Not if they brought in accomplished players to try and compete. With the prospects they have, they could have outbid most for the big names out there.

 

They could have brought in most of the top names available on the market, and they still would have been behind Milwaukee. The funny thing is that the Pirates pitching is what has killed them the last two weeks, and that was one spot where they weren't going to try and upgrade.

They could have brought in most of the top names available on the market, and they still would have been behind Milwaukee. The funny thing is that the Pirates pitching is what has killed them the last two weeks, and that was one spot where they weren't going to try and upgrade.

As I'm sure you've seen, even really good pitching has a down-spell that can spin a team into a losing streak. That's where a bat can bail a team out.

 

That said, the Pirates goal this year should be to try to hit .500. That'd have been a huge success for them with where that team is at.

The Pirates are a unique franchise. They still have good attendance (for the team they roll out every year), yet they are almost always essentially eliminated by the middle of July. I think having a winning (or even .500) season would be a huge step for them. I am surprised they didn't make more of a splash at the deadline, though. If their owners and GM are smart, they'll continue to build their youth while mixing in some impact veterans.

 

Really? They have been 27th or lower in attendance every year recently, barely getting 20k. Now granted that with the teams they have the attendance should be 10k, but I still wouldn't consider that good attendance. They are in the bottom 5 every year, just like in the standings.