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5 Pittsburgh Pirates Who Should Be on the Trading Block Right Now

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5 Pittsburgh Pirates Who Belong on the Trade Block

Vance Worley Pittsburgh Pirates
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Pirates are lingering around .500 so far this season, with a 15-16 record entering Monday.

It's unclear if they will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, but here are five players the Pirates should be looking to trade right now.

5. IF/OF Sean Rodriguez

Sean Rodriguez Pirates
Jared Wickerham Getty Images

5. IF/OF Sean Rodriguez

Sean Rodriguez Pirates
Jared Wickerham Getty Images

With the recent promotion of Steve Lombardozzi, the Pirates now essentially have two utility players. Rodriguez has a bit more versatility overall, and a bit more offensive potential, so his trade value should be higher than Lombardozzi's.

4. SP Jeff Locke

Jeff Locke Pirates
Charles LeClaire USA TODAY Sports

4. SP Jeff Locke

Jeff Locke Pirates
Charles LeClaire USA TODAY Sports

After allowing just three runs over his first two starts (14 innings), Locke has allowed at least three earned runs in each of his last four starts (27 hits allowed over 22.1 innings). Being a left-hander bolsters Locke's trade value, but exactly how much depends on how well he is pitching when or if the Pirates look to move him.

3. OF Jose Tabata

Jose Tabata Pittsburgh Pirates
Charles LeClaire USA TODAY Sports

3. OF Jose Tabata

Jose Tabata Pirates
Charles LeClaire USA TODAY Sports

Pirates general manager Neil Huntington recently said the team would like to trade Tabata, who is hitting .319 at Triple-A Indianapolis so far this season. He is unlikely to bring much in a trade, but other teams could at least see Tabata as a fourth outfielder.

2. SP Vance Worley

Vance Worley Pirates
Jared Wickerham Getty Images

2. SP Vance Worley

Vance Worley Pirates
Jared Wickerham Getty Images

Worley has allowed two runs or less in three of his six starts this season, and he has pitched at least six innings four times. He also had a 2.85 ERA over 18 appearances (17 starts) with the Pirates last season, so this may be as good as it ever gets for Worley's trade value.

1. SS Jordy Mercer

Jordy Mercer Pirates
Jamie Sabau Getty Images

1. SS Jordy Mercer

Jordy Mercer Pirates
Jamie Sabau Getty Images

Mercer has done little offensively to this point (.194/.255/.226, eight RBI), while Jung Ho Kang is 7-for-14 over his last four games with a .333/.377/.521 slash-line, two home runs and nine RBI this season (53 plate appearances). Kang has played a lot at third base recently, but it seems to only be a matter of time before he moves to shortstop virtually exclusively and makes Mercer expendable.

Brad Berreman is a writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook.
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