John Perrotto of the Beaver County Times echoes Kovacevic and Langosch in arguing that the Pirates will be unlikely to trade many veterans:
Most likely, any deals Huntington makes will be minor. He might trade some of his secondary relievers such as left-hander Javier Lopez and right-hander D.J. Carrasco, getting no more than a second-tier prospect in return.
Huntington really has no urgency to make any big trades this year.
The Pirates started the season with a $34 million payroll, so he is not forced to slash it, even working for the most cost-conscious franchise north of Miami. The Pirates also feel they have increased the number of prospects in their farm system to the point where they don’t feel the need to trade every veteran player for a youngster.
Also playing a role in the Pirates almost certainly being non-factors at the deadline is that the two players generating the most interest are considered all but untouchable by Huntington, right-handed set-up relievers Joel Hanrahan and Evan Meek.
Perrotto also notes that the Pirates are unlikely to trade Paul Maholm, because their asking price will be high and because there are a couple other pitchers (Roy Oswalt, Ted Lilly) that potential trade partners might have first in their queues.