The Pittsburgh Pirates entered the month of July with a handful of rentals to swap at the deadline. They ended up only trading two: utility man Adam Frazier and relief pitcher Caleb Ferguson. For some reason, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington opted to keep infielder Isiah-Kiner Falefa, outfielder Tommy Pham, and starting pitcher Andrew Heaney.
Keeping these three around makes no sense for multiple reasons. For one, the Pirates aren’t anywhere close to a playoff spot. They are not getting any value from keeping them around. The second reason is that the Pirates are blocking a chance for some minor leaguers to get a shot in the Major Leagues.