Hours after acquiring veteran 3rd baseman Aramis Ramirez from the Milwaukee Brewers, the Pittsburgh Pirates are working on a second trade to bolster their bullpen. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports did not specify any names in his report. General Manager Neil Huntington will have plenty of names to choose from over the course of the next week.
The Pirates would be adding to an already dominant bullpen as they rank 3rd in the majors in team ERA (2.50). The Pirates could go back to Milwaukee for a potential trade as the team is open to moving Neil Cotts and Francisco Rodriguez. Cotts could serve as a situational lefty while K Rod has proven to be a reliable set-up man in the past. Either pitcher would likely be slotted before Mark Melancon and Antonio Bastardo in the bullpen.
The Pirates could also look at a bigger name such as Jonathan Papelbon. Papelbon is having a great season in Philadelphia and has expressed his displeasure with the Phillies organization. Any trade for Papelbon would likely need for Philadelphia to eat a large portion of his salary as he has a vesting option for next season. The trade would be beneficial for Philadelphia as they are in the need of a major rebuild.
Pittsburgh could also target Athletics closer Tyler Clippard. The A’s appear to be sellers especially after trading Scott Kazmir earlier today. Red Sox closer Koji Uehara is also likely available as well after Boston’s 7 game losing streak.
