One Pittsburgh Pirates trade candidate from each National League division

The Pittsburgh Pirates need to start getting things moving. They’ve made one large trade this offseason, adding 2024 standout rookie Spencer Horwitz. Although they fixed one of their most significant needs by adding Horwitz via trade, they still have other holes to fill.

Even after trading three pitchers from the organization, the Bucs still have arms they could move for an impact player. Last time, we looked at potential trade candidates the Pirates could go after in each American League division. Now, it's time to move over to the National League and see who the Pirates could pursue in each division. 

Pirates NL East Trade Candidate:
Jesús Sánchez

The Miami Marlins have been in sell mode since the start of the 2024 season. Since then, they’ve traded a multitude of players, all of whom were part of a playoff core in just 2023. Another player who could soon be out the door is their right fielder, Jesús Sánchez. Sánchez is one of the most promising players on the Marlins right now, and would fill an immediate void in Pittsburgh.

His 2024 bottom line likely isn’t going to wow anyone, but was still solid nonetheless. Sánchez batted .252/.313/.417 with a .317 wOBA, and 100 wRC+. He hit for some power, with 18 home runs in 537 plate appearances, and notched an isolated slugging percentage of .166. Although he struck out at a below-average rate of 26.1%, he had a roughly average 7.6% walk rate.

Some may see this as Bryan De La Cruz 2.0, but that’s not the case. This was the second straight season Sánchez put up well above-average expected numbers. His barrel rate would have been a career-best for De La Cruz. This is also the second straight season Sanchez has been above the 75th percentile of xwOBA, a stat that De La Cruz has been above the 75th percentile in just once in his career.

Sánchez is also a far better fielder. Last year, he had -2 defensive runs saved and zero outs above average. He was well above average in jumps on fly balls, covering 1.5 feet more than average in his jump. Sánchez also graded out as about average when it came to route running. De La Cruz graded out as a well below-average defender in both stats. 2024 was also the first year Sánchez graded out negatively in DRS.

Sánchez is only 27 and is controlled through 2027. He and the Marlins avoided arbitration and settled on a very affordable $4.5 million salary for next season. The Pirates may have a tough time making a trade with the Marlins, whose minor league system’s biggest strength is pitching. However, if the Marlins are willing to take a pitcher as a headliner in a trade, the Pirates should jump on it.

Other NL East notables: Andrew Nardi, Anthony Bender, Calvin Faucher, Brett Baty