Pittsburgh Pirates Wake Up Call: A New Challenger Appears

In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cole to the Cubs?

According to Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago, the Chicago Cubs are interested in Pittsburgh Pirates RHP, Gerrit Cole. Inter-divisional trades are always risky. I don’t expect the Pirates would make this deal unless the Cubs blew them away with an offer. The Cubs certainly have a strong farm system so they likely would have the pieces for a deal. However, trading Cole to the Cubs means you’d have to consistently play against him and I don’t think that’s a deal worth making.

This offseason’s snail-like pace has been incredibly frustrating. Obviously, the Pirates shouldn’t make a trade just for the sake of it but it would be nice to get a sense of direction from the club. I am afraid the team will end up in Bradenton still in-limbo. I do not think a small rebuild will actually anger that many fans because at least it will show the team is out of baseball purgatory.

If you aren’t winning 85 or more games and competing, you may as well start over and build towards the future. I would wager most fans would prefer rebuilding compared to this current holding pattern the team is in. Either go all-in for one last run or start planning for 2019 and beyond. But do not continue down the path of mediocrity. That ends with fan apathy and that takes a long time to recover from. Ask Dave Littlefield and Kevin McClatchy what fan apathy does to a ballclub’s culture.

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