Pirates have a bigger problem than the one Jeff Passan wants to solve

We're inside of two months to the trade deadline, and the way things are shaping up, the Pittsburgh Pirates are shaping up to be buyers for the first time in many years. The club isn't out of the woods yet, but as the Milwaukee Brewers separate themselves from the rest of the NL Central, we're beginning to get some clarity in what is the most competitive division in baseball.

The St. Louis Cardinals are expected to sell off pieces like JoJo Romero and Dustin May, indicating that, despite their surprisingly good start, they are committed to following through on the rebuild they started over the offseason. The Cincinnati Reds have fallen off and suffered key injuries to the likes of Elly De La Cruz and Emilio Pagan, in addition to the preseason loss of Hunter Greene. Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs have struggles of their own.

That all sets the scene for Pittsburgh to capitalize, either by trying to chase down the Brewers or circle the wagons around one of the NL wild card spots. To that end, Jeff Passan has suggested that the Pirates' biggest need is an improvement behind the plate and named Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers as the Pirates' prime trade target.

We're not going to deny that help behind the plate isn't welcome. At the same time, though, if it comes down to upgrading the catcher and solving a more pressing need, the Pirates have enough options to paper over the problems behind the dish. The same can't be said for the bullpen, which has to be the club's top priority when shopping for upgrades.

The Pirates' bullpen is the top trade deadline need, despite Jeff Passan's valid points about the catcher position

Evan Sisk has been an incredibly pleasant surprise, and Gregory Soto has been a great bang-for-your-buck signing. From start to finish, those have been the Pirates' only two consistent arms, and they're both left-handed.

From the right side, 23-year-old Wilber Dotel has been impressive with incredible velocity, but he's only made seven appearances so far, and out of 16 2/3 innings pitched, only 2/3 of an inning has come in high-leverage situations.

Dennis Santana's complete implosion has left Pittsburgh with no viable right-handed late-inning options, so the most urgent priority is finding a solution. Beyond that, another arm or two to reinforce the unit shouldn't be off the table either.

Improving the depth out there matters, so just one addition won't do. The Pirates have blown 14 saves this year and have six losses in games in which they had a lead after six innings. Without depth, the few options they do have that have performed well can fall off due to burnout or injury. So, in addition to a high-leverage righty, another competent middle relief arm or two should be on the docket.

So, if Ben Cherington is to add two or three relievers, is there enough room in the budget to add a catcher, especially a pricey one like Jeffers? Probably not, because although the Pirates are investing more in the product on the field and are significantly more competitive, they still don't have the financial might to compete without relying a good deal on the farm system.

We know what Henry Davis is, and it's not pretty. We also don't know what we will get out of Joey Bart when he's finally back from a foot infection. However, if he can play somewhere near the level he did in 2025 (even better if he can replicate his 2024 performance), that will be fine given the dearth of solid catching options around the league.

Plus, it seems Endy Rodriguez is finally over his injury woes and has the pedigree of being a top prospect, ranking No. 55 on MLB Pipeline's top 100 list back in 2023. The early returns on him, through 16 games, have been encouraging with a .238/.407/.357 line.

The best-case scenario would be Ryan Jeffers plus an influx of talent being brought into the bullpen. The chances of us being able to have our cake and eat it too are highly unlikely, so if we can only have one thing, it needs to be a bullpen overhaul.

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