Pirates have an easy answer to growing Seth Hernandez trade interest

The Pittsburgh Pirates should absolutely be aggressive before the trade deadline. They should be willing to move prospects, surrender future value and make the kind of uncomfortable trade that gives this team a better chance to win in October.

They just shouldn't trade Seth Hernandez.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, numerous teams have asked about the 2025 first-rounder in trade discussions. The Pirates, however, are considered unlikely to move Hernandez — even as part of a potential package for San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller.

Good. That should be one of the easiest decisions Ben Cherington makes all summer.

Pirates are right to resist temptation to trade Seth Hernandez for relief help at deadline

Hernandez isn't simply another highly ranked prospect whose value the Pirates should be afraid to cash in. He's widely considered a top-10 prospect in baseball, and the right-hander already looks like the type of pitching talent who could eventually join Pittsburgh's major league rotation and give it another potential difference-maker.

Hernandez's season may be over after he suffered a left oblique strain July 24, but that shouldn't materially change how Pittsburgh views him. Nor should the fact that other teams are calling. If anything, the volume of interest should reinforce how valuable an asset the Pirates have.

There is also an important distinction between declaring Hernandez untouchable and refusing to trade prospects altogether. The Pirates are in a position where they should be shopping aggressively from the rest of their farm system. If acquiring multiple high-leverage relievers requires giving up legitimate young talent, so be it. This is what building prospect depth is supposed to enable.

But Hernandez belongs in a different category. Rosenthal reported that if Pittsburgh were willing to move him, it would likely want a controllable position player or starting pitcher who is already established in the majors. That's the appropriate standard. Hernandez shouldn't be the centerpiece of a package for a rental, a complementary piece or even an excellent reliever. That includes Miller.

Miller would obviously transform a Pirates bullpen desperately lacking a dominant late-inning presence. His Pittsburgh roots make the hypothetical even more appealing. But relievers are volatile, and Hernandez carries the kind of upside Pittsburgh simply doesn't need to sacrifice to solve that particular problem.

There should be other paths to upgrading the bullpen. If another team wants to discuss a young, controllable everyday star for Hernandez, the Pirates can at least listen. Almost nobody is literally untouchable when that caliber of player is involved.

For the types of deals Pittsburgh is realistically trying to complete before the deadline, though, the response should be much simpler.

Seth Hernandez?

No.

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