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The Major League Baseball trade deadline, which is just under two weeks away on Aug. 3 at 6 p.m., is one of the most interesting days on the baseball calendar. It is a true sign of which teams are going to "go for it" for the final 50 games of the rest of the season.
On a personal level, as a lifelong fan of baseball, deadline day is one of my favorite days of the year, probably only behind opening day.
This year's deadline is even more interesting on a regional level with the Pirates right in the midst of a wild card race for the first time in more than a decade.
Fans of the Pirates will probably hear a ton of trade proposals in the next 12 days, and while these theoretical ideas are fun to think about, most of the mock trades that you hear aren't very realistic.
No, the Pirates aren't going to get San Diego Padres closer and Pittsburgh native Mason Miller for a prospect in the Florida Complex League.
The Pirates have a glaring need for bullpen arms, but you also have to remember that most franchises are also looking for relief pitching at this time of the season. Bullpen help is crucial in the postseason with starting pitchers now getting pulled to get into the bullpen earlier than ever before.
Having somebody like Miller on your team would be fantastic. Who wouldn't want someone that paints corners throwing 103 miles per hour? But would the Bucs want to pay the price to get someone that is probably the best closer in the game?
The Padres want starting pitching that is ready to play at the MLB level and probably another top-notch prospect. Would you be willing to trade a Jared Jones or a Bubba Chandler for Miller? Even better yet, how about fireballer Seth Hernandez, who is MLB.com's No. 6 prospect in all of baseball right now? Hernandez will probably be in Altoona before the end of the season.
Yeah, my guess is you think it's too steep of a price now, and you would be right.
The fact of the matter is you can find more than one effective relief pitcher at much less of a price. And the way things have been looking, the Pirates would be wise to pick up more than one relief pitcher, unless they are comfortable with the recent addition of Brandon Eisert.
Reports have also stated that the Pirates may be in the market for a left-handed starting pitcher, which is starting to make more sense with the recent struggles of Braxton Ashcraft and Mitch Keller. Again, the price for the Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal, who is thought to be the best available trade piece at this year's deadline, is probably too steep.
But there are quality southpaw starters out there such as the San Francisco Giants' Robbie Ray, and the Los Angeles Angels' Reid Detmers.
It's hard to imagine the Bucs would spend a lot for a bat, considering how potent their offense is right now. But somebody like the Giants' Luis Arraez, one of the best pure hitters in the game today, is somebody that they would want to listen to offers.
On a local level, what could the Altoona Curve look like in just a couple weeks? Third baseman Murf Gray, who was the 73rd overall pick in last year's MLB Amateur Draft, already got called up to Altoona last week. He hit his 25th home run of the season with Tuesday's grand slam in Akron. It would hurt to lose somebody with as promising of a future as Gray, but teams will be asking for him.
A few others in first baseman Callan Moss, and outfielders Ivan Brethowr and Titus Dumitru were all prospects that came back to the Pirates in last year's trade deadline. The Curve have a handful of others that could be trade chips in the coming days.
It's what makes the trade deadline so interesting thinking of the possibilities. I will spare you of any proposals, but just like the famous daytime game show says ... if the price is right.
Andy Stine can be reached at astine@altoonamirror.com.