Quote of the day:

Huntington said deal-making is difficult because there are more buyers in this market than there's been in recent years. The demands of sellers started out high and have gotten higher over the past couple of weeks.

"Will that change in the next week? Probably," Huntington said. "That's why we'll stay disciplined and stay with teams. If the asking price changes, we'll hopefully look to add."

Other clubs also are hoping that Huntington will yield to pressure from fans to reload the roster amid the Pirates' surprising pennant chase.

You hear that? Calm down, people. Personally, I think Neal Huntington takes a sort of perverse pride in not basing his behavior on what fans think, and thank goodness for that. But if you're one of those who are screaming that the Pirates must make some huge deal by the trading deadline on Sunday, consider that other teams appreciate that you are doing that.

Personally, I'm still hoping for a Carlos Pena / Ryan Ludwick type of acquisition, and I think that the Pirates will, ultimately, make some sort of move to upgrade the offense. I just won't crucify them if they don't. There's no sense in getting desperate. The Bucs should certainly ask around about Hunter Pence and other higher-tier players, but I think any deal in which they give away top prospects or someone like Jose Tabata has an excellent chance of biting them in the end, and they should proceed with caution.