5 trade targets every Pittsburgh Pirates fan should have on their Christmas list

With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, everyone's focus is now on Christmas. Many people are starting their Christmas wishlists, and if you asked Pittsburgh Pirates fans what they would like to see Bob Nutting and Ben Cherington put under the tree this holiday season, you'd probably get a pretty long list. However, there are some names every Pirates fan should agree on and have on their wishlist, provided the Pirates make a significant trade.

Every Pirates fan should want these trade targets on their holiday wishlist.

Brendan Donovan

Brendan Donovan is about as consistent as one can get. He is pretty much guaranteed to hit about .280, put up a .770 OPS, and finish with a wRC+ around 120. His lowest single-season batting average is .278, his lowest OPS is .752, and his lowest wRC+ is 115. 2025 was pretty much exactly what you'd expect him to do at the plate.

Donovan turned in a .287/.353/.422 triple-slash with a .332 wOBA and 119 wRC+ over 515 plate appearances. Donovan regularly posts low strikeout rates, and this season was no different. His 13% K% was the 14th lowest of any batter in 2025 with at least 500 trips to the plate. However, Donovan isn't like many low-strikeout batters. He also drew walks at a respectable 8.2% rate. The only downside to his game is his lack of power, as he went yard just 10 times with an isolated slugging percentage of .135.

2025 was Donovan's most promising season yet. He put up a career-high 89.7 MPH exit velocity and an 8.8% barrel rate. His previous career-high barrel percentage was only 5.8% in 2023. This led to a career-best xSLG of .443. Donovan was also in the 78th percentile of xwOBA (.346) and the 93rd percentile of xBA (.285).

If the Pirates acquired Donovan, he'd likely slot into second base. It is the position at which he has logged the most playing time. Defensive metrics are split on his glovework at the keystone, with -5 defensive runs saved and +3 outs above average. However, the Pirates wouldn't be limited to using Donovan at just second base. He has over 100 innings logged at every infield and outfield position. In terms of the metrics, his best glovework comes at third base, where he has +6 DRS and +3 OAA, though he didn't appear in a single game at the hot corner in 2025.

Donovan is a player the Pirates are reportedly interested in trading for, and it's for a good reason. Nick Gonzales did not follow up his promising 2024 with a better encore in 2025, leaving his future role with the Pirates in question. Donovan still has control through two more seasons, and he is only projected to make around $5.5 million in arbitration. The Cardinals are looking to go through their own rebuild, and the Pirates have plenty of pitching they could offer to acquire Donovan.

CJ Abrams

Fellow Rum Bunter writer Ethan Fisher recently proclaimed that Washington Nationals infielder CJ Abrams would be a "perfect" trade target for the Pirates. While Donovan would be a quality bat, Abrams is a middle infielder who brings the Pirates' lineup exactly what it needs: some power and elite base running. 

Abrams' last two seasons have been nearly identical, but 2025 was the more valuable campaign in terms of fWAR. Last season, he slashed .257/.315/.433 with a .324 wOBA and 106 wRC+. Abrams went yard 19 times with an ISO of .176. He had a career-high 88.7 MPH exit velocity and 7.6% barrel rate. Along with providing good power, Abrams went 31-for-35 in stolen base attempts, and his +7.4 base running runs above average were the seventh most in baseball. He also struck out just 19.7% of the time this year, albeit with a poor 5.8% free pass percentage.

Defensively, Abrams will likely move to second base long term. Defensive runs saved doesn't hate his work at shortstop; he's posted -1 DRS since the start of the 2023 season, and the system graded him out positively in both 2023 and 2024. However, outs above average couldn't disagree more; he's registered a -37 for his career. That is the lowest number of any MLB player over the last three years. Jurickson Profar has the second-fewest in baseball, with only -25.

Abrams is projected to earn only about $5.5 million in arbitration this year. The Nationals may move on from the middle infielder this offseason, and given his contract price, he would be up the Pirates' alley. With Konnor Griffin on the way, having Abrams at second base would give the Pirates a strong middle infield duo. Plus, it would move Nick Gonzales into more of a utility role, something he'd likely be better suited for.

Jarren Duran

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran had an astounding 2024 breakout season, where he nearly posted +7 fWAR. While he wasn't able to recapture the near-MVP level value he produced the following season in 2025, his most recent campaign was nothing to scoff at. Even if he didn't live up to the expectations, he was still a very valuable player in 2025.

Duran turned in a .256/.332/.442 triple-slash with 16 home runs over 696 plate appearances. He walked at a solid 8.6% rate, while striking out just under a quarter of the time with a 24.3% K%. His ISO also fell just short of .200, coming in at .185. Duran also swiped 24 bags in 30 attempts. Overall, he had a .335 wOBA and 111 wRC+ with a .774 OPS. Another positive is that he put up career highs in both exit velocity (91.8 MPH) and barrel percentage (9.7%).

In terms of defense, Duran is a mixed bag. He was one of the best defensive outfielders in the game during 2024, with +23 DRS and +10 OAA. Last season, he took a step back, with a still strong +9 DRS, but only -2 OAA. Duran dramatically improved his route running between 2024 and 2025, but his jumps on flyballs took a hit. He went from -0.5 to +0.2 in terms of route running, but from 35.7 feet on his jump to 33.4 feet.

Duran is the most expensive player on this wishlist, as he is owed $7.7 million in 2026. He is controlled through the 2028 season as well. The Red Sox have an overabundance of outfielders on their roster. Even after trading for Sonny Gray, the Red Sox will still likely be willing to move Duran for pitching, just so they can free up playing time for the rest of their outfield talent. 

Alec Burleson

Another St. Louis Cardinals player that is reportedly on the trading block is outfielder/first baseman Alec Burleson. Burleson had a breakout 2024 season, but only got better in 2025. While his outfield defense is lackluster, he would provide the Pirates with the best offense of any of the players who should be on the Pirates' radar, and given how badly they struggled last year to score runs, that should put him among the team's most wanted players.

Burleson hit .290/.343/.459 with a .346 wOBA and 124 wRC+. He crushed 18 home runs over 546 plate appearances while putting up a .169 ISO. He struck out just 14.5% of the time last season, and his 7.1% walk rate was a career-high mark. Burleson took major steps forward in terms of his raw power output, with a 91 MPH exit velocity (up from 89.7 MPH in 2024) and a 9.4% barrel rate (up from 6.5% in 2024).

As a first baseman, Burleson is a roughly average defender. In 606.1 career innings, he has only -1 DRS and -2 OAA. Most of his playing time in the major leagues has come in the outfield, where he has 1,600.2 innings between left and right field. His overall glovework has not looked very good, with -12 DRS and -20 OAA. Burleson has a strong arm and ranked in the 75th percentile for arm strength in 2025. 

Burleson is still an entire season away from his first year of arbitration, with Spotrac pinning his 2026 salary at just $2.1 million. Among the five players on this list, Burleson would have the best batting average, slugging percentage, wOBA, and wRC+. While putting him into PNC Park's left field may be an adventure, the Pirates need offense any way they can get it. If his defense is truly that bad, they could always give him more reps at designated hitter or substitute him out late into the game for a better fielder.

Wilyer Abreu

If the Red Sox don't trade Jaren Duran, then they'll likely deal Wilyer Abreu for similar reasons. Abreu had an unexpectedly strong rookie season in 2024. Both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America ranked him outside the Sox's top five prospects, placing him at number six on both lists. However, he ended the season with the third most fWAR by an AL rookie. While injuries hampered his 2025 season, his bottom line was still solid.

Over 417 plate appearances, Abreu batted .247/.317/.469 with a .334 wOBA and 110 wRC+. Abreu went yard 22 times with a strong .223 isolated slugging percentage. The right fielder made massive strides forward in his plate discipline. In 2024, he walked 8.9% of the time with a 28.2% chase rate. He also struck out nearly 30% of the time (28%) with a mediocre 29.6% whiff rate. While he still maintained a similar 9.6% walk rate and 29% chase rate in 2025, his strikeout and whiff rates dropped to 24.2% and 24%, respectively.

You're not going to find many corner outfielders who are better defensively than Abreu. Over the last two seasons, Abreu has +31 DRS and +14 OAA. He also has one of the best outfield arms in the game. His throws averaged 94.2 MPH, which ranked in the 97th percentile among players. That was also the 11th best by any qualified outfielder during last season. Abreu was also in the 98th percentile of arm strength during 2024.

Abreu would add the least to the Pirates' payroll, as he is still an entire two seasons away from his first trip through arbitration. He will likely make less than $1 million in 2026. If the Pirates had to go after one of Duran or Abreu, the latter would likely help them the most. He provides excellent outfield defense, and his offensive capabilities are plenty good enough to improve the Pirates' lineup by a considerable margin.