Two bold trade proposals that would fix most of the issues with the Pirates' roster

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It’s time for the Pittsburgh Pirates to start thinking about making moves to improve the big league roster. While the market is just now starting to heat up, they need to start putting feelers out there, at the very least, to see who is available and for what price. The team has a solid base but needs more reinforcements.

There are clear weaknesses on this team. They need at least one bat and another reliever. With a tight Wild Card and National League Central race, a notable addition could put the Pirates in a very good spot. Plus, the Pirates have the farm system to make some notable moves. With that, I want to look at two mock trades that would improve some of the biggest holes on the Bucs’ roster.

Angels mock trade

If there is anyone on the trade market I would like the Pirates to get, it would be Taylor Ward from the LA Angels. He’s a very solid hitter with decent fielding in the outfield corners. With the LA Angels likely looking to move any and all short-term pieces, the Pirates could also capitalize by getting relief pitcher Carlos Estevez in a package deal alongside Ward.

Taylor Ward has hit well this year, batting .253/.331/.452 with a .341 wOBA and 121 wRC+. But there’s a lot to suggest there’s a lot more in the tank. Ward is above the 90th percentile in xwOBA (.382) and xSLG% (.533). He is posting a career-best exit velocity (91 MPH) and barrel rate (15.3%). There are currently only 14 other qualified batters with a higher barrel percentage. On top of that, he’s drawing walks at a career-high 10.9% rate with a respectable 22.5% K rate. Ward has graded out as slightly above average with +1 defensive run saved and +1 out above average. That’s par for the course for him, as he typically grades out as average to slightly above average. Ward also has some years of control left and doesn’t become a free agent until after 2026.

Estevez’s ERA of 4.05 might not be great on paper, but there are a lot more positives to his 2024 season. He has walked a minuscule 3.8% of opponents with a 24.4% K rate. His underlying numbers are also more promising, with a 3.65 FIP, 3.88 xFIP, and 3.36 SIERA on the season. Estevez also rebounded from a rough month of April. Over his last 11.1 innings, he’s only allowed three earned runs, a trio of free passes, just one homer, and struck out nine. Estevez becomes a free agent after the end of this season, though.

Ward isn’t going to be a cheap grab, let alone adding in Estevez (even if he is a rental reliever), so the headliner of this deal is a pretty notable pitching prospect in Thomas Harrington. Harrington came off an extremely promising 2023 campaign between Bradenton and Altoona. Although he missed the first month of 2024, he’s more or less picked up right where he left last season off with a 3.39 ERA, 3.06 FIP, 25.6% K%, and 3.9% walk rate in 29.2 innings. Most of his playing time has been at Altoona, minus one rehab outing at A-ball to start the year. Harrington has an above-average fastball, a sweeping slider, and a solid change-up and curveball with above-average control.

The second piece in this deal would be Mike Burrows. Burrows potentially could have found himself with a starting pitching role in the majors last year had it not been for Tommy John surgery. The last time Burrows pitched was in 2022 when he owned a 4.01 ERA but 3.29 FIP and 1.21 WHIP in 94.1 IP. The right-hander struck out 28.2% of batters faced with a 7.9% walk rate and 0.76 HR/9. Burrows also had an ERA under 3.50 until the last game of the year when he allowed six ER in just 0.2 IP. Burrows has a great fastball and curveball, both of which have elite spin. His change-up has also come a long way from a fringy third offering to an above-average pitch. He’s also displayed control over everything throughout his minor league career.

The third and final part of this package is Omar Alfonzo. The backstop prospect is having a solid season at A-Ball, where he is hitting .247/.373/.373 with a .361 wOBA and 119 wRC+ in 201 plate appearances. Alfonzo hasn’t hit for much power with a .127 isolated slugging percentage, but he does have a 15.9% walk rate. Alfonzo is also considered a solid defender behind the plate and has experience at first base.

Marlins mock trade

The first trade fixes the hitting for the next few seasons, but the bullpen for only the rest of this year. This trade does the opposite. In this swap, I have the Pirates getting lefty reliever A.J. Puk from the Miami Marlins, along with former Pirates all-star first baseman Josh Bell. Puk is under control until the end of the 2026 season, though Bell hits free agency again after this year.

Puk’s numbers on the year aren’t good. But that’s mainly because the Marlins tried him out as a starter for the first month of the season. Puk posted some very solid numbers in 2022-2023 as a reliever, working to a 3.51 ERA, 3.64 FIP, and 1.16 WHIP. He had both a strong 29.4% K rate and 6.9% walk rate, albeit a less impressive 1.24 HR/9. Since moving back to the bullpen, Puk has seen a massive uptick in his overall ability. Stuff+ had him at 92 was a starter, but is now up to 113 as a reliever. That’s more akin to where he was in 2022-2023 at 119.

Bell has turned in about league-average numbers on the year, batting .246/.317/.385 with a .310 wOBA and 100 wRC+. He’s not walking as often as he has in previous seasons, with just a 7.8% BB%, but he still carries a quality 18.8% K rate. Bell also had a very poor month of April. Since April 30, he owns a .833 OPS, .361 wOBA, and 133 wRC+. Bell has played DH for a good portion of this year but still sees a lot of time at first base. The switch-hitter still grades out well below average with -6 DRS and -3 OAA.

In this trade, I have the Pirates sending two of their position player prospects along with one pitching prospect. The Marlins have a lot of young pitching too with MLB Pipeline ranking six pitching prospects in their top 15, plus they already have some young and controllable arms already in the Majors, so they might be more interested in a package headlined by position players.

While Cheng’s overall numbers aren’t great, he has done much better since late April. Over his last 141 plate appearances, Cheng is batting a solid .250/.336/.444. He’s hitting for a decent amount of power in that span with a .194 isolated slugging percentage while also drawing walks 9.2% of the time. Strikeouts have given Cheng a bit of trouble as he has a 25.5% strikeout rate. Still, the overall hitting numbers are good, with a 121 wRC+, and he ranks as one of the top ten prospects in the Pirates system by MLB Pipeline and Baseball America.

The second prospect in this deal is outfielder/first baseman Matt Gorski. Gorski owns a .261/.306/.574 triple-slash on the season, amounting to a .366 wOBA and 113 wRC+. But Gorski has been red hot since the start of May with a .967 OPS, .395 wOBA, and 131 wRC+. Gorski has a glaring hole in his game, and that’s how often he swings and misses. His whiff rate is approaching 40%. But Gorski has well above-average defense, a great arm, and is an above-average runner. His raw power will play, even if his hit tool won’t.

The one pitcher in this package is right-haner Patrick Reilly. Reilly has a 4.26 ERA, 4.63 FIP, and 1.28 WHIP at High-A this year. Opposing batters have a hard time making contact off of him with a 30% K rate and .201 batting average, though he has struggled with limiting the long ball with a 1.24 HR/9, and his command isn’t great and has dished out a free pass to 13.1% of opponents. Reilly has a mid-90s fastball with a plus slider and solid cutter. But Reilly lacks command and a reliable third or fourth offering, making his outlook as a long-term starter sketchy. But he does project as a potential late-inning reliever.

Cheng is a top ten prospect in the Pirates’ system, while Reilly is considered a top 30 prospect by MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. BA also ranks Gorski as the team’s 15th-best prospect. The main prize for the Pirates here is Puk, who is a solid lefty reliever with years of control left, but getting Bell back adds some much-needed line-up help, even if he’s nothing more than a low-cost rental.

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