Pirates best trade deadline fit is Padres All-Star reliever not named Mason Miller

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Even without a few of their top members of the lineup (Oneil Cruz, Konnor Griffin, Spencer Horwitz), the Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the top offensive clubs in the Majors.

Their starting rotation is strong as well, led by Paul Skenes and Braxton Ashcraft. But Pittsburgh's bullpen could use some work before next week's trade deadline.

"Though their bullpen hasn't been a complete disaster, it has been disaster-adjacent -- bad enough that their closer to begin the season, Dennis Santana, was just designated for assignment and went unclaimed," ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote Thursday.

"Gregory Soto, Yohan Ramirez and Mason Montgomery are perfectly fine bullpen options, but only Montgomery belongs in a leverage role," Passan added. "Which puts the impetus on Pittsburgh to remake its relief corps and secure its first postseason spot since 2015."

Pirates linked to non-Mason Miller trade with Padres​

Passan tabbed a left-handed flamethrower from the San Diego Padres as the best deadline fit for the Pirates. Adrian Morejon is not as high profile as Mason Miller, but the 27-year-old has emerged as one of the best relievers in the game.

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"Should they land relievers -- and they are trawling everywhere for them -- the Pirates' potential comes that much closer to morphing into reality. They're two games back of the final wild-card spot. A playoff berth is within reach," Passan added. "And whether it's one of the Mets' arms or a high-strikeout type like Ryan Zeferjahn or even the flamethrowing Morejón, the upgrades are there for the taking."

Morejón would be a great addition for the Pirates and could take over the closer's role. In 57.1 innings, he has a 3.14 ERA with 64 strikeouts and a 61.3% ground ball rate thanks to a power sinker.

As an impending free agent, Morejon would be a rental for the Pirates. Still, Pittsburgh's bullpen would improve dramatically with a move like this.

More MLB news:​

• Red Sox ‘would love’ to trade for Angels’ Zach Neto or Astros’ Jeremy Pena
• Giants willing to trade Heliot Ramos in big news for many MLB clubs
• Padres likely not to trade Mason Miller amid latest update
• Tigers expected to trade Tarik Skubal but still try to contend without him
• Mets ‘desperate’ to trade Luis Robert Jr. after trade failure

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