The Pirates made another puzzling move today, trading for all-star outfielder Corey Dickerson just more than a month after trading away fan favorite and former MVP outfielder Andrew McCutchen.

The Pirates gave up relief pitcher Daniel Hudson, prospect Tristan Gray and cash considerations. The Pirates got more current value out of the trade, but that is not what they needed after deciding to rebuild last month.

The move seems to be just an attempt to quiet the fanbase after the outrage the fans felt after the trades of centerpieces McCutchen and ace Gerrit Cole. This trade raises the team from below average to average.

Dickerson is coming from the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that is clearly in rebuild mode. The Rays have traded four of their best players just in the last week and have been completely rebuilding their team for the future. This is clearly what the Pirates planned to do when they traded their superstars about a month ago, but it seems they have changed their plan for the future.

The team seemed to be in complete rebuild mode, but apparently wants to stay somewhat average to keep fans interested. This is what caused the Pirates’ 20-year playoff drought: refusing to go through a complete rebuild and just staying average to keep the money coming in.

Rebuilding is part of the process of building a future contender and champion, but the Pirates are deciding to avoid this process just to make some extra money over the next season or two. The Pirates are more worried about their profits than building the team up to a contender in the future.