Bleacher Report's top Pirates trade candidate will make fans feel insane

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has already made it abundantly clear that he does not plan to be an active player in MLB free agency (note the absence of gasps). But given his comments at the end of the 2024 season about the need to "get better, faster," there's reason to believe that he might be more active than expected on the trade market this offseason.

While the Pirates could definitely benefit from adding impact pieces at nearly every position, their track record of stinginess means they probably won't be able to do it without subtracting some pieces first. They don't exactly have many expendable Major Leaguers who would be in high demand on the trade market, but there are a few who could fetch a decent return as part of a trade package.

Bleacher Report's top Pirates trade candidate will make fans feel insane

In a recent column listing one player from each team most likely to be traded during the 2024-25 offseason, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly named a candidate for Pittsburgh that likely caused many Pirates fans to do a double take.

According to Kelly, the Pirates player most likely to be traded this offseason is outfielder Bryan De La Cruz. In order to be traded, though, he would have to still be on the team; and with Friday's non-tender deadline fast approaching, that looks highly unlikely.

De La Cruz was undeniably the biggest disappointment of the Pirates' 2024 trade deadline haul. In 44 games for the Pirates, he batted .200 with six doubles, three home runs and 17 RBI – a far cry from the 18-homer, 47-RBI performance he had earlier in the season with the Miami Marlins.

According to MLBTradeRumors.com's annual salary projections for arbitration-eligible players in 2025, De La Cruz is projected to earn $4 million – which represents a more than 500% salary increase – in his first year of arbitration. For a Pirates team that doesn't even like spending money on good players, that number alone should be a convincing enough argument against tendering De La Cruz an offer for next season.

So, Kelly was half right; it is indeed highly unlikely that De La Cruz will still be with the Pirates by the start of 2025. But he'll likely be non-tendered before he even has a chance to be traded.

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