Pirates must capitalize on infielder's value after latest trade deadline rumors

Out of all the rentals the Pirates have, Isiah Kiner-Falefa may be the most valuable. His explosive start to the season has him already drawing trade interest, according to Bob Nightengale. Even with though he will become a free agent after the season, many teams will value the versatility that Kiner-Falefa brings defensively. His above-average bat this season is another plus, making a trade worth it for Pittsburgh.

The Pirates are looking to sell a lot this trade deadline, with minor rumblings of Bryan Reynolds and Ke'Bryan Hayes being available for discussion, too. Pittsburgh has a handful of one-year guys that they could send off, and Kiner-Falefa has easily been the best of them on the offensive side.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa has been remarkable for the Pirates this season, leading to interest in the trade market.

After being acquired at the 2024 trade deadline, Kiner-Falefa got off to a rough start in Pittsburgh. He struggled in the second half of 2024 and came back in 2025 as the starting shortstop. Defensively, he has not exactly projected as an everyday shortstop, but throughout his career, he has been considered a super-utility guy.

Aside from the defensive value he brings, Kiner-Falefa is off to an outstanding start to the season, batting .299 with a 106 wRC+ and a 15.4% strikeout rate. He has done great with slapping singles around the field. He has run into a home run, a triple, and nine doubles too, but slugging has never been his game. Additionally, he has stolen nine bases on the year.

Pittsburgh desperately needs Ben Cherington to not bungle this trade of Kiner-Falefa. He might be the top shortstop on the market this deadline, with Bo Bichette likely staying put in Toronto. This hot start and lack of shortstops is really inflating his value.

The Pirates could re-sign Kiner-Falefa this offseason, with no true answer for 2026 at shortstop, and trading him might make that much more difficult. His $7.5 million salary this year was already a bit pricey for the Pirates, and with this great start, he may get offered more next offseason, pushing the Pirates further away from him. Pittsburgh must take advantage of this opportunity to get something out of him, as the likelihood of bringing him back is getting smaller every day that he plays.

Hopefully the return can help the Pirates win in 2026 with a player close to the big leagues, similar to the addition of players like Billy Cook and Nick Yorke last deadline. Kiner-Falefa's value is pretty close to as high as it can get right now, and the only way for it to increase is if he runs into some power numbers. Nonetheless, Pittsburgh needs to capitalize off of his value, as he is reportedly drawing interest already.