Pittsburgh Pirates: More Activity to Follow Post-Draft

The Pittsburgh Pirates just wrapped up their 2022 Major League Baseball Draft.  So what is there to look forward to next?

Well, it was going too hard to compete with the excitement around the Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 Draft class.  The team was able to acquire 4 of the top 60 prospects from the class.  A big reason they were able to do this was because of the signing bonus pool they possessed.  They had the top amount to spend in the League and they did just that, as they signed every one of note in 2021.

The 2022 Draft class may not have been as exciting, but the Pittsburgh Pirates still put together a really good group of players.  They were able to land 4 top 100 Draft prospects and added a few other notables prospects with other picks.  Of course, the class is headlined by first overall pick Termarr Johnson who looks to be the Pittsburgh Pirates top offensive prospect before even playing a game.

Of course, what needs to happen first is for Johnson to agree to a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Over the next few weeks, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the rest of Major League Baseball will be working diligently to sign their Drafted players.  The Deadline for Draft picks to sign is August 1st by 5:00 PM EST.  Most of the college draft picks should sign.

Some names to keep an eye on are Michael Kennedy and Yoel Tejada.  Both were ranked, prep pitchers heading into the Draft and therefore the team may need to get creative with their bonuses to get them signed. So expect to see some signing announcements soon.

The Major League Baseball Trade Deadline.  Yes, now that All-Star weekend is over the Trade Deadline is the next significant date for Major League teams.  The Pittsburgh Pirates are once again in a position to be sellers. So who do they have to trade?

It will be interesting to see who the Bucs move and who they do not.  Some names that should be moved are Jose Quintana, Ben Gamel, Jake Marisnick, and Chris Stratton.  All three are veterans on expiring deals and dealing them should bring in some intriguing prospects.

The question is how far does the Pittsburgh Pirates front office believe that team is from truly competing?  Fans are starting to see some of the promising young talent coming up through the minors.  So when does the rebuild stop?  Is the team going to look to trade controllable players like Kevin Newman and Daniel Vogelbach?  Or will they look to make one last blockbuster in trading David Bednar or even less likely Bryan Reynolds?

These are all questions that Pittsburgh Pirates fans likely have in some capacity.  Over the next few weeks, we will get those answers.  The team should look very different by August 3rd as the Trade Deadline will be August 2nd. One of the big differences this year is the time,  Typically the deadline takes place at 4:00 PM EST, this year it will be a little later at 6:00 PM EST.