Pirates Q&A: Who’s Off Limits in Trade Talks? Which Reliever Will Be Dealt First? (+)
The Pittsburgh Pirates had a pretty successful homestand by going 4-3 against a pair of divisional foes in the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers.
But the Pirates were shut out for the ninth time this season in a 5-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Memorial Day — the start of a six-game road trip out west.
With the loss, the Pirates are now 19-36 and still in a distant last place in the National League Central.
Let’s get into your questions.
Are there any untouchables come trade deadline? If so, Why? – Mike Aaron
Good question, Mike, and there are probably three or four guys the Pirates will not trade.
One is Paul Skenes. Despite ludicrous speculation from around the game, the Pirates will not be trading their nearly 23-year-old ace. Period. General manager Ben Cherington said as much when we last spoke to him.
“No, it’s not at all part of the conversation.”
The second is Oneil Cruz, who has stood out in the lowly Pirates’ offense with 11 home runs, a league-leading 18 stolen bases and an .859 OPS. Cruz is 26 years old. He’s under team control through the 2028 season. Plus, could you imagine how bad the lineup would look without him?
The third player the Pirates won’t consider trading is Bubba Chandler. They should, in my opinion, be willing to part with prospects for big-league players who can help this year and beyond — even if they are out of the playoff race as anticipated. If that happened, Chandler wouldn’t be part of any deal. 2024 first-rounder Konnor Griffin is probably in the same boat.
With Jones having the repair on his UCL and this not being a Tommy John procedure he is expected back in 10-12 months. Is that time frame a return to baseball activity where at best we see him in August or September next season or is that a time frame of possibly getting back to the Pittsburgh? – J.W. Sanders
Instead of Tommy John surgery, Jones had what’s referred to as an internal brace procedure, which is not a complete reconstruction of the ligament. That’s as good of news as Pirates’ fans could have hoped to hear.
When the team provided a post-operation update on Jones, they said the 10-12 month timetable is a “return to full competition,” meaning that is when he will be pitching in games again, barring any setbacks.
Was Carmen sent down because he didn’t want to move to the bullpen or are they trying to control his innings pitched for the year? – J.W. Sanders
The Pirates are viewing Mlodzinski as a starting pitcher. He will continue to be used as a starting pitcher in Triple-A Indianapolis rather than shifting back to the bullpen either there or on the big-league roster.
Mlodzinski struggled for the most part in his first season as a big-league starter. But the Pirates are sending him down to work on some things and maintain as much depth as they can.
His first start with Indianapolis was a huge success. He threw 6.0-shutout innings and struck out 10 batters.
Who will go first: Bednar or Santana? – Derf Userk
Assuming this is in regards to a potential trade, the answer is David Bednar. Dennis Santana is not untouchable by any means, and he could fetch a nice return, but Santana is cheaper and has been much more effective.
To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t be surprised to see either player traded, but I think Santana has a better chance of pitching for the Pirates in 2026 than Bednar.
Bednar is making nearly $6 million this year and that number will increase through his final year of arbitration this offseason. The Pirates will do whatever they can to get his salary off the books before the start of next season. It might be easiest to do it at the trade deadline, when every contender will be looking for bullpen help, as opposed to in the offseason when teams can also sign free agents.
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