The Cubs still have pieces on the table after dealing Matt Garza and Alfonso Soriano, and CSNChicago.com’s Patrick Mooney says the Pirates and Tigers have been sniffing around in advance of this afternoon’s trade deadline.
The Pirates are most likely interested in Nate Schierholtz to help with their right-field situation. Schierholtz has been a very pleasant surprise this year, hitting .272/.332/.517 with 14 homers and 43 RBI in 290 at-bats. Pirates right fielders as a whole have hit .231/.294/.366 with nine homers and 37 RBI in 407 at-bats.
The Tigers are still looking for bullpen help, and they’re probably more interested in lefty James Russell than closer Kevin Gregg, though both are candidates to be dealt today.
The Cubs also have outfielder David DeJesus, infielder Luis Valbuena and catcher Dioner Navarro to sell. DeJesus, though, only recently returned from a shoulder injury, and he’s more likely to go in a waiver deal next month. Valbuena could be handy to a contender as a left-handed-hitting part-timer at third and second, and a trade would free up the Cubs’ third-base spot for the newly acquired Mike Olt. The 29-year-old Navarro has been terrific in his limited role this year, batting .294/.370/.510 with nine homers in 143 at-bats, but catcher hasn’t been a popular position in trade talks this month, as most of the contenders are pretty well set.
