5 potential Pittsburgh Pirates trade targets that could be the next Spencer Horwitz

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a trade with the Cleveland Guardians last offseason that netted them infielder Spencer Horwitz. The acquisition ultimately worked massively in the Pirates’ favor. The 2024 rookie standout finished off his second big league season with nearly identical numbers from last season, but turned on the jets in the second half. From the All-Star break through the end of the year, Horwitz slashed .305/.396/.520 with a 154 wRC+. He was arguably the only bright spot in the Pirates’ lineup. 

What makes the Horwitz trade unique is Horwitz himself. He was a rookie in 2024 and was traded from a team that was retooling rather than going through a complete rebuild. The Pirates surrendered a Major League-caliber pitcher to get him in Luis Ortiz, who immediately slotted into the Guardians’ rotation.

This trade worked out so well last year (Ortiz drama notwithstanding) that they should consider doing it again with a similar player, such as one of these five.

5 Pittsburgh Pirates trade targets that feel like Spencer Horwitz 2.0

Jordan Westburg

Jordan Westburg was once a consensus top 100 prospect in the Baltimore Orioles’ system. After he made his debut in 2023, Westburg broke out in 2024. The infielder slashed .264/.312/.481 over the course of 447 plate appearances. He provided plenty of power, with 18 home runs, and sat in the 80th percentile of both exit velocity (91.1 MPH) and barrel rate (11.8%). He hit for that much power while maintaining a respectable 21.8% K%. The only downside was his poor 4.9% walk rate, but overall, Westburg managed a strong .340 wOBA and 124 wRC+.

2025 was another solid season for him, but one that was even more injury-limited. Westburg appeared in 85 games with 352 plate appearances, slashing .265/.313/.457, leading to a .332 wOBA, and 115 wRC+. Westburg’s power output wasn’t as impressive as in 2024, with 17 home runs, 90.2 MPH exit velocity, and 11.2% barrel rate, but it was still well above-average nonetheless. He continued to post a nearly identical 22.7% strikeout percentage and 4.8% free pass rate this season as well.

Westburg splits his time between the keystone and the hot corner, two positions where the Pirates could utilize him. His defense is much better suited for third base, where he has -7 defensive runs saved, but +9 outs above average. That is significantly better than his -3 DRS and -7 OAA over at second base.

The Orioles may see Westburg as a player they could use to get a Major League-caliber starting pitcher. He is still an entire season away from arbitration. Plus, the O’s could live without Westburg. They already have Jackson Holliday and Gunnar Henderson up the middle, with Coby Mayo able to fill first or third base. Ryan Mountcastle is also still on hand, and the O’s just drafted another middle infielder in the first round of the 2025 draft in Wehiwa Aloy. Westburg still has a year of pre-arbitration left as well.

JJ Bleday

JJ Bleday broke out in a big way during his second season with the Athletics. The former first-round pick slashed .243/.324/.437 with a .330 wOBA and 120 wRC+ over 642 plate appearances. He hit 20 home runs with a .194 isolated slugging percentage, the latter of which ranked in the top ten among all CFs last season. Bleday struck out only 19.5% of the time, drawing plenty of free passes with a 10.4% walk rate.

Bleday was slated to play a significant role in the A’s lineup in 2025, but got off to a horrific start to the season. By the end of June, he was batting a meager .191/.288/.358. He was hitting for far less pop, with eight home runs and a .167 isolated slugging percentage over his first 233 plate appearances of the year. Bleday was still drawing plenty of walks with a 12% BB%, but his strikeout rate jumped to 24.5%. Bleday, who was fourth-best wRC+ among qualified CFs in 2024, clocked in with just a 78 mark.

He performed so poorly that the A’s optioned him at the end of June. He was later recalled in August, where he seemed to find somewhat of a groove again. It was only an 111-plate-appearance sample size, but Bleday hit .252/.306/.495 with a .339 wOBA and 115 wRC+. He went yard a half-dozen times and put up a .243 isolated slugging percentage in the small sample. Bleday was making plenty of good contact as well, with a 91.4 MPH exit velocity and a 13% barrel rate. However, his plate discipline suffered a severe setback. Bleday struck out at a 30.6% rate, while only drawing a walk 7.2% of the time.

Bleday could definitely use a move out of center field. Since the start of 2024, he has -27 DRS and -8 OAA. Only Nick Castellanos has fewer DRS. He is also tied with fellow AL West outfielder Jo Adell for the fewest OAA from center field over the last two seasons. Coming up through the minor leagues, Bleday was projected as a corner outfielder, so it makes sense that his future will likely be left or right field.

However, both left and right field are currently occupied by Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler on the A’s roster, the former of whom looked outstanding in the outfield. Denzel Clarke seems to be the A’s future in center field, given his otherworldly defense and passable hitting. 2026 will be Bleday’s first trip through arbitration, and he won’t become a free agent until after the 2028 season.