3 strong trade partners for the Pittsburgh Pirates that have already emerged

The MLB offseason isn’t an entire month old yet, but we have already seen teams emerge that stand out as potential trade partners for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates need hitting in the worst way, especially in the outfield corners, and have plenty of pitching to use to get it. There are definitely teams out there that need pitching and have hitters to trade, and these three look like the best potential fits for a trade with the Pirates.

The Pirates match up with these three teams as potential trade partners.

Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels are coming off yet another poor season, one in which they went 72-90. With the offseason kicking off, the Angels are reportedly in the market for starting pitching, with insider Rhett Bollinger stating they are looking for multiple starting pitchers and help for the bullpen. With some outfielders they could move this offseason, they make an obvious trade partner with the Pirates.

As of right now, the Angels’ rotation mostly consists of young starting pitchers. Aside from Yusei Kikuchi and one-time former Pirates prospect Jose Soriano, they have Caden Dana, Mitch Farris, Victor Mederos, Jack Kochanowicz, and Sam Aldegheri on hand. Former first-round pick Reid Detmers headlines their bullpen, but veteran closer Kenley Jansen just hit free agency, leaving them with a hole in the ninth inning.

The Angels could still be willing to trade Jo Adell after sending Taylor Ward to Baltimore, as the return - Grayson Rodriguez - has massive upside, but is far from a sure thing. A deal is less likely now than it was to start the week, but it would be foolish to claim that Anaheim is now suddenly satisfied with their rotation after this upside play. Adell is coming off his best season with the bat, as he slashed .236/.297/.485 with a 112 wRC+. He had a career 32.2% K% going into 2025, but only struck out 26.4% of the time this past season. However, his 5.8% walk rate was near his career average.

Adell’s biggest strength was his 37 home runs and .249 isolated slugging percentage. Plus, there is potential for more in his bat, given his .378 xwOBA. Defensively, it's likely Adell will have to move to an outfield corner long term. He had -13 defensive runs saved and -8 outs above average up the middle this past season.

Ward put up similar numbers to Adell, slashing .228/.317/.475 with a .339 wOBA and 117 wRC+. Ward walked more frequently than Adell, with a strong 11.3% BB%, albeit with a 26.4% K%. Ward also provided a ton of pop at the plate, with 36 homers over 663 plate appearances and a .247 ISO. He was much more sound defensively, with only -3 DRS and zero OAA in left field. His +2.9 fWAR represents the second most he’s put up in a single season.

The Pirates could definitely get a deal done where they send a pitcher to the Angels for Adell. They need a corner outfielder, and one coming off a season of 35+ home runs would be the sort of immediate boost their lineup needs. Adell isn’t a free agent until after 2027, and the upside of bringing in their potential offense would finally give the Pirates some much-needed run support.

And, if not Adell? Maybe the Pirates should ask after Logan O'Hoppe behind the plate, whose name has been oddly ever-present in trade rumors despite appearing to be the catcher of the future just one year ago.

Athletics

Another AL West team that is in need of pitching is the Athletics. Their pitchers this past season ranked in the bottom five in ERA (4.71) and FIP (4.66), sporting the game's sixth-highest walk rate (9.1%) and WHIP (1.36). Playing 81 home games in a minor league park definitely played into these results, but their pitchers didn't enter the campaign with the highest ceiling anyhow, ranking only 17th in Stuff+. MLB Pipeline ranks five pitching prospects among their current top ten, but the A's GM has more than enough hitting to acquire more MLB-ready pitching.

Despite their poor pitching, the Athletics ranked in the top ten in batting average (.253), slugging percentage (.431), wRC+ (105), and home runs (219) in 2025. They had five batters who appeared in at least 100 games post a wRC+ over 120. Three of the five batters hit at least 30 home runs as well. Their number one prospect is Leo De Vries, a middle infielder who is a consensus top-five prospect in the sport right now.

The Athletics have more outfielders they could trade than the Angels do. Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom are penned into their outfield corners. Defensive wizard Denzel Clark likely has an inside track for the center field job. That leaves JJ Bleday, Colby Thomas, Carlos Cortez, and top prospect Henry Bolte without a direct path to playing time in the major leagues.

The Athletics are rumored to be exploring the market for late-inning arms, which is one reason they match up with the Pirates in a trade. The Pirates have plenty of starting pitchers they could offer the Athletics as well. The Athletics probably have the most to offer of any potential trade partner when it comes to players with high offensive upside who can also play the outfield.

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins went on a fire sale at the trade deadline this past season. They didn’t just trade rentals like Ty France and Willi Castro, but also dealt players under control beyond 2025, like Carlos Correa, Griffin Jax, Louie Varland, Brock Stewart, and star closer Jhoan Duran. While it is unconfirmed that the Twins will continue to completely tear things down, it is reasonable to surmise that they may at least consider trading from a place of depth, such as the outfield.

The Twins have outfielders who could help the Pirates right now. Trevor Larnach is coming off a season where he put up a respectable .250/.323/.404 line, a .317 wOBA, and a 103 wRC+. He went yard 17 times with a .153 isolated slugging percentage. Larnach also had both a better-than-average walk rate of 9.3% and an impressive 21.3% K%. While Larnach split his time between the outfield and designated hitter, his fielding has typically graded out around league average, with +2 DRS and -2 OAA. Plus, there’s potential for more power, as he has a career 90.9 MPH exit velocity and 9.4% barrel percentage. Larnach becomes a free agent after the 2027 season.

Matt Wallner is a slugger who would give the Pirates the thump they need. He hit .202/.311/.464 with a .334 wOBA and 114 wRC+ over 392 plate appearances in 2025. Wallner crushed 22 home runs with a .262 isolated slugging percentage. While he may have struck out 29.1% of the time, it was a step forward from the 36.4% K% he put up in 2024. Plus, he walked at a career-high 11.7% rate. Wallner was also producing elite numbers with the bat in 2023-2024, as he put up an .886 OPS, .381 wOBA, and 148 wRC+ across those two years. However, injuries did play a role, as he played only what was essentially two half-seasons and totaled 515 plate appearances over 151 games. Wallner is better suited for a DH/part-time corner outfield role, given his -9 DRS and -11 OAA for his career.

Two of the Twins’ top five prospects on both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America's lists are outfielders (Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez). Promising rookie Luke Keaschall is primarily an infielder, but has outfield experience in the minor leagues. Kody Clemens had a solid season as a utility man as well. If the Pirates make a trade this offseason, the Twins stand out as one of their best options to pursue a swap with.