5 outfielders the Pittsburgh Pirates should monitor on the trade market

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The Pittsburgh Pirates could definitely use another outfielder. Bryan Reynolds is starting to heat up, as is Edward Olivares. But Michael A. Taylor is struggling, and he is only under control through this year. Plus Jack Suwinski has greatly struggled this year and was recently optioned to Triple-A to work on things. But the Pirates have a lot of pitching talent in the system they should use to acquire talent, especially in the outfield.

It’s not June yet, but the trade market will start to heat up sooner rather than later. There will definitely be names the Pirates should look into to support their outfield depth. So, who are some players the Pirates should keep on their radar now in case they do become more available in trade talks?

5 outfielders the Pirates should monitor on the trade market

Daulton Varsho

In the 2022-2023 off-season, the Toronto Blue Jays acquired Daulton Varsho from the Arizona Diamondbacks in what has become an ill-fated trade. But the Blue Jays might be sellers at the deadline and could look to try and recoup some of their losses from acquiring Varsho. His combination between elite defense and above average power would make him someone that should be on the Pirates’ radar.

After a down year in 2023, Varsho is posting similar numbers to 2022. He is slashing .208/.296/.447 with a .325 wOBA, and 112 wRC+. He is a power hitter and has hit 20+ home runs the last two seasons. He’s on pace to do so again. Varsho has a .239 isolated slugging percentage and already has nine home runs in 179 plate appearances this season. If he has as many plate appearances as he did last year (581 to be exact), and keeps up this same pace, he will reach 29. The park factor for both Rogers Centre and PNC Park for left-handed hitters is about the same, so he wouldn’t be getting a massive downgrade. Plus he hit 20 home runs last year, and would have hit the same if he played all of his games at PNC Park last year.

Varsho hits for power, but the best part of his game is his fielding. Varsho has +13 defensive runs saved and +8 outs above average already this year. Last year, he had +29 DRS and +18 OAA. Since moving to the outfield regularly in 2022, he has the most DRS by any outfielder and it’s not even close. Varsho clocks in at +61, while Steven Kwan, the second most, has +35. The gap in OAA is slightly closer, but still a wide margin between +36 for Varsho and +25 for Jose Siri.

Varsho has been an above average hitter in two of his last three seasons and has hit at least 20 dingers in two years in a row while being on pace to do it again. Varsho doesn’t become a free agent until after the 2026 season, so he has multiple years left on his contract as well. If the Jays decide to retool and trade the assets that aren’t going to stick around long-term, this is someone the Pirates should look into.

Jazz Chisholm

The Miami Marlins made it clear they’re willing to sell on anyone for the right price. They have already traded two-time all-star and two-time batting champion Luis Arraez early in the year. Jazz Chisholm will likely be on the trading block this year if they were willing to move Arraez this early.

Chisholm has gotten off to a good start to the year, batting .255/.330/.429 with a .332 wOBA and 115 wRC+. Chisholm has hit for above-average power with a .173 ISO and has already collected seven home runs in 218 plate appearances. But Chisholm’s plate discipline has been great. He has a career-best 9.2% walk rate while cutting his K% down significantly. He’s only K’d in 24.3% of his plate appearances, a massive step forward from 29.5% in 2022-2023.

Although Chisholm is chasing outside the zone more frequently, he’s not swinging and missing. His whiff rate clocks in at 27.1% compared to 35.7% last year. When he is swinging outside the zone, he is making contact 59.7% of the time, compared to 42.4% in 2023. Another major positive is that he hasn’t had to trade raw power for more contact. His 89.9 MPH exit velo and 41.3% hard-hit rate are both right around his career averages.

Chisholm moved from second base, where he was a plus defender, to center, where defensive metrics have been mixed on his work. Defensive runs saved is not kind to Chisholm in center field with -11. But outs above average pins him as a solid defender at +3.

Chisholm is a solid batter, and while his defense hasn’t been great, it also hasn’t been bad either. Chisholm is a power bat who could provide some 20/20 seasons. He’s also young as he’s only in his age-26 season and is under control through the 2026 season, like Varsho.

Jesus Sanchez

Jazz Chisholm isn’t the only Marlins outfielder the Pirates should keep on their radar if they become available in trade talks. They should also keep an eye out for Jesus Sanchez. Sanchez had a very solid 2023 season but is off to a poor start in 2024. However, there are many underlying factors that point toward much better things in Sanchez’s near future. Plus, he is controllable for multiple years.

Through 151 plate appearances, Sanchez has slashed a meager .226/.287/.292. While his cut his strikeout rate is down from 26.6% last year to 20.1% this year, his walk rate has also dipped from 9.5% to 6%. The power output just hasn’t been there either. He hit 14 homers with a .197 isolated slugging percentage last year. This year, he only has two home runs and an ISO below .100. This has all led to a .261 wOBA and 68 wRC+.

So, where are the positives? Well, for starters, Sanchez is hitting the ball really, and I mean really hard. His exit velocity clocks in at a stunning 93.9 MPH. That’s the 9th highest in baseball right now and a tremendous 3.5 MPH uptick from last year. His barrel rate is down slightly from last season, but at 10%, he still clocks in at the 72nd percentile. He is also only one of 31 batters with a hard hit rate of 50% or greater. Despite the poor surface numbers, Sanchez’s expected stats are very promising. He has a .287 expected batting average, a .481 expected slugging percentage, and a .353 expected wOBA.

Sanchez has always received mixed reviews about his outfield defense. Career-wise, he has +7 defensive runs saved, but only +1 out above average. UZR/150, meanwhile, has him at -4.5. This year, he has -4 DRS but zero OAA. Overall, while Sanchez isn’t costing teams games with his defense, he also isn’t winning games with it either.

Sanchez is only 26 and will be controlled through 2027. This could be a good opportunity to potentially buy low on a guy with outstanding underlying metrics. Of course, the Miami Marlins know this too, and they might not be willing to sell super low, knowing what Sanchez is potentially capable of. Still, I would not mind at all if the Pirates brought in someone with an exit velocity of nearly 94 MPH.

Taylor Ward

Taylor Ward would be one of my top players to go after if they are on the trade market. The LA Angels corner outfielder has put up some very solid numbers over the last four seasons. So far, 2024 looks like it could be his best season, especially when you look under the hood at some of the underlying metrics.

Ward is batting .271/.323/.482 on the year. Ward already has 11 home runs after hitting 14 last year but in nearly half the amount of plate appearances. While his walk rate is down at 7.7%, his 22.3% strikeout rate is about average for him. All told, Ward has a .347 wOBA and 124 wRC+ so far in 220 plate appearances.

But a look at some of the underlying numbers paint a very bright outlook for Ward. Ward is in the 87th percentile or higher in xBA, xSLG%, and xwOBA. His 91.1 MPH exit velocity is currently the best of his career, as is his 14.3% barrel rate. He is in the 90th percentile of barrel percentage, ranking 21st overall and just ahead of the likes of Yordan Alvarez, Pete Alonso, and Bryce Harper.

Defensively, Ward has never graded out as an outstanding defender, but he is also not one who will struggle making plays. He has -2 defensive runs saved but a +2.8 UZR/150 and +1 out above average. Overall, Ward is an average defender with an above-average arm. He has only played left field this year but has more career innings in right field.

Ward is controlled through the 2026 season, so acquiring him means you’re getting two full seasons of control left, plus whatever portion of 2024 remains. Ward has simply just been a good batter since 2021. If he plays even to a fraction of what his underlying numbers suggest, he’d be a massive upgrade to any line-up, especially the Pirates’.

Luis Robert Jr.

While this one is the most unrealistic, not just because of the cost and the likelihood the White Sox trade him, but Luis Robert Jr. would be someone I would love the Pirates to heavily invest in if he was on the trade market. When healthy, Robert can be one of the best outfielders in all of baseball.

Robert has missed a good portion of 2024 so far, only appearing in seven games. But he is rehabbing and should be back in action soon. When Robert is on the field, he’s a great hitter. Last season, he turned in a .264/.315/.542 triple-slash, .358 wOBA, and 128 wRC+ in 595 plate appearances. Only four other outfielders in baseball had more dingers, including Kyle Schwarber, Ronald Acuna Jr., Mookie Betts, and Adolis Garcia.

The downside to Robert’s game is his plate discipline. He struck out nearly 30% of the time with a 28.9% K% and had a poor 5% walk rate. While Robert was one of the best power hitters last year, his BB:K ratio of 0.17 was the worst among his peers in the grass.

Defensively, Robert already has one Gold Glove which he won in his 2020 rookie season, but he could win another one in the future. Robert had +6 defensive runs saved and +13 outs above average. He also has a well above average arm and can make good throws from center. He has plenty of range and consistently sits around the 85th percentile of sprint speed.

Robert is controlled through 2027, as he signed an extension this past off-season. Because of that, the White Sox might not be too willing to move Robert, even if they do a complete teardown. Robert is owed $15 million next year, then has two option years in 2026 and 2027 worth $20 million. That’s a steep price for the Pirates but a complete bargain for a guy who can be a +5.0 fWAR player.

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