The Pittsburgh Pirates were expected to stand pat at the deadline, but over the course of the last few hours, they have been trying to acquire controllable relievers.
Among the options they could look into are Roberto Osuna of the Toronto Blue Jays and Tony Cingrani of the Cincinnati Reds, according to Jason Rollison of PiratesBreakdown.com.
If the Pirates are looking at controllable relievers, there are two options that immediately spring to mind if they want to swing for the fences.
The Toronto Blue Jays are tip toeing into a full on sale. Would they entertain offers to trade Roberto Osuna?
Osuna has been nothing short of spectacular across his first 185 games in the majors, pitching to a 2.72 FIP while striking out 10.4 hitters per nine. Adding Osuna will not be cheap, but would give the Pirates an immediately deadly 1-2 punch with Felipe Rivero in the late innings. Osuna would enter his first arbitration year next year, so the prospect cost would be exorbitant.
Perhaps Tony Cingrani of the Reds would be an easier get. Cingrani was a promising starter for Cincinnati but in recent years he has struggled in their bullpen. He would represent one of Ray Searage‘s greatest challenges in recent years, but could be worth the gamble given his contract. He is sporting a 9.26 K/9 this season, so perhaps he is just a few tinkers away from being a strong bullpen arm.
Pittsburgh is also fielding offers for both relievers Juan Nicasio and Tony Watson, but both of them are set to be free agents after the season.
Their bullpen ERA of 3.78 currently ranks eighth in the majors, but rank 21st in opponent's batting average (.255) and 23rd in strikeouts (318).
Osuna has a 2.49 ERA with 26 saves and 59 strikeouts in 43.1 innings in 45 appearances this season, while Cingrani has a 5.40 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 23.1 innings in 25 appearances.
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