Pirates Trade Deadline Primer: Who Else Goes? Latest Rumors
It’s the trade deadline, meaning once the clock strikes 6 p.m. ET, that’s it. No more deals.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to be active in the hours leading up to the deadline, and they have a handful of players whose next game will likely be with a new team.
Completed Deals
So far, the Pirates have already traded a few pieces from their active roster. The first of the notable moves came when veteran infielder Adam Frazier was dealt to the Kansas City Royals for minor league infielder Cam Devanney during the All-Star break.
The Pirates made two more trades on Wednesday. In a bit of a surprise, the Pirates shipped third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds for left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers and infield prospect Sammy Stafura.
A little while later, the Pirates shipped reliever Caleb Ferguson to the Seattle Mariners for pitching prospect Jeter Martinez.
Who Else Might Go?
It seems likely that the Pirates will trade those playing on expiring contracts, as they did with Frazier. Utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa, outfielder Tommy Pham, starter Andrew Heaney and the newly-acquired Taylor Rogers are all varying levels of attractive trade options for teams looking for pure rentals.
Other than those names, the Pirates will have some tough decisions to make. Starting pitcher Mitch Keller and closer David Bednar have both drawn heavy trade interest in recent weeks. Right-handed reliever Dennis Santana has been coveted too.
All three could go, but the Pirates say their aim is to build a winner in 2026, and all three players have control beyond this season. At the same time, those three players would bring back a greater return than any of the rentals mentioned previously.
Some wild cards who could potentially be on the move include outfielder Bryan Reynolds and lefty starter Bailey Falter, though those seem far less likely.
What Will Pirates Want?
This is an easy answer — offense, lots of it, and players who could improve the lineup quicker rather than later.
The Pirates already added a potential lineup option for the rest of the season in Devanney, but they need much more help for the rest of this season and beyond.
General manager Ben Cherington’s top choice would be to add established big-league bats with multiple years of control. Prospects who are in the upper levels of the minor leagues will be prioritized as well.
In a perfect world, that’s what the Pirates will get. They could (and probably should) even trade prospects for established big league position players since they’re already focused on next year. Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan would sure look good in black and gold, huh?
That idea is far-fetched, but there are some deals of that structure that definitely could make sense for a team like the Pirates, who match well with a team like the Baltimore Orioles, who are in a similar spot this season but for different reasons.
While MLB-ready (or close to it) bats will be the main goal for the Pirates, don’t rule out trading for more pitchers or lower-level minor leaguers. Pittsburgh can always flip prospects for offensive help, and stockpiling talent makes that easier. Cherington has said that strategy is on the table.
Latest Rumors
- Several teams are known to be interested in Mitch Keller, including the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays. But according to The Athletics Ken Rosenthal, its likely the Pirates keep Keller.
- The Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers are known to be interested in David Bednar. The Yankees also have their eyes on Andrew Heaney.
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