Heyman said.
He addressed the possibility of the Bucs pursuing Shane Victorino, explaining that Victorino's situation is complicated in Philadelphia and that there are a lot of factors the Pirates would need to consider should they pursue him.
"It does seem like that marriage is over at this point. Victorino can't take a boatload. We're talking about a guy who's not having a great year who's a rental... He's a nice player, but not an impact player... I do think he'll get traded, but Pittsburgh's looking for a corner outfielder more than anything, so I'm not sure he fits perfectly, but he is an outfielder," Heyman said.
He said the Pirates are interested in starting pitching, but are probably more set on acquiring a corner outfielder.
"I've heard they're trying to get a starter, but I have not heard them being connected to [Matt] Garza, [Ryan] Dempster, [Zack] Greinke, or [Cole] Hamels yet, but I'm not going to rule it out. There are other starters out there... My understanding is they would like to add a starter and a corner bat. Corner bat may be the priority," Heyman said.
He pointed out that a lot of teams are in limbo right now, and aren't sure whether they'll be buyers or sellers when the deadline comes around.
"Fortunately, there are 12 or so days to go before the deadline, so they'll have a little time to figure it out... It's definitely going to be a seller's market... at this point there are only a few definite ones, so the prices are probably high," Heyman said.
He also offered his explanation for first round pick Mark Appel opting to return to Stanford and not sign with the Pirates.
"I think he was expecting to be the number one pick... Players of his caliber got more money in previous years... I just think he thought $3.8 million wasn't the right number for him," Heyman said.
The interview can be heard here:
