Crippling Pirates injury creates less complicated trade deadline path for Cubs

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been a surprise contender this season, and that's made life difficult for the Chicago Cubs. The Pirates entered Wednesday with a record of 46-45, three games out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

While the Cubs have five fewer losses than the Pirates this season, it's become clear that this Pittsburgh team isn't the doormat they once were. At the very, as the Cubs looked to maintain their top Wild Card spot and remain within shouting distance of the Milwaukee Brewers in the division, the Pirates weren't going to make life easy.

That conversation now looks different for, at least, the next month. ESPN's Jeff Passan reports that Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin has a torn tendon in his left ring finger and will be sidelined for the next several weeks.

On the season, Griffin is carrying a wRC+ of 102 with an OPS of .736. That doesn't tell the full story of his season. Griffin had a slow start to his rookie campaign, but once he turned 20 on April 24, a switch flipped. Since April 24, Griffin is boasting a 130 wRC+ with an OPS of .840.

While the Pirates have routinely been a team rich with pitching prospects, their offense this season is what helped their cause as a contender. The 475 runs the Pirates have scored this season are third only to the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers. The question becomes, with Spencer Horwitz and Oneil Cruz also injured, can the Pirates still keep pace with that production?

Konnor Griffin's injury could reset the Pirates' deadline expectations, making life easier for the Cubs

This will be the true litmus for the Pirates front office. Will there be an urgency to upgrade the roster or will the injuries be used as an excuse to take their foot off the gas pedal ahead of the trade deadline.

The Pirates acting with less urgency at the deadline would certainly be encouraging news for the Cubs. In fact, considering Pittsburgh is rich in pitching, perhaps there's a scenario where the Cubs trade from their surplus of position player prospects for some of the Pirates' excess pitching.

At the very least, while the Cubs have injuries of their own, they're in a position to have an aggressive deadline and act with intent. If anything, the Pirates potentially taking a step back should validate that belief even more.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow