On ESPN radio, Keith Law discusses the Pirates' playoff chances:
↵↵↵They're not making the playoffs, and they would be fools to start buying. They've got a pretty good rebuild in progress there, taking what was essentially scorched earth ... If they start talking about trading Alen Hanson or Zack Dodson, let alone [Gerrit] Cole or [Jameson] Taillon, then they're crazy. They're crazy. 'Cause even if they got to the playoffs, which I just think is just close to a zero probability, they're not getting far in the playoffs at all. They would be nowhere close in quality to any other potential playoff team. It would be a colossal mistake for them to do that.
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Yeah. So there you have it. Of course, even getting to the playoffs would give the Pirates a shot, because anything can happen in a short series. I don't think the Pirates will go to the playoffs either, but evaluating them as having "close to zero probability" of going seems like a mistake at this point, given how soft their schedule is down the stretch. I do think Law is right that the Pirates probably shouldn't consider trading any of their top prospects, but as we saw last year with the additions of Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick, it's possible to add players simply by taking on salary.
↵For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout.
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