Pirates interested in Justin Upton, might prioritize infielder

Add the Pittsburgh Pirates to the list of teams intrigued by San Diego outfielder Justin Upton. The Pirates join the New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, and Houston Astros as teams considering making a move for Upton, according to FOX Sports' Jon Morosi.

Despite the interest from the Pirates, some recent developments may stop that from even starting. Infielder Jordy Mercer was carted off yesterday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers with a leg injury after a hard slide by Carlos Gomez. If Mercer is required to miss time, the interest for Upton will likely be superseded by a need to upgrade the infield, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.

#Pirates interested in Justin Upton, but they will prioritize an infielder if Jordy Mercer is out for extended period. Holding pattern now.

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 20, 2015

The Pirates already are down one infielder, with Josh Harrison out after having thumb surgery earlier this month. In his place, the team went to rookie Jung Ho Kang. Now, without Mercer, the team might need to get another infielder.

Not knowing how long Mercer will be out for means the Pirates will need to wait a tad before making any sort of move, and with the market waiting to burst, they might not have a lot of time to wait.

Mercer is hitting .242 on the season with two home runs and 19 RBI's. It's unclear how long he could be out for, if at all, or what type of upgrade the team would be looking for if they needed to join the infield market.