Potential Pirates Trade Targets: On-Base Machine From Giants

This is one in a series of examining potential trade targets for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2024-25 offseason.

Outfield and first base help will be among the biggest priorities for Pirates general manager Ben Cherington this offseason.

Even taking into account an All-Star campaign from Bryan Reynolds, Pirates’ outfielders combined for a .638 on-base percentage, the second-worst mark in baseball ahead of only the Chicago White Sox (.629). First base, meanwhile, has been a black hole for what seems like decades.

Free agents are aplenty this winter, but given the Pirates’ overall lack of activity on the free agent market in the franchise’s history, a trade could be a more plausible solution.

In their search to upgrade the lineup, Lamonte Wade Jr. of the San Francisco Giants could be of interest.

Wade has spent the last four seasons in San Francisco after starting his career with the Minnesota Twins for parts of two seasons from 2019-20. Since he was traded to the Giants, he’s been a solid contributor at the plate.

The 30-year-old just completed a season in which he hit .260 with a .380 on-base percentage and a .761 OPS, 16 doubles, eight home runs and 34 RBIs while anchoring the top portion of the lineup. Among players with at least 400 plate appearances, Wade ranked ninth in on-base percentage and was third in baseball with a 15.5% walk rate.

Since the start of the 2023 season, Wade has the fourth-best walk rate (15%) of any player in Major League Baseball with at least 900 plate appearances. Among National League players with the same number of plate appearances during that time, Wade is sixth with a stellar .376 OBP.

While Wade’s power numbers took a step back this past season, he has shown the ability to impact the baseball in the past. Wade blasted a career-high 18 home runs with the Giants in 2021 and hit 17 homers in 2023. Spending half of his time in PNC Park as opposed to the spacious Oracle park could help improve those numbers for the left-handed hitter.

The bulk of his time in the field with the Giants the last two seasons has come at first base, where he’s been at least an adequate defender. In his career, he’s also played 111 games in right field, 87 games in left and 23 games in center.

Adding Wade would give the Pirates flexibility since he’s able to play multiple positions the Pirates need to address.

Wade is in his final year of arbitration this winter before he’s set to hit free agency next offseason. He’s projected to earn $4.7 million this winter, a more than reasonable price for the Pirates to add to their payroll.