3 Pirates prospects most affected by Ben Cherington’s deadline inaction

The Pittsburgh Pirates entered the month of July with a handful of rentals to swap at the deadline. They ended up only trading two: utility man Adam Frazier and relief pitcher Caleb Ferguson. For some reason, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington opted to keep infielder Isiah-Kiner Falefa, outfielder Tommy Pham, and starting pitcher Andrew Heaney.

Keeping these three around makes no sense for multiple reasons. For one, the Pirates aren’t anywhere close to a playoff spot. They are not getting any value from keeping them around. The second reason is that the Pirates are blocking a chance for some minor leaguers to get a shot in the Major Leagues. Not opening the door for a Triple-A prospect by refusing to trade rental veterans means the Pirates didn’t just miss out on a potential prospect from another team, but also the chance to see if these three prospects could do something at the Major League level.

3 Pirates prospects harmed by Ben Cherington's botched trade deadline

Billy Cook

When the Pirates acquired Billy Cook at the 2024 trade deadline, it looked like a move to bolster their Major League depth chart for 2025 and beyond. Cook made a brief late-season appearance in 2024, smacking three home runs while displaying outstanding outfield defense in 16 MLB contests. Sure, there were some concerns, like the fact he struck out 19 times in 49 plate appearances without a single walk, but there definitely were some significant positives.

Cook has spent nearly the entire season at Triple-A. His numbers on the season aren’t fantastic, as he is slashing .252/.325/.390 with a .323 wOBA and 90 wRC+ throughout 369 plate appearances. Cook has a 9.9% walk rate and has struck out 27.7% of the time. He has provided value in stolen bases, going 13-for-15 in attempts, but has just eight home runs and an .138 isolated slugging percentage.

Cook got off to an ice-cold start to the season, but since the start of June, the outfielder/first baseman has seemingly found a good groove. His last 191 plate appearances yields a .283/.353/.497 triple-slash, .372 wOBA, and 122 wRC+. These numbers are very similar to what we saw last year, when he slashed .275/.375/.474 with a 126 wRC+ for the Orioles and Pirates’ Triple-A affiliates.

Tommy Pham has been doing great since he had a change in eye prescription, but that just gave the Pirates all the more reason to move him at the deadline. Cook may not be a superstar in the making, but you never know unless you give him a chance. At the very least, the Pirates would be getting an outstanding glove in the outfield, one who racked up +6 defensive runs saved and +2 outs above average in less than 100 innings last season. 

Cam Devanney

The Pirates acquired Cam Devanney from the Kansas City Royals in return for Adam Frazier. While Devanney may not be a top-of-the-line prospect, you can’t deny his performance at least warrants a look in the Major Leagues. There is zero reason to keep a 28-year-old who has never seen a Major League plate appearance and is mashing Triple-A pitching in the minor leagues.

Devanney is batting .275/.376/.560 through 339 plate appearances for the Royals and Pirates’ Triple-A teams. He already has 19 home runs with an isolated slugging percentage well over .200 at .265. Devanney may have a mediocre 24.5% strikeout rate, but he has drawn a walk in 12.4% of his plate appearances. Overall, he has a .400 wOBA and 136 wRC+. 

Devanney ranks in the top ten among all International League hitters in OPS, wOBA, and wRC+, along with slugging percentage and ISO. Devanney is primarily a shortstop, where he has a solid glove. He can also play the other three infield positions, and has even racked up a few games played in left field. FanGraphs surprisingly ranked Devanney as a top ten prospect in the Kansas City Royals’ farm system, despite his penchant for striking out and the fact he is 28 years old.

Devanney has nothing left to prove at Triple-A, and blocking him with Isiah Kiner-Falefa is a horrible choice by the Pirates. IKF’s defense isn’t irreplaceable at shortstop. He only has +2 defensive runs saved and -2 outs above average at the position. He also has just a 50 wRC+ since the start of June. The bar for Devanney is set very low, and right now, it would be a great, low-pressure environment for him to try and figure things out in the Major Leagues. Instead, the Pirates are going with IKF, at least for now.

Nick Yorke

Like Cook, Nick Yorke also looked like an acquisition that could help the Pirates, both in the short term and in the long run. He was the Boston Red Sox’s 2020 first-round pick, and the Pirates dealt Quinn Priester for him. Even though Yorke isn’t having a spectacular season at Triple-A like he did in 2024, he is still only 23, and the Pirates aren’t doing him any favors by stashing him at Indy.

In 335 trips to the dish, Yorke has a .270/.337/.391 triple-slash, .332 wOBA, and 96 wRC+. Yorke has struck out 24.4% of the time and has an 8.7% walk rate. He has only clubbed a half-dozen home runs, leading to a sub-par .122 isolated slugging percentage. Yorke has flashed the potential to be a solid big league hitter, but his hot streaks this year have not lasted long. 

For what it’s worth, Yorke looked great in 2024. Among Triple-A batters in ‘24 with at least 300 plate appearances, Yorke ranked top ten in batting average (.333), on-base percentage (.420), wOBA (.409), and wRC+ (143). His .915 OPS was also the 15th-best mark. During his brief Major League stint last season, he had an 89.7 MPH exit velocity and 15.6% barrel rate. This shouldn’t be all that surprising, given he had a 91.5 MPH exit velocity at Triple-A, which was also the fifth best (min. 1250 pitches) at the level.

What, at this point, is keeping Yorke in the minor leagues? IKF is struggling and should have been traded at the deadline. That should have been one opportunity to give Yorke a shot in the Major Leagues. Keeping Pham around is another reason Yorke is blocked, given he can also play the outfield corners.