Pirates
Jul 18, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves infielder Sean Rodriguez (15) looks on from the dugout against the Chicago Cubs during the seventh inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
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On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Sean Rodriguez in a trade with the Atlanta Braves. I’ve run out of words when it comes to talking about the Bucs.

This is a franchise that continues to make small moves that typically provide very little payoff.

Pittsburgh hasn’t been aggressive in free agency or at the non-waiver trade deadline in a long time, and it’s hurt their chances at winning ball games.

Instead of finding a way to bring in Mike Moustakas, Mark Reynolds, Lance Lynn, Steve Cishek, or Pat Neshek, the Bucs brought in a utility player in Rodriguez.

The Bucs have limited themselves by not trading for high-quality players. Now, I understand Manny Machado is probably out of the question.

Rodriguez won’t make Pittsburgh a top 5 team in the NL. He probably won’t play very much, and he’s not apart of the Bucs future.

Sean-Rod has two homers, three RBIs, and a .162 batting average in 37 at-bats this season.

After signing a two-year, $11.5 million deal with Atlanta in November, Rodriguez suffered a shoulder injury in a car accident in January. He was activated from the 60-day disabled list on July 17.

I understand the Pirates want to stick with Starling Marte, Josh Bell, and Gregory Polanco, but shouldn’t they want to add to that group? Why are they stuck in this penny-pinching mode where they acquire players with small contracts?

Championship contenders have signed or traded for big names across the spectrum, and it’s almost always worked out in huge dividends.

The Cubs added Jon Lester, Aroldis Chapman, and Ben Zobrist. They won the World Series in 2016.

Los Angeles has young All-Stars throughout their roster and they’ve shown that they are willing to bolster their roster by any means necessary (i.e.- Yu Darvish trade).

Pittsburgh has a few selling points they can use when talking to free agents and they can create some decent packages when having trade discussions with other clubs. However, their window of opportunity is closing quickly.

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