3 pitching-desperate teams the Pirates could make last-minute trades with

Spring training is in full swing, but amid all the optimism and joy, injuries are already beginning to pile up. While big time trades rarely happen before the regular season begins, it’s not completely unheard of. Plus, given some of these injuries, a very early opportunity could open up for the Pittsburgh Pirates to make a need-for-need swap before the regular season begins and add some depth to the team.

Given the state of the game, these three ailing teams in particular make the most sense for a match. The Pirates definitely could trade a pitcher without taking a blow to their pitching depth chart, and these teams could use another arm before the season begins.

3 desperate teams the Pirates could make a pitching trade with before Opening Day

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees headed into spring training with an impressive pitching depth chart. Gerrit Cole would head a rotation, followed by 2024 American League Rookie of the Year winner Luis Gil, former Cy Young finalist and their biggest addition of the offseason in Max Fried, and Clarke Schmidt and Carlos Rodón, no slouches themselves. Their rotation looked so good that Marcus Stroman was potentially looking at starting the year in the bullpen. This was even after trading left-hander Nestor Cortes to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Cole could soon undergo Tommy John surgery. Another former Pirate pitcher, JT Brubaker, broke three ribs on a comebacker in late February. Now, Gil will be shut down for six weeks before he can even begin to build back up.

One rookie the Yankees were looking to rely on out of the 'pen, Clayton Beeter, will also open the year on the injured list. The Yanks also lost someone who could have filled one of these roster spots in Chase Hampton. Their seventh-best prospect,per Baseball America, underwent Tommy John surgery in February before spring training games even began.

The Yankees have some depth they can turn to. Marcus Stroman is almost guaranteed a rotation spot now, and, out of options, right-hander Yoendrys Gomez also now has a strong chance of making their bullpen. Will Warren, who's shined early in camp, might make the roster as well. However, that’s only three replacements accounted for when they’re facing multiple, potentially lengthy absences to open 2025. Surely, the Pirates can help the Yankees upgrade from Carlos Carrasco, who also might slot into the Opening Day rotation for at least one turn while Schmidt ramps up.

The most difficult thing about inquiring about any of the Yankees’ position players right now is that they’re also facing some injury concerns there as well, with DJ LeMahieu suffering a calf strain and now Giancarlo Stanton hoping to avoid season-ending surgery on both of his elbows. Still, the team's need for pitching depth is growing at a monumental rate, and they could definitely make an early-season move for more arms.

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles’ pitching depth chart took a big hit this past offseason when Corbin Burnes signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. To fill some of the gap left by Burnes, they signed former Pirate starter Charlie Morton, along with Japanese star right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano. Naturally, they’re now looking at the loss of another important part of their rotation, while Sugano and Morton will go from depth additions to necessary bedrocks of the pitching staff. That's never good.

The Orioles will open the year with young and talented right-hander Grayson Rodriguez on their injured list. He is suffering from a triceps/elbow problem. However, he isn’t the only Orioles right-hander hitting the injured list. Reliever Andrew Kittredge will miss the first few months of the season after a debridement knee surgery. Kittredge was one of the O’s biggest additions from this past offseason.

The Pirates could still use a long-term outfielder, and the Orioles definitely have a handful of those. Right now, their 40-man roster includes six outfielders, three of whom are controlled for at least the next three seasons. That also doesn’t include their multiple top prospect outfielders like Enrique Bradfield Jr., Vance Honeycutt, Jud Fabian, and Dylan Beavers, all of whom are among their top 10 prospects, according to Baseball America’s latest team-specific list.

The Pirates and Orioles made a ton of sense as trade partners, even at the start of the offseason. They have as much outfield depth as the Pirates have pitching depth, and now that the O’s have an even greater need for pitching in the moment (with the AL East, as well as the entire league, very much wide open), a trade between the teams would make even more sense now than before. Heston Kjerstad may be a bit of a reach target, but there is plenty of controllable outfield talent deeper down on the Orioles' farm who can help Pittsburgh long-term. Mike Elias just has to come to terms with what he'd be willing to sacrifice.

New York Mets

The other MLB team in New York is also facing their fair share of injuries to their pitching staff. Some of their biggest offseason acquisitions are going to miss some time to open the 2025 season, an all-important "first impression" year for Juan Soto. The Mets could definitely use another arm on their roster, making the Pirates a potential last-minute trade partner.

Veteran right-hander Frankie Montas was projected to miss up to eight weeks with a high-grade lat strain suffered in late February. He signed a two-year contract with the Mets this offseason. Sean Manaea had a huge comeback campaign with the Mets in 2024 and re-signed on a three-year contract. He is now on the IL with an oblique issue and is expected to open the year on the shelf. Left-handed reliever AJ Minter, whom the Mets inked this offseason on a two-year contract, has yet to throw a pitch in live game action during spring training, still recovering from hip surgery at the end of last season. 

As of right now, with the absence of both Manaea and Montas, right-hander Griffin Canning is penciled in as their fifth starter. Canning had both an ERA and FIP over 5.00 last season. They could turn to right-hander Brandon Sproat, their top pitching prospect who reached Triple-A last season, but they’d still be short of replacing their injured players. Former Pirate Clay Holmes, in the process of stretching himself into a starter, has been phenomenal thus far, but he's now being relied upon rather than looking like a luxury item. Reinforcements could definitely help.

The Mets also have a handful of outfielders to deal from. Eight are on their 40-man roster, along with three more among their top 10 prospects, per Baseball America. Two of those outfielders, Jose Azocar and Alexander Canario, have no options left. The Pirates could potentially acquire some outfield depth from the Mets in exchange for pitching depth.