David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
When the Pittsburgh Pirates examine themselves lately they have to be fairly pleased. As a matter of fact having four All-Star representatives is an example of just how well things are going for the Pirates right now. They were still tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for first place going into play on Monday. Still the way to ensure that they win the National League Central isn’t to just sit tight.
Clearly the Cardinals are very good and have no plans of vacating the first place spot for very long periods of time. In order to fully overcome the Cards I think the Pirates need one more piece of the puzzle. If the Chicago White Sox are indeed shopping Alex Rios, that would be a great addition to the outfield if the personalities fit. More than that however I think they should make a big push in another direction.
Rumor has it that they might be somewhat interested in Chicago Cubs starter Matt Garza. There is no guarantee that the Cubs will trade Garza with the way he has played of late and if they do they will ask a hefty price tag. I’m sure the Pirates could haggle the Cubs down to a fairly reasonable price if they tried hard enough. Adding Garza to the already successful starting staff would be huge for the stretch run. If I were in charge of the Pirates, I would be talking on the Cubs phone every day.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.
