Plenty of trades have happened in the MLB before the deadline, most of them involving pitchers. Some of the most notable are: the Athletics blockbuster, Street and Thatcher to the Angels, McCarthy and Capuano to the Yankees, the Tigers getting Soria and, today, Peavy to the Giants.

Some of those have involved less of a return than others.  The Tigers, Padres, Athletics, and Giants all gave up some top players to get their players while the Yankees and Royals didn’t give up a lot of talent, but also didn’t get back a top-tier player.

Which leads me to the Pirates.  They were recently mentioned by Jim Callis of MLB.com as the best team among contenders to make a large deal, saying the the Pirates can’t be matched in both quantity and quality.  (http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/five-mlb-contenders-with-young-talent-to-trade?ymd=20140725&content_id=86079200)

However, just because the Pirates CAN make a deal, should they?  If so, what kind of deal will be made?

No one expects the Pirates to make a large blockbuster like the As did, and Huntington has all but said not to expect something large, so that trade won’t be looked at from the Pirates perceptive.

But the price for starters and relievers seems to be getting higher instead of lower as the deadline gets closer and teams are better defined as buyers-or-sellers.

The Angels gave up two team top-5 prospects, one more who was in the top-20, and a fourth player who was having an alright season, to get closer Huston Street who has a year of control after this season. Street is pitching with a 1 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 26 saves and 1 blown save, 4.75 K/BB ratio, and three HRs, four ERs, and 20 hits in 36 IP.  While the Angels system is weaker than the Pirates, it still seems like a steep price to pay.

Translated into Pirates terms, it probably would’ve cost Hanson, Kingham or Glasnow, and one or two other fringe prospects like McPherson or Holmes.  Still seems like a large cost for the Pirates.

Then the Giants traded for Jake Peavy who is pitching to the tune of a 4.72 ERA, a 1-9 record, 1.43 WHIP, 2.1 K/BB ratio, and 20 HRs, 65 ERs, and 131 hits in 124 IP.  And, in order to acquire him, the Giants gave up two pitching prospects, one of them being their second ranked prospect in their system.

Again, into Pirates terms, the deal may have looked more like a move of Kingham and Oliver in order to acquire Peavy.  Also, on paper, would look like an over-pay.

If the Pirates stay put, hold to their prospects, and make a bigger deal during the off-season, it might be a better route for this small market team.  Also, the current team, when healthy, looks to have enough to win a wild card slot, if not the NL Central.

Overall, I don’t think that the price has dropped for any pitcher of name.  After seeing the return for some of the pitchers, the Rockies, if they trade De La Rosa, the Padres, if they trade Kennedy, and the Indians, if they trade Masterson, will likely be looking for more than the pitcher is worth and, as the deadline gets closer, more and more teams will get desperate. However, cooler heads may prevail and the Pirates might be able to snag an “under-the-radar” player. If not, watch out for that off-season move I mentioned earlier.