Analyzing the potential trade values of rental players on the Pirates' roster

Today is the last day to make trades during the 2024 season. The Pirates have been active ahead of the deadline already, swinging two trades and acquiring Nick Yorke from Boston and Jalen Beeks from Colorado.

Although the Pirates have shown to have a buyer's approach with the acquisition of Beeks, they could do a mix of both strategies by selling some of the players on expiring contracts. Let's take a look at the values of a few rentals on the Pirates roster that could be moved before the deadline.

Which rentals on the Pirates have any kind of trade value?

Michael A. Taylor

Trying to find trade value for Michael A. Taylor is difficult, as he has been one of the worst qualified hitters in the league, but a lot of contending teams value his defense off the bench. Along with being a defensive replacement, he could occupy a role as a consistent pinch runner who could steal bases late in games. Of course, he could also hit three-run homers off Josh Hader every once in a while.

This season with the Pirates, Taylor has posted an OPS of .569 with three home runs and 17 runs batted in. His fWAR is at 0.6, which is remarkable based on his terrible showing at the plate.

His fWAR is positive because of his defense and baserunning. In center field, Taylor has saved nine defensive runs, and his outs above average total sits at eight. That is among the best in the league. On the bases, Taylor has stole nine bases and has only been caught once.

Although he is not a consistent starting outfielder, his defense and baserunning could be very valuable down the stretch. It is unknown whether or not the Pirates will attempt to trade him for that reason, but if they do buy an outfielder or two, they could definitely find a suitor for Taylor.

Yasmani Grandal

Similarly to Taylor, Yasmani Grandal has not been a productive hitter at the plate, but provides value behind the plate. Grandal is one of the best framers in the entire league, but his pop time is one of the game's worst. That combination has gotten him a lot of calls, but has also allowed runners to gain an extra 90 feet consistently.

At the plate, Grandal has gotten unlucky with his .184 batting average, because according to Statcast, it should be 50 points higher at .234. He also has hit four home runs and seven doubles, which has generated a slugging percentage of .319. Statcast says his expected slugging percentage is at .402, which is much higher than the actual number.

Although he has not done much at the plate, his performance behind the plate has made his fWAR 0.4. His framing is ranked in the 90th percentile, which is at the top of the league, but his pop time is ranked in the first percentile, which is at the bottom of the league. His fielding run value is in the 77th percentile (three runs). He has two defensive runs saved as well.

Overall, Grandal could be a good backup catcher with his glove, but it might be hard for the Pirates to trade him. Grandal has been the personal catcher to rookie sensation Paul Skenes. The value is there in Grandal, but whether or not they deal him is not yet known.

Martín Pérez

Martín Pérez was one of the first signings the Pirates made during the offseason and was expected to be one of the team's top starting pitchers. Although he was good in March and April, Pérez got injured and has only had a couple of productive starts since.

This season, Pérez has thrown 83 innings and has posted an earned run average of 5.20. Opponents are batting a whopping .311 off of him, and his WHIP is high at 1.65. He has not been very productive on the mound throughout the 2024 season, but there could be a suitor for him.

Pérez could find his way to a different team that is in need of an innings-eater or a left-handed pitcher. Finding a team that wants him would be difficult, but if the Pirates package him with a prospect, they might get something out of him. It's somewhat surprising, based on their dearth of lefties and familiarity with him, that the Red Sox didn't find a way to come down with him and expand the Yorke swap.

Overall, the Pirates do not have a great group of rentals to deal from, but they could get something out of them. Don't expect a top prospect or an impact major league player, but if the Pirates can find suitors for any of these players, they will likely accept.