High Anxiety
Trade Deadline Raises Nerves
By Joe Giardina

There is one question that usually enters the minds of Pirates' fans come the end of July every season. It is the same question that some players can't help but ask themselves as well.

Will the Pirates be buyers or sellers approaching the trade deadline?

For the last several seasons, the answer usually has been the same. And barring an epic turnaround in the next few weeks, the Pirates again are likely to be sellers.

The trading deadline in Major League Baseball is July 31st. While some players can still be dealt until August 31st if they clear waivers, most deals are made in the weeks leading up to the deadline. For small market teams who aren't anticipating a pennant, such as the Pirates, that sometimes can make for considerable roster moves.

This year the Pirates have several players that contending teams figure to be interested in. Jason Bay would add a veteran bat to a lineup in need of some power. Xavier Nady, if healthy, is a steady run producer. Jack Wilson is as solid defensively as any shortstop in the league. Damaso Marte is arguably one of the best situational left-handed relievers in all of baseball.

Any of these players might see themselves in different digs come August, so it won't come as a surprise if the lineup the Pirates put out on the field in Chicago on August 1st is significantly different from the team that took the field in Atlanta on March 31st.

"You have to be prepared for some sort of move," said Wilson, who was acquired from the Cardinals via trade for Jason Christenson in 2000. "You hear rumors all the time. You have it in the back of your mind and you have some sort of plan if it happens. But until they bring you into the office and tell you you're gone, you're going to be a Pirate."

But that doesn't prevent him from turning on the radio or reading the papers everyday to see what is cooking on baseball's hot stove.

"I enjoy it," Wilson said about the media attention trade rumors garner. "Because that means every time you hear your name, other teams might be interested in you. That makes you feel good as a player, that there is interest in your abilities."

Not all players share Wilson's positive attitude.

Adam LaRoche was dealt to the Pirates during the off-season two years ago. The trade rumor circled for several weeks before finally becoming a done deal. It caught him off guard, to say the least.

"I didn't hear any of it. It was amazing," LaRoche said. "I was out in the middle of nowhere in Kansas, so I wasn't keeping up with the papers. I had heard a rumor that there was a chance and then like a week later I got a call from the GM and he said that I was traded."

LaRoche said he can't even speculate on what it would be like to hear trade rumors during the season, except that it wouldn't be pleasant.

"I've never really been in a [trade] situation during the year. That's when it would really be weird," he said. "You're going out playing for the Pirates, but then everyday you hear talk that they're trying to get rid of you. I think it can lead to some hard feelings sometimes. Guys are supposed to get traded, then suddenly they don't. Then you know you're with a team that you think doesn't like you or doesn't want you. It has led to some problems; it always has this time of year leading up to the deadline."

Surprisingly, even with all the high draft picks the Pirates have had over the last decade, their farm system is not stockpiled with major league talent. That results in general manager Neil Huntington looking for addition through subtraction, meaning by moving established veteran players he might be able to acquire a few blue chip prospects in return.

It raises the question of what is more important: having a winning, feel-good season now, or building a championship team for the future? The current front office hasn't hidden from the fact that they are dedicated to building for tomorrow.

And make no mistake about it, the Pirates are not strangers to moving players at the deadline. Wilson acknowledged that the 2003 deals that sent Aramis Ramirez, Kenny Lofton and Randall Simon to the Cubs hurt the team. But he also knows that the only way to prevent another wholesale change is to play better.

"Hopefully we can force their hand to go out and get some guys instead of letting some guys go," he said, "but that's up to our performance."

Until that time comes, Wilson will be prepared for anything. But players like LaRoche will stay away and just focus on going to the ball park everyday.

"During the season I stay out of the paper as much as possible," LaRoche said. "Occasionally I'll check it out. But it can't do a lot of good. You just don't want to over think stuff."