Bleacher Report Proposes Oneil Cruz Offseason Trade for Top Prospect
There aren’t many players in baseball more talented than Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz. At the same time, there aren’t many players who had a more disappointing season than him.
The Pirates were hoping that the 2025 season would be the one where Cruz’s raw talent matched his production. While he did some good things, like leading the National League in stolen bases with 38 and pacing the Pirates with 20 home runs, Cruz left a lot to be desired.
The 26-year-old finished the season at the Mendoza Line with a .200 batting average. He ended the year with a .298 on-base percentage, a .678 OPS and struck out 174 times in 544 plate appearances (32% strikeout rate).
Defensively, Cruz led baseball with 11 errors in his first full year in center field and posted minus-14 defensive runs saved.
At times Cruz looked disinterested, leading to a benching against the Brewers in Milwaukee in June, a choice made by manager Don Kelly.
Though it’s probably more unlikely than it is likely at this point, it’s at least possible the Pirates consider trading Cruz this winter.
Cruz’s value is tough to gauge. He can run as fast and hit the ball as hard as anyone else in Major League Baseball. He also has one of the strongest arms in the league. It was clear on numerous occasions that players on opposing teams were reluctant to try and take an extra base when the ball landed in Cruz’s glove.
But Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently came out with eight offseason trades he feels are realistic, and Cruz is among the players involved.
Rymer has the Pirates trading Cruz to the Detroit Tigers, who currently trail the Seattle Mariners two games to one in the American League Division Series. In return, the Pirates would land catcher/first baseman Josue Briceño.
Briceño, 21, is considered the 33rd-best prospect in baseball and No. 3 in the Tigers’ organization, according to MLB Pipeline’s rankings. A native of Venezuela, Briceño signed with the Tigers for $800,000 in 2022.
In four minor-league seasons, Briceño, who bats left and throws right, carries a .276/.374/.464 batting line with 51 doubles, seven triples, 33 home runs and 152 RBI across 240 games.
Briceño started the 2025 season with High-A West Michigan and slashed an impressive .296/.422/.602 with 15 home runs and 57 RBI in 55 games. He was promoted to Double-A Erie in the middle of the season and hit .232 with a .335 on-base percentage, a .713 OPS, six doubles, two triples, five home runs and 19 RBI in 45 games.
In the Arizona Fall League last year, Briceño was named the MVP after batting .433 (39 for 90) with a 1.376 OPS, 10 home runs and 27 RBI in 25 games.
Briceño possesses plus-power with a plus-plus arm. The jury is still out on whether or not he will wind up behind the plate or at first base, but his bat and sneaky athleticism for someone his size (6-foot-4, 200 pounds) make him appealing.
If the Pirates do end up trading Cruz this offseason, it would have to be for a player with the upside of Briceño.
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No way in his current state Cruz is going to net you Detroit’s #3 prospect, #33 in the game. Ain’t going to happen.
The never ending cycle of trading major league players for prospects.
I would like to see cruz with another chance RATHEWR than another “prospect”…cruz underachieved, but at least brought a little excitement at times. Prospects that never leave AA ball dont bring much excotement