THE BULLPEN

Your Pittsburgh Pirates are getting closer to the start of the second half of their season which also means they're getting closer to the trade deadline. Because it's a slow sports week, Mrs. Black-N-Gold has come up with some proposals to help the Pirates fill some holes. Owner Bottom Dollar Bob Nutting should appreciate this as I tried to find the most economical way in which to do this. No, I'm not smoking anything. I just thought I'd throw these against the wall and see if anything sticks. So, without further adieu....

1B-Many, many people think letting Justin Morneau go was a big mistake. You didn't hear many people complain about it when he signed with Colorado in the offseason, but now that he's competed in the All-Star Home Run Derby, they sure are. Consider that Morneau's statistics are inflated because of the Mile High altitude if you will, but his road numbers are still better than the Davis/Sanchez platoon. Trade for Morneau a second year in a row?  Who else is out there? They had their shot at James Loney in the offseason and went cheap. Besides, Tampa Bay may not be ready to throw in the towel. Forget Ryan Howard and Paul Goldschmidt. The price is too steep for Nutting. I still like Mike Carp from the BoSox but he's been hurt this season and may figure into their re-building plans. We could always make a trade with the New York Mets for under-performing Lucas Duda. Oh, wait! We already did that with Ike Davis. Now stay with me here because this is where I get a little crazy. If you had a chance to get a 1B with 612 career home runs, would you? Jim Thome hasn't played since 2012 and may not want to but it won't cost Nutting a darn thing to ask. Why not? Thome can't be any worse than what we already have. And if that doesn't work, we still have Andrew Lambo down on the farm.

C-I propose that we play Russell Martin until his wheels fall off. It's not like the Pirates will attempt to re-sign him so what do we care if we wear him out. Unless, we're able to pick up a World Champion catcher as backup. Bring in A.J.! No, I don't mean Burnett. Pierzynski has been released by the Red Sox so the Pirates should be able to get him at the right price. True, Chris Stewart was hurt earlier this season so A.J.'s numbers are going to look bigger. That said, I'd still rather make a run at A.J. Or else, bring Tony Sanchez back up so he can do the Batman-Robin thing with Martin. Otherwise, go ahead and put one in the loss column every time Stewart is in the lineup.

P-I don't see anyone on the market in the Pirates price range. I do, however, see options at Indy. We have seen what Brandon Cumpton and Casey Sadler can do. Those are to viable options for long relief in place of Jeanmar Gomez and Stolmy Pimentel. Andy Oliver, 1-2, 11 saves, 58 Ks in 45 IP would give them another lefty arm out of the bullpen. Nick Kingham could turn out to be what they were hoping to get in Jameson Taillon this season. Since his call up to Triple A, Kingham is 3-1 with a 1.62 ERA with 30 strikeouts and only 6 walks in 39 innings pitched. How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm?

Again, these aren't etched in stone. I'm just spitballing here. But if any of these come to fruition and work out, you heard it here first. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!