It's becoming painfully obvious who Pirates will float in trade talks at deadline

Sitting well under .500 in mid-May, it's pretty clear that the Pirates are going to be sellers at the trade deadline in July.

This is nothing new for the Pirates in this current regime, so they will look to obtain value from some of their overperforming players this season. For better or for worse, the Pirates probably won't lose any bats at the deadline, because no one is hitting well enough to be traded.

As far as the pitching staff goes, there are multiple options for guys who could be moved at the deadline, especially in the bullpen. There are plenty of teams out there - like the division-rival Chicago Cubs, for example - that are desperately in need of arms to pair with their hot bats. The Pirates should be open to trading with whoever is willing to provide them with the strongest return, even if that team resides in their own division.

These Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen arms may be gone by late July as the trade deadline approaches

Ryan Borucki

Borucki has had a very solid year for the Bucs in 2025, landing him on this list. The Pirates brought him back for this season after injuries kept him off the mound for much of 2024. The 31-year-old has an ERA of 2.55 and a WHIP of 0.85 in nearly 18 innings for Pittsburgh.

The biggest reason I have Borucki as the first name on this list is his handedness. Borucki is a left-handed reliever, making him super valuable at the deadline. Teams like the Diamondbacks, Phillies, and Cubs have struggling bullpens and should be looking to add a left-handed reliever at the deadline.

While I don't think the Pirates will land a haul for Borucki, he is the most likely bullpen arm to get moved at the deadline, and the Pirates will probably get a decent offer for him in late July.

Dennis Santana

While I don't know if the Pirates will be shopping Dennis Santana at the deadline, he will require the biggest package of any Bucs bullpen arm.

Santana has been dominant in the closer position for Pittsburgh this season with a sub-two ERA, an 0.87 WHIP, and four saves. Before coming to Pittsburgh, his career-best ERA was 3.63. In his two seasons with the Pirates, he has given up just 16 runs in 62.2 innings, a 2.32 ERA.

David Bednar's struggles have essentially removed him from any trade talks at the deadline, making Santana the more available of the two. While I would like Santana to remain the Pirates' closer for the foreseeable future, if the Pirates get a good offer for the hurler, they should take it.

Joey Wentz

For similar reasons to Borucki, I believe Joey Wentz will garner a good amount of attention at the trade deadline. While Wentz hasn't been dominant this season, he is a 27-year-old left-handed reliever, and that alone provides value to plenty of ball clubs.

However, Wentz hasn't been a slouch by any means in 2025. The lefty has a 3.38 ERA in nearly 19 innings for the Bucs. He has had a bit of a control issue, walking nine batters in that span, but has made up for it, punching out 15 on the year.

Wentz probably will provide the least return of these three bullpen arms at the deadline, but in turn will probably hurt the Pirates the least. Only Ben Cherington knows what's going to happen with these three at the deadline, and hopefully whatever it is can provide benefit to the Bucs going forward.