First base is a position of need for the Pittsburgh Pirates this off-season. There are a few free agent options available who could fill that need. There are also some trade options, including two that a lot of Pirates fans are talking about. Those two are Mark Trumbo of the Angels and Ike Davis of the Mets. This morning I noticed updates on both players from Jon Heyman, and neither specifically mentioned the Pirates as a team of interest.
In Trumbo’s case, we don’t know if the Pirates are interested. Heyman reports that interest in Trumbo is huge, but that the Angels don’t want to deal him. He says that the Angels are looking for pitching, and that Trumbo would bring a very good pitcher. Considering the interest in Trumbo, I’d imagine it would cost Jameson Taillon to get him. Personally I’d rather see a James Loney/Gaby Sanchez platoon, with Taillon coming up mid-season. That would provide more overall value than Trumbo. The Pirates showed interest in Trumbo at the trade deadline, but the Angels had no interest in a deal.
Heyman has an update on Ike Davis in a different article. He says that the Astros, Orioles, Rays, Brewers and Rockies have all checked in on Davis, and that the Mets are fielding offers. I have yet to see a credible rumor that connects the Pirates to Davis. The only thing I’ve seen has said the Pirates “could” have interest, which doesn’t mean they do have interest. You can make that claim about any first baseman on the market. For example, the Pirates “could” have interest in James Loney. But that’s not a rumor, and it doesn’t say the Pirates are interested. It’s just leaving off the disclaimer that the Pirates have a need at first base, and Loney is an available first baseman.