Pirates have 1 top prospect and at least 2 other players to trade for relief help at deadline

The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent years preaching patience with prospects. But at this year’s trade deadline, patience should no longer be the priority.

If Pittsburgh is serious about turning a promising season into a real postseason push, Ben Cherington has to be willing to move from an area of organizational surplus — and that means Termarr Johnson, plus one of Nick Yorke, Nick Gonzales or Jared Triolo, should absolutely be on the table for bullpen help.

Johnson still carries real prospect value. He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, is only 22 years old and still ranks as Pittsburgh’s No. 5 prospect via MLB Pipeline. But the current production hasn't matched the name value. Through 228 Triple-A at-bats this season, Johnson is hitting just .184 with a .320 on-base percentage, four home runs, 21 RBI, 15 steals and a .601 OPS.

He's been heating up of late, but he also lacks a clear pathway to regular playing time at the big-league level with the likes of Gonzales, Yorke and Konnor Griffin standing in his way.

That doesn't make Johnson a failed prospect, but it does make him a risky one. And if the Pirates can use that risk before it becomes even more obvious around the league, they should. Pittsburgh should be willing to pair Johnson with one of Yorke, Gonzales or Triolo to create a package that can bring back legitimate relief help in the form of a controllable late-inning arm who can change the shape of Don Kelly’s bullpen.

Termarr Johnson might be the kind of premium name Pirates must be willing to move for real MLB help

The Pirates have spent years collecting middle-infield types, and at some point, depth turns into redundancy. Gonzales has been productive, entering play Tuesday with a .295 average and .721 OPS, which could make him the most painful (and perhaps most unlikely) name of the group to move. Triolo brings defensive versatility but has a .609 OPS this season. Yorke has bounced between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis and owns a .555 OPS in his small big-league sample this year.

The Pirates don't need all of them. What they do need is bullpen certainty. That's been the difference between looking like a dangerous Wild Card team and looking like a club still one bad inning away from wasting its rotation.

That can't be acceptable anymore. The Pirates have protected prospects long enough. Now they need to start converting some of them into wins.

Trading Johnson would sting because of what he once represented. Trading Yorke, Gonzales or Triolo would sting because each offers some form of present or near-term usefulness. But smart teams build headline packages around what gets the deal done.

If Johnson plus one of those infielders can land Pittsburgh a real high-leverage reliever with control beyond this season, Cherington should do it. It's time for the Pirates to stop treating their future as hypothetical and start taking it seriously.

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