Carson Kelly, Catcher
The catching group in Pittsburgh this season has been poor, aside from Joey Bart. One issue with that is Bart cannot catch everyday, but the Bucs have issues behind the plate without him. Yasmani Grandal in particular has not been good, so the Pirates need to improve behind the plate.
One catcher they should look to fix this hole on the roster is Carson Kelly from the Detroit Tigers. Kelly is having one of the best seasons of his career, but will be a free agent after the season. Not only is he an offensive upgrade, but he also provides better defense than Grandal or Bart.
This season, Kelly has a batting average of .247 with seven home runs and 29 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .736, which includes an on-base percentage of .326 and a slugging percentage of .410. His wRC+ sits at 110 and his strikeout percentage sits at 19.8%.
Along with his solid offensive numbers, Kelly has saved four defensive runs behind the plate. His blocks above average total ranks in the 94th percentile, and his caught stealing above average mark ranks in the 95th percentile. His framing is average, but nonetheless, he has been a great catcher.
Although this is not a long-term commitment, Kelly should definitely be a front-line choice for the Pirates at catcher. They have Endy Rodriguez returning in 2025, so getting a rental replacement for Grandal makes a lot of sense.