The Pittsburgh Pirates could be the most active sellers at the MLB trade deadline, with many pieces that contenders are after. During this really cold stretch that sent the Pirates more than 20 games under .500, though, a handful of players lost value on the market. There are still a few names gaining value, but this cold stretch has hurt the team on the trade front overall.
Here are two Pirates who have gained a lot of value leading up to the deadline, along with two others who have seen their value plummet.
These four Pirates have seen a big change to their trade value ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline.
Tommy Pham
Tommy Pham is riding a crazy run and somehow has a higher OPS this season than Bryan Reynolds. Over his last 30 games, he is batting .326 with four home runs and 19 RBI. His strikeout rate sits at just 16.3% with a .908 OPS.
These recent numbers could get the Pirates a prospect in return. Before this stretch, Pham was on the verge of being DFA'd, and now he may actually land Pittsburgh the type of return they hoped for when they signed him in the first place. A team will definitely be looking for his voice in the clubhouse leading up to the postseason.
David Bednar
David Bednar may not have ever had as much value to his name as he does right now. The veteran closer is on an unreal run of 21 straight games without allowing an earned run. He has dropped his ERA on the season to 2.31 with a 2.03 FIP. His K/9 of 12.34, BB/9 of 2.57, and HR/9 of 0.51 are all career bests so far.
Depending on what happens with the Guardians and Emmanuel Clase, Bednar could be the top closer on the market. If he can land Pittsburgh a bat that can contribute to the big-league roster, why not trade him? He is going to be an expensive closer next season, and if there isn't an offense to produce enough runs to be competitive, Bednar will be wasted in that role.
Caleb Ferguson
After a phenomenal start to the season, Caleb Ferguson was looking like one of the more underrated southpaws available at the trade deadline. Over his last seven games, he has allowed seven earned runs, pushing his ERA up to 3.92 on the season. That isn't bad at all, but that increased dramatically from what it was a week ago.
Despite this last week being a major red flag attached to his name, he still has the game's lowest average exit velocity of 83.6 mph and hard-hit rate of just 26.3%. There are definitely a lot of positives to take away from his season and plenty of reason for teams to add him at the deadline, but his value has dropped a ton from this recent slump.
Andrew Heaney
Like Ferguson, Andrew Heaney has dropped his trade value a ton. Over his last seven games, he has allowed 31 earned runs. That is two more runs than he has innings pitched over this stretch. His ERA on the season has climbed to 5.03, significantly below average now.
His expected numbers aren't any better either, so what was once a veteran southpaw who put together a sub-three ERA and was ranked among the top trade candidates (ninth on MLB Trade Rumors' recent list) is now someone who has barely any value on the trade market. Pittsburgh would be lucky to get anything for him at this point.