The Pittsburgh Pirates, at least as far as rumors coming out so far this offseason, seem committed to getting better.
They also seem quite against trading Paul Skenes, which is a well-discussed narrative but one that really doesn't make much sense.
That doesn't mean the Pirates won't make any deals, though. There's another 98 MPH-throwing righty pitcher who could be on the block.
Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller named Johan Ovideo as the Pirates player most likely to be traded this offseason.
"Trading away Paul Skenes would be stunning, but not much else would be from Pittsburgh," Miller wrote on Thursday. "Moving Oviedo wouldn't save them much money, but he does represent $2 million they could be spending somewhere else. With Skenes and Mitch Keller atop the rotation, Jared Jones maybe back by Opening Day and a strong next wave of Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft and Tom Harrington already in the majors, they could try to flip Oviedo for a bat."
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Miller is right. A rotation of Skenes, Keller and Chandler is a great start.
Ovideo would be the perfect option to deal for a bat (Keller also fits this profile if a team wants a player with more MLB experience).
Skenes just won the Cy Young in his second season. The Pirates have no business seriously entertaining trade offers for him.
But the Pirates owe it to players like Skenes to make the rest of the team better. And dealing from a bit of a young pitching surplus to improve the lineup would make a lot of sense.
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