Kovacevic: Pirates Want A Starter For Paul Maholm

Dejan Kovacevic writes that the Bucs want a starting pitcher for Maholm:

The Pirates will want a starting pitcher in return for Maholm, preferably one ready to pitch in Pittsburgh, the official added.

Of the Padres, the official described them as “just fishing.”

Maholm, still in uniform and working out, is predictably fidgety, calling and texting to find out more about his future. He told me has not heard anything regarding any possible destination.

The “ready to pitch in Pittsburgh” thing is a bad idea. If a pitching prospect were ready to pitch in the majors, and if he were any good, why wouldn’t a potential trade partner just put the youngster in the rotation and skip the Maholm trade? The Pirates’ insistence upon major-league-ready talent was one thing that got Huntington’s predecessor Dave Littlefield into a lot of trouble. Think of Matt Lawton for Jody Gerut, or Kris Benson for Ty Wigginton, or Aramis Ramirez for Bobby Hill. There were extenuating circumstances in those trades, but one important reason the Pirates got almost nothing from them was that they insisted on getting major-league-ready players back. The Pirates will be giving up on upside if they insist on making trades this way.