Rob Biertempfel reports:

The Pirates are reluctant to part with rookie outfielder Starling Marte or top right-handed pitching prospects Jameson Taillon and Gerrit Cole, which takes them out of the running for outfielder such as Hunter Pence, Shane Victorino and Shin-Soo Choo.

I think the Pirates are definitely being smart in not giving up any of these three guys for the people mentioned. I could make an argument that Marte for Choo would make sense, but I would prefer to not have that happen.

As far as Pence and Victorino, I don’t think the Phillies are going to get anyone with the talent anywhere near those three prospects for either of them. Victorino is a rental player in the midst of his worst season of his career. Pence is set to make about $12+ million next year in arbitration, which diminishes his trade value. Also, Pence’s numbers have also taken a hit this year from his career norms.

It is definitely smart for the Pirates to hold out a bit on these guys. By 4 PM, the asking price on a lot of these players will be dropped as more pressure is put on GM’s to deal players to get a return.

Things were pretty quiet today on the Pirates’ trade front as tomorrow afternoon will mark the deadline players can be traded without clearing waivers.

- The Indians are very unlikely to deal Shin-Soo Choo. The Pirates were among the teams interested in the right fielder, but reports are that they would have to trade Starling Marte to complete a deal, and Huntington balked at that idea.

- Reed Johnson was traded by the Cubs to the Atlanta Braves today along with Paul Maholm. The Pirates apparently made an offer for Johnson earlier today.

- Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Pirates don’t seem to be very alive in talks about Phillies’ outfielder Shane Victorino. Apparently the Phillies aren’t shopping Victorino as hard as they are Hunter Pence, either.

#pirates have shown interested in Shin-Soo Choo, as @BiertempfelTrib reported. theyd have to give up marte to do it

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) July 29, 2012

This is an interesting rumor.

Adding a bat like Shin-Soo Choo would be amazing. Currently, Choo is hitting .291/.378/.484 with 12 home runs. Choo also still has one year left of team control as he does not become a free agent until after the 2013 season. This type of production is also pretty consistent over the course of his career. Since 2008, Choo has posted an OPS+ of 151, 136, 147, 108, and 143 with the MLB average being 100.

The other side of this deal is that there are now two people (Heyman and Rob Biertempfel) saying that in order for a deal to occur, the Pirates would have to give up Starling Marte.

It is certainly an intriguing offer to think about because there is no question that Choo’s presence in the Pirates lineup would be a pretty significant upgrade. Also, Choo wouldn’t be just a rental player, as he would be controlled through all of next season.

Here’s my take on it. If Choo were to become a free agent after the 2014 season, I would pull the trigger on this deal. Marte for two years and two months of Choo. However, Marte for one year and two months of Choo seems like a lot. The Pirates have control of Marte through the 2018 season, at least. So it comes down to if a year and two months of Choo is worth six years and two months of Marte. I say no.

Another scenario that crossed my mind was perhaps if Choo were traded, he would be willing to sign an extension, buying out a year or two of his free agency. After thinking about it, that is pretty highly unlikely. He’s not too far away from getting a big-time payday. Also, he is represented by Scott Boras, who will definitely be steering him towards testing the free agency market.

It’s an interesting debate and there are definitely pros and cons to either side of the argument.

Rob Biertempfel reports:

Right-hander Kevin Correia, who last week was taken out of the starting rotation, has asked the Pirates to trade him. “I want to start,” Correia said. “For that to happen, I’ll have to go someplace else.”

I think that can be arranged.

Seriously, at this point, just trade the guy to anybody who is willing to take him on. He is not one of the top five starters on the ML roster and probably isn’t even the sixth or seventh best on the 40-man roster. If he is upset about being in the bullpen, then he will serve little use there. The last thing this team needs is someone who is upset or uncomfortable with their role on the team, and Kevin Correia obviously feels like he is being misused.

The Pirates also have plenty of options internally if Correia were to be moved. Indianapolis’ roster is littered with relief pitchers who are dominating that level knocking on the door. Juan Cruz will also be coming off the disabled list shortly. There really is little need for Correia, who has literally been the definition of “replacement level” over the past three years (0.0 WAR in ’10, 0.0 WAR in ’11, 0.1 WAR in ’12).