3 Pirates who survived the trade deadline but won't have the same offseason fate

The Pittsburgh Pirates found themselves in an unfamiliar situation at the 2024 MLB trade deadline, in that they were in the thick of a crowded National League Wild Card race and therefore not in a position to be sellers.

As a result, their big-league roster remained mostly intact, losing only an ineffective bulk reliever in Quinn Priester and a redundant, soft-tossing starter in Martin Pérez while gaining hard-hitting outfielder Bryan De La Cruz and super utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

More than a week has passed since the trade deadline, and the Pirates are still in the playoff race (barely). But if Pittsburgh's 2024 campaign falls shorts of a postseason appearance and focus shifts to the future, there could be a few trade deadline survivors who won't survive the roster turnover in the 2024-25 offseason.

3 Pirates who survived the trade deadline but won't have the same offseason fate

Aroldis Chapman

Resurgent reliever Aroldis Chapman was the subject of several trade rumors around the deadline. Currently on a one-year, $10.5 million contract and a free agent after this season, Chapman would certainly be an appealing rental option for a contender. At 36 years old and in his 15th MLB season, he may not be the lights-out closer he was in his prime; but a career renaissance with Pittsburgh this season has seen him regularly register triple digits on the radar gun and remind opposing hitters that he is still a force to be reckoned with.

As the Pirates believed themselves to be contenders at this year's trade deadline, they decided against trading Chapman and instead opted to bolster their left-handed relief behind him with the addition of Jalen Beeks to their bullpen. They also acquired lefty reliever Josh Walker from the New York Mets and are currently stashing him in Triple-A Indianapolis, but he could be a bullpen option for next season.

Chapman has been a solid addition to the Pirates' bullpen this season, and it made sense to keep him at the trade deadline as Pittsburgh continues to make a postseason push. Still, when his contract is up at the end of this season, the perennially cost-conscious Pirates will almost certainly seek alternative solutions as they look to add lefties to their bullpen this offseason.

Michael A. Taylor

The Pirates signed veteran center fielder Michael A. Taylor to a one-year, $4 million contract in March. They initially deployed him off the bench, and eventually as a platoon option with Jack Suwinski before Suwinski's demotion to Triple-A Indianapolis last month left Taylor as Pittsburgh's full-time starter in center field.

The Pirates will be hard-pressed to find a better defensive outfielder than Taylor, but his sub-.200 batting average through 87 games and 208 at-bats is unlikely to earn him a return invitation to the Pirates' lineup next year. Like Chapman, Taylor is in his mid-30s and not getting any younger. He just hasn't done enough for the Pirates to justify a commitment to him beyond this season.

Ke'Bryan Hayes

OK, this one comes with an asterisk. Did the Pirates shop third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes at the trade deadline? By all accounts, no. Will they shop him this offseason? Almost certainly no. But should they? Heavens, yes.

Gold Glove-winning defense aside, Hayes has done next to nothing at the plate to justify the Pirates' $70 million investment. He has dealt with his share of injury trouble and struggled immensely at the plate this season, slashing .244/.298/.298. His seat in Pittsburgh should be even hotter after the arrival of Kiner-Falefa, who is also a Gold Glove-winning third baseman... who can actually hit.

Hayes' elite defense is enough to make him an attractive addition for any team looking for help at third base. He also still has several years of team control on his contract, which, despite being a hefty financial commitment by Pirates' standards, is actually quite reasonable for most other teams. Even though his trade value might be the lowest it's ever been, Hayes is more valuable to the Pirates at this point as a trade chip than as a third baseman.

More Pirates content from Rum Bunter