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

Casey Schmitt

San Francisco Giants infielder Casey Schmitt showed some glimpses of potential in 2023 and 2024 before having his most promising season in 2025. Schmitt turned in a respectable .237/.305/.401 slash line over 348 plate appearances, and hit for some power, going yard a dozen times with a .163 isolated slugging percentage. Both his 7.8% walk rate and 23.9% strikeout rate hovered near the MLB average. His 98 wRC+ on the surface may only make him out to be a league-average batter, but there’s plenty to suggest Schmitt has more power under the hood (literally).

Schmitt was above-average in all three Baseball Savant expected stats, including xBA (.264), xSLG% (.443), and xwOBA (.335). He also had a decent exit velocity of 89.6 MPH and a 9% barrel rate. His expected wOBA on contact came in at .405, better than the likes of Bo Bichette, Kyle Tucker, Shea Langeliers, and Yandy Diaz. 

Schmitt has taken up all four infield positions at some point in his Major League career, but his best position is third base. While he has 0 DRS at the hot corner, it is the only position in which he is in the positive of OAA, coming in at +2. His solid fielding at third base shouldn’t be a massive surprise. MLB Pipeline even stated he could be a future Gold Glove winner at the position, and sticking him at one position and leaving him there could do him some good.

Unfortunately, third base for the Giants is occupied by five-time Gold Glove winner Matt Chapman. Their shortstop, Willy Adames, just had the first 30-home run season by a Giant since Barry Bonds. Rafael Devers also started seeing time at first base down the stretch. Second base is the only position where the Giants don’t have a permanent answer.

Still, with Tyler Fitzgerald on the roster, along with top prospects Gavin Kilen and Maui Ahuna, the Giants may find it more beneficial to trade Schmitt for pitching. Schmitt still has another year of pre-arbitration left. His first time through arbitration won’t be until the 2026-2027 offseason. 

Wenceel Pérez

Wenceel Pérez did not do much during his rookie year. He only hit .242/.300/.383 with a .299 wOBA and 94 wRC+ over his first 425 MLB plate appearances. Pérez’s 7.5% walk rate and 21.6% K% weren’t horrible, but they stand out, either. He also hit only nine home runs, posting a .143 ISO. 

Thankfully, his 2025 season was a noticeable improvement. Pérez slashed .244/.308/.430 with a .318 wOBA and 103 wRC+. Neither his 8.1% walk rate nor his 22.7% strikeout rate are going to raise any eyebrows, but Pérez saw a significant uptick in power output as the year dragged on. His ISO rose to .186, and he hit 13 home runs in 383 plate appearances. Pérez saw his exit velocity rise from 88.4 MPH to 90.3 MPH. His barrel rate jumped up by over double, from 4.3% to 8.8%. This all helped his xwOBA go from under .300 at .291 to .320 by the end of 2025.

Defensively, Pérez grades out as a solid outfield glove. Defensive runs saved don’t hold his defense in high regard at just -3. However, outs above average has the opposite opinion, pinning him at +6. Pérez has seen playing time at all three outfield positions, but most of his innings come from right field. His arm strength will play at any outfield position, as he was in the 77th percentile this year.

The Tigers have plenty of outfield options besides Pérez. Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, Parker Meadows, and even Javier Baez looked good in center field this year. They also have one of the best prospects in baseball, Max Clark, who reached Double-A this season and is a center fielder. Pitching, on the other hand, is a much bleaker story for the Tigers. Outside of Tarik Skubal, the only other Tigers pitcher who made 15+ starts with an ERA under 4.00 is Casey Mize. Baseball America and MLB Pipeline only put one Tigers pitching prospect among their top ten.

Pérez is also very affordable. He is still in pre-arbitration, and his first trip through the process won’t be until after the 2027 season. That gives them two more seasons to work with while he's making the league minimum. Pérez has improved his game from 2024 to 2025, and he's done so on a team that already has plenty of outfielders, but has a serious need for pitching.