Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Bold Trade Proposals to Address Pitching, Infield Needs

The Pittsburgh Pirates need to be bold when acquiring players this off-season, and these three trade proposals are the definition of bold

The Pittsburgh Pirates need to be bold in acquiring players this off-season. Ben Cherington hinted at being more aggressive on the trade market than the free agent market, and there will certainly be potential players for Cherington and co. to pursue this winter. The Pirates definitely have some resources they could use toward some of the better trade targets.

I want to look at three bold trade proposals the Pirates really should consider. They need to bolster their roster, and while they definitely won't break the prospect bank, there are still ways the Pirates can acquire good talent without having to do so.

Pirates Acquire: Griffin Canning, Brandon Drury
Angels Acquire: Thomas Harrington, Tsung-Che Cheng

The Pirates need starting pitching along with an infielder, so why not get two at once? In this trade, I have the Pirates getting RHSP Griffin Canning from the LA Angels alongside veteran power-hitting infielder Brandon Drury. In exchange, the Pirates are sending top pitching prospect Thoams Harrington and infield prospect Tsung-Che Cheng to LA.

Canning is coming off a nice rebound season, pitching to a 4.32 ERA, 4.29 FIP, and 1.24 WHIP. Those numbers might not seem too impressive, but there are a handful of positives that point to him potentially pitching better. Canning had a 25.9% K-rate and 6.7% walk rate, both of which are career bests for the righty. The right-hander's 3.86 K:BB ratio was the 23rd-best among pitchers with 120+ IP. His 1.56 HR/9 was a tad high, but a 16.1% HR/FB ratio points to some positive regression.

Canning's underlying metrics are also good. He had a 3.82 xFIP and 3.80 SIERA. He was also great after the All-Star break, working to a 3.91 ERA but 3.26 FIP and 1.28 WHIP, with a much more reasonable 1.19 HR/9 and 11.9% HR/FB ratio. He also struck out about 30% of opponents with a 30.1% strikeout rate while carrying a walk rate of just 6.2%. Canning also comes with control through 2025.

The second player going back is Brandon Drury. After winning a Silver Slugger with the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres in 2022, Drury followed that up by hitting .262/.306/.497 through 523 plate appearances. Drury went yard a total of 26 times with an ISO of .235. He was one of baseball's most underrated sluggers last season, as he ranked in the top 20 in ISO among batters with at least 500 PAs. The only real negative was his 4.8% walk rate and 26% strikeout rate.

Drury can fill either second base or first base. Last season, he played more of the keystone with -1 defensive run saved, but +5 outs above average. He graded out around league average over at first base with -1 DRS but zero outs above average. The Pirates need to fill one position or the other, and Drury gives them the option to fill either.

Thomas Harrington would not only become the best pitching prospect in the Angels' system, but he would be their best pitching prospect by far. The right-hander is coming off a season that saw him work to the tune of a 3.53 ERA, 4.00 FIP, and 1.24 WHIP. Harrington carried a quality 27.8% strikeout rate and a 7.8% walk rate while having a respectable 0.99 HR/9. Harrington also had a sub-3.00 ERA from the start of August through the end of the season.

Harrington's four-seam fastball plays above its velocity. He only throws in the 91-94 MPH range, but the pitch carries through the top of the zone and sinks at the bottom of the zone. He also throws both a good slider, the best of his two breaking pitches with above average to plus potential. However, his change-up easily has plus potential with its tumbling action. Harrington is an athletic on-mound presence who has used that athleticism to command his stuff well.

Tsung-Che Cheng would also be one of the best infield prospects in the Angels' system. The middle infielder split the year at Greensboro and Altoona. After batting above .300 with a .266 isolated slugging percentage and wRC+ over 160 at 163, Cheng was promoted to Altoona. But he struggled after getting moved up with a sub-.700 OPS, a wRC+ dropping down by over half to 80, and his walk rate dropping well below 10%.

Cheng has a great hit tool and has previously drawn walks at a high rate while posting a sub-20% strikeout rate. Cheng is a fast runner and can cover ground but gets caught stealing a lot. While he has stolen 59 bases in 2022-2023, he's also gotten caught 18 times for a success rate of 76.6%. Cheng is primarily a shortstop but played a handful of games at second base and has experience over at the hot corner.

The Angels need prospects, and the Pirates need pitching and an infielder. Harrington and Cheng automatically become two of the Angels' best prospects. Meanwhile, the Pirates get a pitcher with #2 upside for a few seasons and a power-hitting infielder who has one year of control remaining.

Pirates Acquire: Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler
Twins Acquire: Quinn Priester

This is going to be the boldest one of today. While the Pirates need starting pitching and trading away one of their top young options might sound counter-intuitive, getting an infielder with multiple seasons of control and a power-hitting outfield option would definitely be worth it. Plus, the Minnesota Twins will be looking to acquire some pitching, as well as cut some payroll, and this trade fixes holes for both teams.

Jorge Polanco is coming off a .255/.335/.454 triple-slash, .340 wOBA, and 118 wRC+. The switch-hitting infielder hit for a career-best .199 isolated slugging percentage and drew walks in 10.5% of his plate appearances. However, he also struck out over a quarter of the time, which was the highest K% of his career thus far. While he had +1 DRS, he also had -5 OAA. Polanco could definitely hit better next season. His 13.8% barrel rate was a career-best by over 3%. He also had an impressive .486 xSLG% and .351 xwOBA.

Polanco comes with two years of control remaining. He is owed just $10.5 million next year and comes with a team option for 2025 valued at $12 million. While Polanco's defense has never been great, he's still a potential 120 wRC+ hitter with 18+ dingers at second base, along with an affordable contract.

The second player, Max Kepler, has just one year of control remaining but had his best season since 2019. The Twins' stalwart right fielder batted .260/.332/.484 with 24 home runs. His 124 wRC+ is a single-season record for him. While his 21.6% K-rate was a career-worst, it was still above average, as was his 9.3% walk rate. Kepler, like Polanco, has the potential to be better in 2024 with the stick.

He hit career highs in exit velocity, hard-hit rate, and barrel rate, all by a large margin. Kepler was also great in the second half of the season. His OPS came in well over .900 at .926; meanwhile, his wRC+ clocked in at an MVP-caliber 154. He had nearly a 14% barrel rate once he returned from the All-Star break.

Kepler has always been a strong defensive right fielder, and 2023 was no different. He had +2 DRS and +4 outs above average. Sure, he has had significantly better seasons with the glove in the outfield, but that's still above-average defensive production for Kepler.

Quinn Priester had a rough month in April but then got things back on track. From the start of May through the rest of his minor league outings, Priester had just a 3.16 ERA, along with a quality 3.64 FIP and 1.26 WHIP. The right-hander had an unimpressive 10.4% walk rate, though it was his first season working with the automated strike zone, and walks across Triple-A were up. But he still managed a quality 24.9% K-rate and home run rate of just 0.51.

While Priester pitched well in the minor leagues, his first taste of big-league action did not go so well. He only pitched 50 innings but had a 7.74 ERA, 6.74 FIP, and 1.70 WHIP. While he was able to post an above-average walk rate at Triple-A, he dished out a free pass to 11.5% of opponents. His strikeout rate was just 15.4%, and after making home run suppression one of his strengths throughout the minors, he had 2.16 HR/9 in the bigs.

Priester was sent down at one point but returned to the mound in September and looked much better. After sitting 90-93 MPH in his first call-up, he was sitting closer to 93-96 MPH with his sinker. The results still weren't great, but he definitely was locating better in his second go-around with major league batters.

Priester has an outstanding curveball and a solid slider. Priester put his four-seam fastball on the backburner this season, opting to favor his sinker more often. Priester can do a good job at locating his pitches. Priester posted an above-average walk rate in a league that was still getting used to the automated strike zone.

Is this bold? Absolutely, but it gives the Twins a potential starting pitcher for 2024 and beyond, the Pirates two decent position players, one of which has just one year of control left, and the other comes with two years, and achieves the Twins' goal of cutting payroll. At the very least, Priester would be the headliner, with some other players going to Minnesota from the Pirates.