MINNEAPOLIS -- The starters' picture is solid. Not only do the Pirates' starting pitchers rate high with their 42 wins and 3.26 ERA, but there are ample next-man-up candidates on the Triple-A level. The bullpen's end is even stouter. When Tony Watson and Mark Melancon have worked back-to-back to close it out, the Bucs are 22-3.
It is the in-between that has been a problem, and where general manager Neal Huntington is focused in the hours leading to Friday's 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline.
With the exception of Jared Hughes, a "situational" reliever who can appear anywhere from the fifth to eighth inning, the setup relief crew has shown leaks.