5 impressive young players the Pirates should target in a Caleb Ferguson trade

Tyler Black

The Pirates could make an inter-division swap and send Ferguson to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brew Crew only has one lefty who has appeared in 20+ games, that being Jared Koenig. Although Koenig hasn't had a bad year, Ferguson would be an upgrade. If the Pirates opt to make a trade with the Brewers, they should ask about former first-round pick Tyler Black.

While Black has missed most of 2025, with only 117 plate appearances, he was excellent in 2024. Last year in 462 plate appearances, Black slashed .258/.374/.429 with a .364 wOBA, and 116 wRC+. Black is known for his outstanding plate discipline, and he walked in 13.2% of his plate appearances in 2024. He only struck out 18.8% of the time, with a whiff rate of 19.9%. Black showed off some power and base running prowess, smashing 14 home runs with a .171 isolated slugging percentage, going 20-for-23 in stolen base attempts. He also swiped 55 bags in 2023.

Black is a positionless defender. He has played at second base, third base, center field, and left field. While his plus speed gives him some range, he is a below-average defender overall. He also doesn't have a powerful enough arm to play the hot corner or right field. He may be a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none sort of utility man, but that would give the Pirates multiple avenues to work with.

Like Gilbert, Black is an immediate option the Pirates can call upon. He's 24 and will turn 25 later this month, with some success at the highest level of the minor leagues on his resumé. His ability to play all over the field would allow the Pirates to slot him into left field, as well as multiple infield positions when needed. 

Joey Loperfido

The Toronto Blue Jays have slowly overtaken the New York Yankees for the American League East. However, they've done it with a middling bullpen. Their left-handers, Brendan Little and Mason Fluharty, have produced mixed results. Little has done well for himself, while Fluharty has struggled, which makes Ferguson a potential trade target. Joey Loperfido should be the outfielder the Bucs ask about in a trade.

Loperfido technically isn't a prospect. He has 273 plate appearances in the majors, but has struggled in his brief time in the bigs and has spent most of his 2025 season in Triple-A.  Loperfido has hit just .224/.272/.366 with a 72 wRC+, a 35.5% strikeout percentage, and a 4.8% walk rate. However, he has produced much better numbers in the minor leagues this season - and was recently promoted to MLB for what might amount to a showcase.

Loperfido is batting .278/.354/.422 with a .352 wOBA, and 114 wRC+. While he may not be hitting for as much power as in the past, with only six home runs in 315 PAs and a .144 isolated slugging percentage, he still has just a 21.9% K% and 26.3% whiff rate. Loperfido has consistently struggled with preventing strikeouts, so seeing him improve in this area is promising, despite the power dip.

Loperfido has shown plus raw power, and making more contact could help him reach that potential. He's a well-above-average runner, having stolen 32 bases in 2022 and 27 more in 2023. Loperfido's defense is another one of his strong suits. He has already racked up +6 defensive runs saved in less than 700 innings in the outfield at the MLB level.

Loperfido is yet another immediate solution the Pirates could go after. He has 20/20 potential and a glove that will play at any of the three outfield positions - especially left field, where he has shown his best glove work.