The Pirates Should Make a Trade, But Not With Marte

With the trading deadline approaching in two days, there are a lot of rumors going around the league, and the Pirates are included in a lot of these rumors.  It is well known the Pirates are looking for an outfielder or first baseman, and they have been linked to names such as Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence, and Shin-Soo Choo. It wouldn't take much to get Victorino in a trade, but a trade for Pence and Choo will require a good package of players to complete the deal.  Recently, Rob Biertempfel reported that the Pirates are "checking in" on Choo, and that the Pirates would likely have to part with Marte in order to complete that deal.  That would not be a good deal for the Pirates.
At this point, no player is worth it to part with outfielder Starling Marte.  Pence and Choo will both probably provide better offense down the stretch this year than Marte will, but even though the Pirates are on the verge of a winning season for the first time since 1992, the team still has to look to the future.  Marte will be under team control for at least the next six years, while both Pence and Choo will be gone after next season. Which would you rather have, one and a half years of good production from Pence or Choo, or six years of possible great production from Marte?  To me, the obvious answer is the six years of Marte.  And, it may not take just Marte to acquire Pence or Choo.  It may take another good prospect, someone like Jeff Locke or Gregory Polanco.  That kind of deal is not worth one and a half years of a player who will put up a .800-.850 OPS.
After saying this, I still believe the Pirates should go out and get a good hitter.  The Phillies have shown a lot of interest in reliever Brad Lincoln, so the Pirates should try to work out a deal with him included.  If they could acquire Pence for a package that includes Lincoln and another good/decent prospect, then they should do it.  Another way the Pirates could acquire a hitter is by dealing Kevin Correia or Joel Hanrahan.  Teams that are looking for a veteran back of the rotation starter to sure up than rotation can deal for Correia.  Correia is at his highest value right now, so it is the perfect time to trade him.  As I stated in my post yesterday, the Pirates should definitely look to trade Joel Hanrahan, as he would bring in one or two major league hitters.  If anything, the Astros series has shown that the Pirates need another bat to put the team over the top.  The Pirates have the ability to make a trade for a bat without dealing Starling Marte, so they have to take that route.
The Pirates do need offense, and they should try to acquire a good hitter.  But, they have to avoid parting with their top hitting prospect Starling Marte.  He's too valuable to the team, and he has the ability to be an Andrew McCutchen-lite.  Marte could hit for a .300+ average, and his power has really been improving over the last two years, and has the potential to hit for around 20 homers each year.  Having Marte and McCutchen next to each other in the outfield for the next six years or so is definitely better to have than Pence or Choo next to McCutchen for one and a half years.  A deal has to be made, but Marte has to be kept.

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