Trade Target: Jesse Crain

The Pirates bullpen has been great this year. They have the 2nd best ERA in the national league but the Shark Tank is going to need a new shark to carry them through the home stretch. And I'm not talking guys like Chad Qualls or Hisanori Takahashi. I'm talking a bonafide, trusty reliever for the seventh inning. Jesse Crain could be the perfect shark to add.

If we're gonna talk about sharks, adding Crain would be like adding Jaws. He's been dominant for the ChiSox this year. He has a 0.74 ERA, 46/11 K/BB ratio, and a monster 11.3 K/9. He has the ERA of Mark Melancon and the strikeout rate of Jason Grilli. The best part is unlike the stats of yesterday's profile, Nate Schierholtz, these breakout stats are sustainable. Crain finished last season with a K/9 rate of exactly 11.3 and the year before that it was 9.3. So racking up strikeouts isn't new to him. He also has a track record of low ERAs. He had a 3.04 ERA in 2010, a 2.64 ERA in 2011, and a 2.44 ERA last season. So while his ERA will probably get higher (he's yet to allow a HR) that is more than solid for a 7th inning man. So does Crain have any drawbacks?

I don't see many issues at all with Crain but the one thing is that he may take more to acquire than the normal reliever. Many teams are interested in him because he could be the best reliever on the market. I don't want to give up a solid prospect for a rental reliever so if the price is too high the Bucs will have to walk away. But who knows? In 2011 a lot of teams wanted Ryan Ludwick but the Pirates got him for a PTBNL. Lets just hope that if we do get Crain that he doesn't perform like Ludwick did.

Overall, Crain is probably the best relief pitcher the Pirates could go after. If the price is right, the Pirates should pull the trigger, especially if it also blocks the rival Reds, who are rumored to be very interested, from getting him. With Ryan Reid wasting space in the bullpen, Crain could easily be added. And with Wilson pitching so many innings and Watson still a little shaky for me, Crain, Melancon, Grilli could be the best three man combo in the league.

Tomorrow's trade target will be SP Bud Norris