In this Pirates trade rumors and news bulletin, FOX Sports baseball guru Ken Rosenthal believes that now is the time for the Pittsburgh Pirates to make a splash and acquire Boston's Jon Lester prior to the trade deadline.
Per Rosenthal, the Pirates' stocked cache of prospects is reason enough to pursue Lester aggressively before Thursday's cutoff:
Baseball America ranks the Pirates' farm system as the best in baseball. And as the non-waiver trade deadline approaches, the team should at least consider putting that system to use.
Specifically, the Pirates should acquire Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester, a move that would give them an edge in the heated zero-sum game of the NL Central.
Making such a move would represent a huge shift in the Pirates' spending philosophy, potentially spending $4.33 million for what could be a two-month rental.
Add in, as reported by Yahoo! Sports, the reported cost of outfielder Josh Bell, and the club will have plenty to think about before pulling the trigger on a trade.
However, with the chance of making two straight playoff appearances and doing damage in a wide-open National League field, the risk could be worth the reward.
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