Pirates interested in Justin Upton

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in a good position with just under two weeks until the non-waiver trade deadline. They are 53-38 and are 3 1/2 games ahead of the Cubs for the first Wild Card spot. 

Right in the thick of the pennant race, the team will need to make some upgrades in order to hold their playoff spot, especially due to injuries to Josh Harrison and now Jordy Mercer. 

According to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports, the Pirates are showing interest in Padres' outfielder Justin Upton, but they will prioritize an infielder if Mercer is out for an extended amount of time. For now, they appear to be waiting everything out. 

Without Harrison, the Pirates have recently been playing Korean offseason addition Jung Ho Kang at third base, who has played well. Mercer, however, adds another issue to the Pirates' infield that is quickly losing the depth it once had. 

If he isn't out for that long, then the Pirates can look elsewhere other than the infield for additions. 

That would be the reason for showing interest in Upton. He would be a great platoon for Gregory Polanco, who has struggled to a .146/.226/.146 line against left-handers this year. Upton, a right-handed hitter, has a career .896 OPS against southpaws. 

--Devan Fink

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