3 positions the Pittsburgh Pirates must fill at the trade deadline

The Pittsburgh Pirates are going to be sellers at this year’s trade deadline. They have a handful of rentals, but they have a surplus of pitching. They’re likely not going to conduct a teardown and trade every controllable asset for prospects, but they have some gaping holes on their roster, especially when it comes to position players.

The deadline presents an opportunity for them to acquire players who can fill those holes and potentially make an impact in the Major Leagues by the end of the 2026 campaign. So where should Ben Cherington start?

3 positions the Pittsburgh Pirates must fill at the trade deadline

Outfield

Right now, the Pirates are trotting out Tommy Pham and Alexander Canario as their left fielders. Needless to say, this is not a good duo. Canario has a 64 wRC+ and has struck out nearly a third of the time. Tommy Pham is doing even worse, with a 41 wRC+ and no home runs in 176 plate appearances. Plus, his -1.0 fWAR being the 11th-worst in baseball. The only positive thing you can say about them is neither are abhorrently bad fielders.

Unfortunately, the Pirates also do not have much in the way of reinforcements or replacements in the minor leagues. Fans would probably like to see Billy Cook rather than Pham and Canario, and while he isn’t having a good campaign this year at Triple-A, he did have a promising year in 2024. Nick Yorke also has experience in the outfield corners but is primarily an infielder. Matt Gorski, who was given a look earlier this year, is currently on the injured list.

They also do not have any up-and-coming top prospects who could fill this void. Konnor Griffin can play the outfield but is primarily a shortstop and has played single-digit games on the grass this season. Esmerlyn Valdez is currently one of the best hitters in the minor leagues this season but projects more as a first baseman than an outfielder. Aside from that, you have Mitch Jebb, who’s fallen into a slump after a scorching hot May and is more of a utility man than an outfielder; Edward Florentino, who also looks more like a first baseman than an outfielder and just got to A-Ball in his age-18 season; and Lonnie White Jr., who is an excellent defender with plenty of speed but isn’t much of a hitter.

Getting some young outfielders that could make an impact in 2026 needs to be priority number one. The Pirates have unequivocally the worst left fielders in baseball right now, ranking last in all three triple-slash stats: wOBA, wRC+, and fWAR. If their answer to left field is going to be signing Tommy Pham, then go out and make a trade to get a player with potential that could be a long-term answer.

Third Base

Third base may, unfortunately, be a problem the Pirates need to solve. Ke’Bryan Hayes’ bat has fallen off a massive cliff since 2023. This season, he is batting .230/.282/.283 with a .256 wOBA, and 57 wRC+. His 20.4% K% is above-average, but his walk rate is only 5.3%. His exit velocity has rebounded from below 89 MPH last year to 90.2 MPH this season, but his 5.3% barrel percentage is well below average.

His only saving grace is that his defense is as good as it’s ever been. Hayes already has +9 defensive runs saved and +11 outs above average. He is one of only six players in the league with double-digit positive OAA and leads all third basemen in both defensive measurements. At this rate, he’ll almost assuredly win his second career Gold Glove.

But there may not be a solution for Hayes’ bat, as his back problems have hindered him over the last two seasons. A herniated disc last season and chronic back issues led to him changing his swing. His flyball rate went from 39% in his 2023 season to just 32% this year. However, if his current swing is sacrificing launch angle to avoid back pain, then there’s not much else that can be done.

The Pirates don’t have much in terms of help in the minor leagues. Nick Yorke could be an option. So could an infielder like Termarr Johnson if the Pirates want to move Nick Gonzales to the hot corner. For what it’s worth, most third basemen have started out at other positions, so it’s not easy to draft a primary option.

But the Pirates need to start considering Ke’Bryan Hayes insurance. Even though Hayes is still arguably the best defensive infielder in the game right now, the Pirates will have a hard time justifying keeping his bat in the lineup. They should look for an alternative in the event that Hayes cannot find something that can work without further damaging his back.

Designated Hitter

First off, there’s no such thing as a designated hitter prospect. However, this is a blanket statement to say that the Pittsburgh Pirates need more players who have the potential to be great hitters, regardless of their fielding or position. The Pirates have prioritized pitching for nearly the entire rebuild, and now they need to figure out the hitting, and it would really help if they could find a decent bat before Andrew McCutchen hangs the spikes up.

As much as every Pirates fan wants McCutchen to play forever, the reality is he is almost 39. For what it’s worth, he has shown he still has plenty left in the tank. He is batting .264/.345/.417 with a .336 wOBA and 112 wRC+ this year across 276 plate appearances. He is still walking at a healthy 10.5% rate, and his 20.3% K% is the lowest he’s put up since 2017 (not including the shortened 2020 season). 

McCutchen is hitting very well right now, but when one of your best hitters is probably a year or two away from retirement, and you don’t have very much in terms of offense in the minor leagues, something has to get done here. The Pirates do not have much on the horizon right now when it comes to prospects whose ceiling with the bat is exceptionally high.

All of the Pirates’ prospects who are hitting well are still young. The previously mentioned Esmerlyn Valdez could be a potential DH option in the future, considering he may end up at first base, but he is still only at High-A. Omar Alfonzo could be a catcher/DH, so the Pirates can keep a good bat in the lineup (but he is one of Valdez’s teammates at the moment). No one is moving Konnor Griffin, Termarr Johnson, or Nick Yorke to a DH role, so they’re out of the question here, but the point of the matter is that this is about all the Pirates have in terms of hitters who have the potential to be lineup threats in the near future.

The Pirates have to get some controllable hitting, somehow, some way. Package players together and take on some salary from an underwater contract to get somebody better. Just get someone who can hit. They don’t have to be a great fielder, a fast runner, or have a defined position right now. McCutchen’s potential retirement opens a lineup spot for a player who lets his bat do the talking.