Following a fantastic stretch of games since July 3, The Pittsburgh Pirates have reasserted themselves into contention for winning the division. They have jostled their way from dead last in the NL Central to third place, just two games in back of the Milwaukee Brewers who sit in first place. This past week, the Pirates did themselves a few huge favors by taking two of three games from the rival St. Louis Cardinals to pass them in the standings and sweeping the Brewers in a rare four-game series. The Pirates made up 6 games in 6 days to put themselves back in the race as they head to the west coast for three series against the Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres to finish out the month of July. The July 31st trade deadline is creeping up quickly and teams like the Pirates will be forced to determine if they have a legitimate shot at making a push for the playoffs or if they should try to build for the future.

The Pirates will have a tough case to make for becoming a buyer. It is, however, clear that the team has suffered dearly without the likes of outfielder Starling Marte and third baseman Jung Ho Kang, who have hurt the team significantly this season. Jung Ho Kang fielded his third DUI in South Korea by age 30 before the start of spring training and has since been sentenced to mandatory jail time and denied a visa to come to the United States. This comes on the tails of sexual assault allegations in Chicago last season. No one in Pittsburgh will vouch for Jung Ho as a character reference but almost everyone here recognizes his talent for playing the game of baseball. Pittsburgh fans outwardly refuse to support players with character issues. Some fans still refuse to support Ben Roethlisberger following his past failures. Jung Ho filled a position that the Pirates have been severely lacking in for a number of years. He took over for the much-criticized Pedro Alvarez, who was basically thrown out of Pittsburgh to many mixed feelings after an unfruitful move to first base. Kang was supposed to be the lock on the hot corner for the Bucs at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. He took his own life and the lives of countless others into his inebriated hands. He put himself and others in harm’s way and has been mandated to pay for his actions. Now, it’s uncertain whether he will be allowed to return to the United States, but Pirates GM Neal Huntington revealed that he does not expect Kang to return at all this season.

On the other hand, Starling Marte made a mistake that many fans are more apt to forgive for some reason. Marte was caught with performance enhancing drugs in his system during a routine drug test. It is a stupid move to take PEDs in this day and age. Major League Baseball has found more intelligent ways to test for steroids and other PEDs. Though Marte did not endanger anyone but himself by taking drugs like Jung Ho Kang, he still hurt the Pirates and created another distraction for the team. Marte was forced to miss 80 games for his first PED offense and is ineligible to participate for the Pirates should they reach the playoffs this season. The Pirates had to play 80 games without their everyday outfielder. He had been playing centerfield in place of Andrew McCutchen who had been relegated to right field in response to his struggles in center. But now, Marte has returned as reinforcements for the latter half of the season.

If the Bucs plan to make a push for the playoffs, a good place to start would be to find a rental player who can consistently fill in for Marte in the outfield during the playoffs. It should not be difficult to find a capable player to supplement the outfield and work as a bat coming off the bench. Until Marte’s return, the Pirates were forced to platoon 7 players in right field. Josh Harrison and David Freese have been able to hold down the fort at third without Jung Ho Kang but with Harrison’s versatility and occasional deep struggles at the plate, and Freese’s inability to play every day, the Pirates need an everyday third baseman who can play good defense and perform at the plate with some power. Scoring runs has been an issue for the team this season. (I say that the night after they put up 13 against the Rockies in a 13-5 win.) Many of the games they lost in the first half of the season were one-run losses or low scoring games. The Pirates did not start well out of the gate, and it has forced them to make up ground now to prove that they deserve the trust of the Pirates ownership. This current run is unsustainable with the current roster, who is playing above and beyond their expectations. They will need to be added to in order to keep pace with the rest of the NL Central and to pass the Brewers and the surging Defending World Series Champion Chicago Cubs. The Brewers are three and seven in their last ten while the Cubs are seven and three. The Pirates are 9-1 in their last ten with a .505 winning percentage. Pittsburgh fans love to see the team reach that .500 mark because for 21 years, the team was never able to reach a winning record and a .505 after the midway point in the season is welcome news for the fanbase. If the management cares about the team and wants to make a push, sticking to their guns as they are prone to do will result in a major collapse as they have experienced before. This team is not built for a World Series run at the moment. Instead it will require some help. The Pirates may have to part ways with their tightly held talent from the minors but the window to win with this core is closing. McCutchen is on the back end of his career and without the cornerstone of the franchise and Gerrit Cole threatening to leave at any moment, the Buccos need to capitalize on this opportunity to compete. Why not give it a shot. This is the year when everyone in the division is down. The Pirates will have to finish at the top of the division to make the playoffs because the NL West will more than likely fill the wildcard spots and that would be a very good goal for the organization that has not won an NL Central ever.

The owner Bob Nutting and General Manager Neal Huntington would earn a good deal of respect from the fan base if they were to prove that they are believers and invest in this team. Pirates attendance has dropped significantly this season by nearly 4,000 per game but during this recent recovery stretch, the Pirates had a nearly full stadium for a day game in which they swept the Brewers last Thursday over a four game series. That is unheard of. Pittsburgh fans like to see winners and teams who prove that they can compete will earn the hearts of the fans in this city. We support our teams through and through and bleed black and gold, but we need commitment from the upper management of the organization. This team needs to figure out what it is. Neal Huntington should give the team a shot. With a bad division, this could be the year to win the NL Central for the first time ever and make a run in the playoffs. This team needs to be added to in order to compete with the best in baseball consistently. They need an arm, a third baseman and a fielder, but most importantly they need bats. This team has a lot of holes, but if they can fill even a few of them, the Pirates could make this city proud.