Braves Rumors: Dansby Swanson mistake, Jared Shuster here to stay, trade talk

Braves Rumors: Pirates are a seller to target

The Pittsburgh Pirates were a great story to start the season. Heck, they were 20-8 entering a series against the Tampa Bay Rays which pitted the best team in the American League against the best team in the National League, record-wise. So, what happened?

Pittsburgh has gone into a tailspin. They remain 22-20, and in the hunt for the NL Central thanks to some poor play by the division as a whole.

Nonetheless, should the Buccos losing ways continue, expect them to sell off some pieces at the trade deadline. No, that does not mean trading Mitch Keller or even David Bednar are on the table. Both are under team control for years to come, and likely fit the Pirates window. FanSided MLB Insider Robert Murray commented on Keller’s availability just this week:

"“As evidenced by the Reynolds extension, the Pirates are not opposed to doing long-term extension in-season. Who can blame them? The longer the Pirates wait to extend Keller, the more expensive he will be. And for a team that has historically been one of the least active teams in spending money, being aggressive in extending Keller makes plenty of sense.”"

Pittsburgh’s real competitive window isn’t far from now, so their potential fire sale is very limited. Rich Hill, an aging pitcher on an expiring contract, is a perfect candidate. Hill has a 4.35 ERA and while his velocity is limited, still has the breaking stuff combined with pitcher IQ to be a capable back-of-the-rotation option for a contender.

This is especially true for the Braves, who clearly need help in that department right now.