3 potential pre-arbitration trade targets for the Pirates to go after

If the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to make impactful trades this offseason, they should be in exchange for players who are controllable for some time. Sure, a player with one year left on their contract can still be valuable, but if the Pirates are dealing their own young players, they should get someone that’s going to be around for multiple seasons.

Pre-arbitration players are not moved very frequently, but it still happens, and the Pirates have the players in place to make a bold move like that. They need bats badly, especially power hitters. These sluggers have yet to hit arbitration, and the Pirates could potentially go after them this winter.

3 pre-arbitration players Pirates should pursue trades for

Triston Casas

Triston Casas finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2023. He followed that up with a second solid season at the dish -- that is, when he was healthy. Unfortunately, Casas only appeared in 63 contests. But so far, Casas has proven to be a quality power hitter when he is able to take the field. 

Casas has 745 plate appearances since the start of 2023 and is batting .256/.357/.480 with a .359 wOBA and 127 wRC+. The first baseman has gone yard 37 times with an isolated slugging percentage of .225. Although he strikes out at a poor 27.2% rate, he draws a hefty amount of walks. Casas’ 13.4% walk rate is the 11th-best among batters with at least 700 PAs over the last two seasons.

Casas’ raw power would play great in PNC Park. His exit velocity sits at 90.8 MPH, while his barrel rate is nearly as high as his walk rate (13.2%). His barrel percentage over the last two seasons is the game's 27th best, again among batters with at least 700 trips to the plate, surpassing sluggers like Vlad Guerrero Jr., Bryce Harper, and his own teammate, Rafael Devers.

Unfortunately, Casas hasn’t graded out well as a defender at first base. Casas has -5 defensive runs saved and -12 outs above average at first base. That is tied with Josh Bell for the fourth-fewest OAA by a first baseman in baseball since the start of 2023, with only Guerrero Jr., Ty France, and Andrew Vaughn having fewer. The only positive is that Casas comes in as an average defensive 1B in the eyes of UZR/150 at +0.4. 

The Red Sox could potentially be moving veteran third baseman Rafael Devers across the diamond to first base. That could leave Casas, the incumbent first baseman, without a position other than designated hitter. The Red Sox need pitching, and the two teams match up exceptionally well on paper.