Examining a recent mock trade that would dramatically improve the Pirates' lineup

The Pittsburgh Pirates need to get active on the trade market. They could certainly use another bat, and could make plenty of moves to improve their rotation, even with internal pitching talent on the rise. A recent mock trade by B/R Walkoff proposed a bold idea that would improve the Pirates’ depth and power. This trade would involve the Pirates sending top pitching prospect Braxton Ashcraft to the Texas Rangers for outfielder Adolis García and utility man Ezequiel Duran.

García is coming off a down season where he hit just .224/.284/.400 with a .296 wOBA and 92 wRC+. He did hit for some power, as expected, with 25 home runs and a .176 isolated slugging percentage. This marked the fourth season in a row where García drilled at least 25 dingers.

Unfortunately, the 2023 World Series hero had both a mediocre 7.1% walk rate and 27.8% strikeout rate through 637 plate appearances. He also had a horrible season in the outfield, with -5 defensive runs saved and -12 outs above average, along with a below-average jump. This certainly explain why he might be available in the world of hypotheticals.

However, García is only a year removed from finishing in the top 15 in MVP voting after a career season. In 2023, García batted 245/.328/.508. He fell just a single homer shy of 40, with an ISO of .263, and walked at a career-best 10.3% rate as well. He ended the campaign with a .354 wOBA and 126 wRC+, then went on to put up a 1.108 OPS during the Rangers’ World Series run and take home ALCS MVP honors.

2024 was not the norm for García on the defensive side of the ball. From 2021 through 2023, García had +26 defensive runs saved and +13 outs above average. Although he covered ground at a below-average rate in his jump in 2024, he was above-average in 2021 through 2023. The slugger is controlled via arbitration over the next two seasons.

Adolis García appears in a mock trade that would drastically improve the Pirates' lineup without giving up much.

The downside is García will be 32 for all of next season, and has had some knee problems. He missed some time during 2023, both during the regular season and World Series, because of similar issues. Although the Rangers do not believe these troubles contributed to his struggles in 2024, it is worth noting. The bright side is they also believe the condition is manageable.

Then there’s Ezequiel Durán. Durán made a great first impression in 2023, batting .276/.324/.443 with 14 home runs in just 439 plate appearances. He had above-average power output, with a 90.1 MPH exit velocity and an 8.7% barrel rate. The only downside to his first extended look at playing time was his 5.2% walk rate and 27.3% strikeout rate. Still, it was a successful first full season for the utility man.

Durán’s sophomore season was not nearly as promising. He hit .243/.288/.321 with a meager .270 wOBA and 74 wRC+ through 274 plate appearances. Durán still did not draw many walks with a BB% of just 4.9%, but on the plus side, he cut his K% down to 22.1%. However, this represented about the only positive from Durán’s season. The utility man hit for far less power, with a sub-.100 isolated slugging percentage, and saw his exit velocity and barrel rate drop far below average at 87.1 MPH and 4.3%.

Duran is a Swiss Army Knife on defense. He has logged at least one inning at every position the last two seasons, besides pitcher and catcher, with at least 90 innings at five different positions. He is a jack of all trades, master of none, however. He grades out as about an average glove at each position he has playing time at. Duran is still young, as 2025 will be his age-26 campaign.

In this hypothetical, the Pirates would be sending right-hander Braxton Ashcraft in return. The former second-round pick has seen his prospect stock rise dramatically over the last two seasons. This past year, Ashcraft put up a 2.84 ERA, 2.92 FIP, and 1.07 WHIP in 73 innings between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indy. Ashcraft stuck out just over a quarter of his opponents with a 25.8% K% while rarely allowing home runs. His HR/9 was 0.74, but his 4% walk rate was the most impressive part of his season. Ashcraft’s BB% was the 15th-lowest in minor-league baseball among pitchers with at least a dozen starts.

Ashcraft has a four-pitch mix. His four-seam fastball sits in the mid-90s and is a plus offering. Another pitch that projects similarly is his upper-80s slider. His second breaking pitch is a low-80s curveball with above-average potential. He’ll occasionally mix in a changeup, but that is the only pitch in his arsenal that does not project as average or better. Ashcraft has great control and a walk rate of only 4.5% over the last two seasons.

The Pirates would more than likely make this trade in a heartbeat. Two players with recent MLB success for a talented pitching prospect, but one that has experienced some injury issues himself over the last few years? This would be the exact sort of trade the Pirates should be looking for: players that can give their lineup a huge boost for multiple years.

But it takes two to tango, and it’s unlikely the Rangers would decide to make a trade like this with both Durán and García coming off down seasons. After all, they are only one season removed from winning it all and taking home the World Series trophy. If they have any thoughts about moving either Durán and/or García, they’d likely wait until the trade deadline. They have no rush to move either, and they also have no reason to sell low on both.