MLB analyst sneaks Pirates into future Hall of Famer's confusing trade market

Once the Pirates traded away Ke'Bryan Hayes, a big hole opened up at third base. Jared Triolo appears to be the logical replacemnet after a strong second half, but with reported interest in Kazuma Okamato and others, no spot is locked up.

For that reason, MLB analyst Mike Petriello snuck Pittsburgh into a list of trade fits for future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado this week, ranking them as the sixth-best option.

The six-time Platinum Glove award winner is on the trade market for the second offseason in a row. The Cardinals are about to tear their entire roster down, and have already gotten started by dealing Sonny Gray to the Red Sox. Pittsburgh has reportedly been active in talks with St. Louis about some of their other bats, but nothing has surfaced about Arenado.

MLB analyst strangly links Pirates to Nolan Arenado in confusing trade market.

Arenado is set to make over $30M in 2026, and in no world would Pittsburgh take on a full contract like that, especially for a veteran that is declining at the plate. Last season, his wRC+ fell to 84 with a .666 OPS, both the lowest of his 12-year career.

If the Cardinals are serious about removing that contract from their payroll, they must pay down some of his contract to send him elsewhere. They already paid Boston $20M to take on Gray's contract, so they are probably willing to do the same here. Does this really make sense for the Pirates, though? No. His wRC+ last season would rank near the bottom of starters on the Pirates. It would be an upgrade offensively from Hayes, but not a significant one for the price.

Regardless of what the Pirates supposedly can spend this offseason, an addition like this doesn't really make sense. His contract expires after the 2027 season, meaning the Pirates would likely be responsible for some portion of $30M that season. In no world would Pittsburgh pay that. They likely won't even pay Paul Skenes that amount, let alone Arenado.

The Pirates being labeled here is a really strange fit. If this were to happen, it would be a massive mistake from this front office. This offseason definitely feels different from the past in terms of connections to players, but if something like this comes to fruition, the Pirates would be in a worse spot than before.