MLB Trade Deadline Rumors: 5 trades Red Sox should make

1. Trade for Josh Harrison

The Pirates are in a difficult position heading into the trade deadline. Under normal circumstances, as a sub-.500 small market team well out of contention, Pittsburgh would be expected to unload veterans for prospects this summer. On the other hand, the Pirates results haven’t come under normal circumstances in 2017.

Entering the week 43-48, eight games back in the NL Central and nine games back in the NL Wild Card race, reaching the postseason would take a miracle. However, Pittsburgh’s struggles this season can in part be blamed on Jung Ho Kang’s of off-field issues in Korea and Starling Marte’s PED suspension. With both available for a full season – a possibility in 2018 – the Bucs would be in a much more competitive position.

Also, Andrew McCutchen bounced back nicely from a disastrous 2016 season and a slow start this year, making it likely the club picks up him $14.75 million option for 2018 (unless the team trades him this summer, of course), meaning the odds of the Pirates pulling the trigger on a full roster teardown are slim.

Long story short, though they look like sellers on paper, the odds of the Pirates trading Josh Harrison at the deadline for prospects are relatively low. But they aren’t zero.

An All-Star infielder (who can also play outfield in a pinch), Harrison hit .273/.352/.424 with 10 home runs, 29 RBI, 38 runs scored and 10 stolen bases through his first 87 games. His 2.0 Wins Above Replacement, according to Fangraphs, is the fourth best among MLB second basemen and ninth among third basemen this season.

Next: MLB Trade Deadline: 30 players likely to move

The 29-year-old has one full year remaining on his contract, but has team options for 2019 and 2020, making him a versatile and controllable option for a team in need. He’s a controllable player that would Boston’s third base hole nicely. Harrison would actually be a better fit than Frazier given his age, contract and positional flexibility.