5 trade targets that would make Pittsburgh Pirates potential NL Central contenders

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in a position where they could make a splash at the trade deadline. They entered the break at .500, just 1.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, and for all intents and purposes should buy. By the end of this homestand, it’s entirely possible they will be in one of the playoff spots as they head towards the trade deadline and into August.

But the Pirates should aim higher than a Wild Card spot. They should aim for the division. The Milwaukee Brewers hardly hold a safe lead at this point, clinging to single digits. The Pirates gained three games against the Brewers from July 8 through July 14 alone. 

But in order to catch up to the Brewers and leap the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pirates need timely wins, and the best way to get timely wins is to win more often in general. The Pirates’ starting pitching staff has been great all year. Their infield and bullpen are starting to come together, but they could definitely use another bat and possibly another reliever.

These trade candidates might be able to push the Pirates over the top and help them gun for the National League Central Division title. While it would be unreasonable to expect the Pirates to get all five players mentioned here, even getting one or two could give the Bucs a huge boost heading into the second half of the year.

Taylor Ward

The Pirates need an outfielder, and one of the more underrated players on the market is Taylor Ward. The Los Angeles Angels outfielder is having a solid season, but still has a ton of untapped potential and could be a massive boost to any lineup, especially the Pirates’.

Ward has a .226/.312/.401 triple-slash on the year. He currently has a career-high 25.3% strikeout rate, but he’s still walking at a healthy 10.5% rate with an above-average .173 isolated slugging percentage. Overall, he’s been a league-average contributor, posting a .313 wOBA and 100 wRC+.

Over the last two seasons, Ward has been a solid defender. He has spent most of his time in left field with +4 defensive runs saved and +3 outs above average. Ward gets a good jump on the ball, with the 17th best feet vs average at 1.9. Ward has a strong arm that can play in the outfield corners. He is in the 68th percentile of arm strength. 

So Ward is a solid hitter with a good glove. He might be good, but how is he going to give this offense a huge boost? Well, Ward’s engine is more powerful than his car may look. Ward is in the 86th percentile of xwOBA at .356, as well as the 87th percentile of xSLG% at .486. There are 53 primary outfielders with at least 250 plate appearances in 2024. Ward has the second-largest gap between his SLG% and xSLG%, the largest gap between his wOBA and xwOBA, and the seventh-largest difference between his batting average and xBA (.246). 

Ward’s raw power is also top-of-the-line. He has the sixth-best barrel rate among outfielders with at least 250 plate appearances at 15%. That ranks in the 91st percentile of all hitters. Ward also has the 13th-best exit velocity among outfielders, clocking in at 91.3 MPH. Both are career bests for Ward.

The second reason to believe is Ward's history of productivity. From 2021 through 2023, Ward hit .265/.346/.449 with a .345 wOBA, and 121 wRC+. His isolated slugging percentage was .183 and he averaged 22 home runs every 600 plate appearances. Ward had both an above-average walk rate (9.8%) and strikeout rate (21.1%).

The third reason to believe is that the Pirates can offer Ward more lineup protection. There's no need to lie and act like the Pirates’ offense is the Murderers' Row Yankees. But they have a lot more potential than the Angels’ lineup, especially considering how much time Mike Trout has missed. Since the start of June, the Pirates, as a team, are batting .238/.300/.393 with a 93 wRC+. The Angels are batting .224/.303/.370 with an 87 wRC+. The Pirates have an 89.1 MPH exit velocity and 8.5% barrel rate. The Angels have just an 88.1 MPH exit velocity and a 7.2% barrel rate. 

Ward has mostly batted third this year, with Luis Rengifo batting second most often, and Willie Calhoun taking the most plate appearances in the cleanup spot. Miguel Sano has also seen a handful of plate appearances in the four hole. While Rengfio has done well and Calhoun has hit at an above-average level this year, Ward, batting between Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz, has a lot more potential to do a whole lot more damage. 

Batting Ward between Reynolds and Cruz may also be enough to help him reach something closer to those expected numbers. Pitchers can’t pitch around Reynolds as often, because that would mean facing Ward. Pitchers would then have to bear down on Ward because they definitely wouldn’t want a man on base with Oneil Cruz at the dish.

Acquiring Ward would also get Jack Suwinski and Michael A. Taylor’s bats out of the lineup more frequently. They have arguably been the biggest black holes in the Pirates’ lineup this year, as they are the only ones with a sub-.600 OPS in at least 180 plate appearances. Putting a bat with Ward’s potential in the lineup would be a massive improvement.

Finally, Ward is under control for two more seasons through 2026. Bringing in Ward would give the Pirates an outfield option for the next two years. Given that the only guarantee to perform next year in the Pirates’ outfield is Bryan Reynolds, bringing in a guy like Ward could really solidify the lineup for a few seasons. 

With all that in mind, Ward could inject a huge boost to the Pirates’ offense. The potential is all there. A better lineup situation could help him play up and make him a better hitter. On top of that, he improves an outfield that has had its struggles this year, especially when it comes to hitting.

A.J. Puk

A.J. Puk was a former top prospect who had injuries that forced him to the bullpen. He produced some solid numbers in 2022 and 2023 for the Oakland Athletics and Miami Marlins, posting a 3.51 ERA, 3.64 FIP, and 1.16 WHIP. Puk struck out nearly 30% of opponents between these two years with a 29.4% K%, while also owning a quality 6.9% walk rate. Puk was home run prone, however, with a 1.24 HR/9 rate.

But the numbers this year haven’t been as pretty. Puk still has a solid 3.96 FIP, but his ERA is at 4.73. His strikeout rate has plummeted to just 21.5%, while his walk rate has rocketed up to 12.4%. He’s allowing fewer home runs with an 0.68 HR/9, but he sports a garish WHIP of 1.43, another massive step down compared to 2022-2023. 

Luckily, those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Puk started the year in the Marlins’ rotation, where he struggled mightily. He only made four starts, one of which was against the Pirates, and allowed 14 earned runs while walking (17) more batters than he struck out (12) in only 13.2 innings pitched. Puk was moved back to the bullpen at the end of April, and not only has he gotten things back on track, but he’s pitching even better than he did in 2022 and 2023.

Puk’s last 26.1 innings pitched have seen him produce a 2.39 ERA, 2.74 FIP, and 0.80 WHIP. The lefty has walked just 5% of opponents with a healthy 26% K%. With such a low walk rate, combined with an above-average strikeout rate, Puk has a K:BB ratio of 5.20. Puk has only allowed home runs at an 0.68 HR/9 rate. He’s been immune to both hard and quality contact as well. Puk has an exit velocity of just 87.5 MPH with a barrel rate of 2.9% as a reliever.

Puk has been one of the best lefty relievers this year. He ranks top ten in FIP (7th), K:BB ratio (5th), and walk rate (6th) among LHRP with at least 25 IP. Among lefty bullpen arms who have faced at least 75 batters out of the pen, Puk has the 4th lowest barrel rate. Puk has also been solid late into games with a 3.52 ERA and 3.42 FIP while holding opponents to a wOBA of just .265 in the 7th inning or later. His WPA (or win percentage added) as a reliever is +0.42.

The Pirates’ bullpen has been better recently. Since the start of June, they own a 4.15 ERA, 3.37 FIP, and 1.30 WHIP. Their 22.5% K% might not jump off the page, but their 7.7% walk rate is the 9th best in this stretch, with the second lowest home run rate at 0.66. However, this pen could still use some depth.

Puk can fill a higher-leverage role. The Pirates have only had one lefty all year who has been able to serve as a higher-leverage reliever, and that’s been Aroldis Chapman. Ryan Borucki could soon take some of the load off of Chapman, but having another pitcher who can take the mound in late/close games would be wise. Puk saved 15 games last year as well, so he has experience as a closer and could occasionally see some save opportunities when David Bednar isn’t available. 

Another positive is that Puk is controlled via arbitration through 2026. Both Chapman and Borucki hit free agency at the end of the year, so by acquiring Puk, the Pirates would guarantee themselves a quality lefty reliever in the event that one or both would leave in free agency. Puk has been a good left-handed bullpen arm for three years now, and he’s pitching even better this year than in his last two campaigns. 

Kyle Finnegan

Another National League East reliever the Pirates should have their eye on is Kyle Finnegan. The Washington Nationals’ closer could also be on the trading block after his set-up man, Hunter Harvey, was dealt to the Kansas City Royals. Finnegan would fill a similar role as AJ Puk, but as a right-hander.

Finnegan is having a career-best year on the bump. He has a 2.45 ERA, 3.98 FIP, and 1.02 WHIP through 40.1 innings of work. Both his 8.1% walk rate and 26.1% strikeout rate are career bests. However, home runs have consistently plagued him. He had a 1.29 HR/9 in 2021 through 2023 and this year is not much different. His HR/9 in ‘24 clocks in at 1.34.

Although Finnegan is prone to hard contact with a 90.6 MPH exit velocity, he has been good at limiting quality contact. His 6.6% barrel rate is in the top 67th percentile of pitchers this year. Finnegan has been good, but there are more positives aside from his performance that would greatly help out the Pirates’ bullpen.

Like Puk, he could serve as the Pirates’ closer when Bednar has the day off. Finnegan has saved 25 games so far this year, only three away from matching a career high. His WPA on the season is +1.60. He’s used to high leverage, and having him and Bednar taking up the closing duties would make the eighth and ninth innings a nightmare for opposing teams in close games.

Finnegan is older at 31, but he is only getting paid $5.1 million this year with one more year of arbitration left. That gives the Pirates a second season to bring him back. Again, the Pirates could potentially lose two key relievers in Ryan Borucki and Aroldis Chapman this offseason. This would be nice insurance.

Brent Rooker

Yandy Diaz, Taylor Ward, Kyle Finnegan, and A.J. Puk are pretty realistic trade targets for the Pirates. All are controlled for multiple years, are good players, and probably won’t cost an arm and a leg to acquire via trade. This trade target, however, is definitely bolder than the first four, but he’d give the Pirates’ lineup an even bigger boost than Taylor Ward, even if Ward lived up to his expected stats. The player in question is Oakland Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker.

Rooker broke out last year with a big 2023. He batted .246/.329/.488 in 526 plate appearances. Rooker may have struck out almost a third of the time with a 32.7% K%, but he walked at an above-average 9.3% rate and hit for a ton of power. Rooker bashed 30 home runs and had an isolated slugging percentage of .242. He ended his campaign with a .348 wOBA and a 127 wRC+.

But Rooker has had an even better 2024. The DH is slashing .291/.369/.573 with a .399 wOBA and 166 wRC+. He has already hit 21 home runs in 344 plate appearances and has a .281 isolated slugging percentage. While he is still striking out a ton with a 32.6% K%, he has also improved his walk rate to 10.5%. Rooker has simply been one of the best hitters in baseball. He ranks in the top 10in OPS, wOBA, and wRC+.

Rooker is hitting the ball even better than last year. He was in the 85th percentile of exit velocity at 91.6 MPH and the 93rd percentile of barrel rate at 15.6%. This year, he is in the 90th percentile of exit velocity (92.1 MPH) and the 98th percentile of barrel rate (17.6%). The only qualified batters with a better barrel percentage than Rooker are Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Giancarlo Stanton, Juan Soto, Marcell Ozuna, and the Pirates’ very own Oneil Cruz.

Rooker could sustain this production if he were traded to the Pirates. PNC Park is more hitter-friendly than the Oakland Coliseum. It also allows more home runs on average. He would currently have more home runs than his current total of 21 if he played predominantly in every National League park except for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field.

The only question would be where the Pirates would play Rooker. Rooker has only 542.1 innings played in the outfield in the last two seasons. Most of his playing time has been as a designated hitter. When he has played in the outfield, it hasn’t been pretty. He has -6 defensive runs saved and -8 outs above average. Rooker isn’t slow with a 27.4 feet/second sprint speed (league average is 27 feet/second), but that’s about where all the positives end for his defensive prowess.

Aside from being a top-10 hitter this year, the Pirates would also have to pay up for his three more seasons of control remaining. Rooker has yet to hit arbitration. This offseason will be his first round of it. 

But if you hit as powerfully as Rooker has, any team will find a spot for you. That might mean doing something unconventional, like playing Andrew McCutchen in the outfield more frequently or giving Rooker some time at first base, a position he played during college and early in his minor league career. Whatever defensive alignment would have to be put out there would be worth it to get Rooker’s bat in the lineup.