3 prospects the Pirates should trade this offseason as sell-high candidates

Anthony Solometo

Anthony Solometo’s star was beginning to shine in 2023. He was coming off a strong season where he posted some solid numbers at Double-A at just 20 years old. But now, Solometo is coming off a poor season, one that has been riddled by injuries and underperformance. But he did enter the year as a top-100 prospect and is still a young arm.

Solometo had a 3.26 ERA, 3.46 FIP, and 1.19 WHIP last year in 110 1/3 innings for both the Pirates’ High-A and Double-A affiliates. In 2023, he had a 26.2% strikeout rate and an 8.6% walk rate and only allowed home runs at 0.65 per 9 innings. While Solometo has always been a soft-tossing pitcher, he did see an uptick in velocity. He was sitting 92-94 MPH, topping out at 95. With his plus command, solid secondaries (including a slider and changeup), and a deceptive motion on the mound, he looked like a potential rotation option for the Bucs as early as this season.

But the 2024 season has not been kind to the former second-round pick. Solometo has been limited to just 58 1/3 innings at Altoona. When he was healthy, the lefty was not effective, pitching to a 5.98 ERA, 5.51 FIP, and 1.62 WHIP. His strikeout rate has dropped by nearly 10% to 17.1%. The plus command he showed off during 2023 has not been on display this year, as he’s walked 13% of opponents. Solometo has been much more home run prone with a 1.07 HR/9 rate. Along with his command going by the wayside, his velocity was also down, sitting closer to 91-92 MPH. 

But Solometo is still a young prospect. He is just 21 years old and turns 22 in December. He was the 14th-youngest pitcher to make at least 15 starts at Double-A. He had a poor, injury-riddled campaign, but given his age and recent prospect notoriety, the Pirates could definitely use him in a trade package.