Pirates could fill bullpen hole with this mock trade for rival southpaw

One of the Pirates' rivals in the NL Central is looking to rebuild this offseason and has not made much of an impact in free agency. The Cardinals are looking to shed some payroll through trades, including star third baseman Nolan Arenado, in their quest to mash the reset button. As they look to boost their minor-league system, the Cards focusing on the future could set up a perfect trade opportunity for the Pirates.

The free agent market for left handed relievers is not great, and the Pirates need one that they can rely on late in games. The Cardinals have four left-handed relievers in their bullpen at the moment, and Pittsburgh has a surplus of high-ceiling pitching to deal from. As St. Louis looks to add youth to their team, there appears to be a match here, despite a surface rivalry.

In this hypothetical trade, the Pirates would get left-handed reliever John King, and the Cardinals would receive the Pirates' fourth-ranked prospect Braxton Ashcraft. King is an established southpaw that would be immediately become a high-leverage reliever in Pittsburgh, while the Pirates would move on from a prospect that does not have smooth path to the big leagues in the 'Burgh, at the moment.

This hypothetical trade between the Pirates and Cardinals, including John King and Braxton Ashcraft, makes sense for both sides.

The only southpaw in the Pirates' bullpen at the moment is Joey Wentz, who has defaulted to a bigger role than he probably should possess. Not only would King solve a major depth problem with lefties, but he also would allow Wentz to keep a low-leverage role, which is where he's likelier to thrive.

Last season, King posted an earned run average of 2.85 with a FIP of 3.73 across 60 innings and struck out 38 batters. Opponents batted .249 against him and he walked hitters at a 5.7% clip to generate a WHIP of 1.20. The soft-tossing left-hander has been reliable for St. Louis, which is all the Pirates need in their bullpen. Reliability. Please.

On the other end of the deal, the Pirates would give up Ashcraft, who put together a great year in 2024, but got injured four separate times. His injury history is long, which is why the Pirates should try to move on from him while his ceiling still remains high.

Across two levels of the minor leagues in 2024, Ashcraft delivered an earned run average of 2.84 with a WHIP of 1.07 and he struck out 77 batters. Opponents batted .231 against him, and his FIP sat at just 2.92. Those numbers are very impressive, but his injury history probably confines him to the bullpen, eventually. If he were left-handed, then the Pirates would absolutely give him a shot early in 2025, but they have no left-handers to speak of.

This trade makes a lot of sense for both sides. The Pirates would be getting an established left-handed reliever with three years of control in exchange for a highly ranked prospect with impressive upside. The Cardinals are not looking to contend in 2025, so getting a young guy for one of their veterans represents a realistic deal, even if King does have plenty of control attached as he ages into his 30s.