Now is the Time to trade Nady

Neil Walker is definitely not having a great beginning of the year.  I am not sure about him either.  I know he is NOT ready now and the Pirates could upgrade that position at any time because Bausista is very average.   As for the Nady trade, I think the bucs are going to wait until closer to the trade deadline when teams get desperate.  Thats when you will see the prospects fly around.  As for the pirates not going anywhere.  I think NH is doing anything he can right now to put a good product on the field and the Pirates at this point are only 2 games under .500.  I think we will have a better idea where the Pirates stand for the year after this month.  They see the cards for 5, Cubs for 6, Brewers for 3, and Reds for 3.  All inside our division.  All inside our division.  I would like to see us with a winning record at that point. I am not giving up on the year yet.

GO Bucs!!!

In my opinion, Nady should only be dealt if it is an insanely lopsided deal in our favor. If we have Nady under contract for next season then hang on to him. Xavier is part of the solution, not part of the problem, but I can see the advantages of trading him at peak value.

I also agree that I'm more than worried of Neil Walker being the "future" at the hot corner with that stats he's putting up in AAA right now. If I were Huntington and I did decide to deal either Bay or Nady I do it after the draft.....

When the draft comes around the Pirates should be looking at either Pedro Alvarez or Tim Beckham, if not both depending on who the Rays select at #1. If the Pirates decide to take Alvarez he could be in the Bigs by the end of the year and at the least probably be our Opening Day starter at 3rd in 2009. If we draft him I move Walker to a corner outfield position or 1B depending on what they want to do with Steve Pearce in preparing for life without Adam LaRoche in a couple years (which doesn't sound too bad, actually). Personally I move Walker to 1B and platoon him with LaRoche in '09. After the draft I then trade Bay or Nady for a stud SS for the future because Bixler is not the answer there. 

If the Bucs decide to take Beckham you have a 5-tool SS for the future, but will more than likely take longer to make it to Pittsburgh because he's straight out of high school as opposed to a college junior in Alvarez. I then basically do the exact same thing except try to aquire a stud 3B for either Nady or Bay.

Would Josh Vitters be asking too much as a starting point? I'd assume the Cubs would sell their soul for a World Series ring and have little regard for their prospects in the meantime, plus Ramirez isn't going anywhere.

Having said that, I doubt they trade Nady or Bay away to a team in the Central.