The Pittsburgh Pirates are performing well at 10-6 this season and are looking to enhance their roster ahead of the MLB trade deadline. A proposed trade suggests acquiring $34 million slugger Munetaka Murakami from the Chicago White Sox to boost their offensive capabilities.
Pirates trade idea lands fun $34 million slugger from White Sox originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have seemingly found their groove, and they're 10-6 on the year and look to be a very serious postseason contender.
But there is still room to improve. One of the ways the Pirates could do so is at the MLB trade deadline, and specifically, finding a trade with a team for some more offensive upside at either designated hitter or first base.
Christopher Kline of Fansided.com proposed one trade idea for the Pirates that would resolve this issue with a very fun trade pickup of $34 million slugger from the Chicago White Sox, Munetaka Murakami.
"The Pirates shouldn't balk at the opportunity to add another young slugger if the opportunity arises, however," Kline writes. "Murakami fits their budget, and it's easy enough to plug him into the DH spot in place of a struggling Marcell Ozuna, if it comes to that."
With the Pirates not getting nearly enough production from their designated hitter spot, adding a new slugger to the offense would not be a surprise at all.
Murakami is hitting only .157 in 16 games and 51 at-bats this season, but he has four home runs, 13 walks, and a .715 OPS. His offensive numbers are a lot better than what Ozuna has put out this year.
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Ozuna is hitting .070 across 43 at-bats with a terrible .237 OPS. The Pirates cannot rely on Ozuna this season, and with their team looking like a legitimate postseason contender, trading for someone to replace Ozuna in the DH spot would make sense.
That's why Murakami, a slugger for the White Sox, would be such a great trade option. Kline's idea would give the Pirates a new DH in Murakami, who would be exactly what the offense needs in place of Ozuna in the lineup.
And beyond the simple team fit, adding Murakami, a power hitter with plenty of upside, would simply be a fun addition for the Pirates' offense.
Things are looking up in Pittsburgh, and adding Murakami would be a fun way to add more firepower to the offense.
Munetaka Murakami is a $34 million slugger from the Chicago White Sox, and he is seen as a potential key addition to enhance the Pirates' offensive lineup.
The Pittsburgh Pirates currently have a record of 10-6 this season, indicating a strong start and potential postseason contention.
The Pirates are looking to strengthen their designated hitter or first base positions ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
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