Ranking 5 potential Pittsburgh Pirates outfield trade targets

The Pittsburgh Pirates' offense has been awful this year. They need an upgrade, with much of their worst production coming from the outfield. Bryan Reynolds has been the only outfielder to produce anything consistently with the bat. Jack Suwinski and Michael A. Taylor entered the year as potential power threats, but have fallen very short of expectations. Edward Olivares also hasn't been the batter many were expecting when the Pirates acquired him from the Royals after two solid seasons in Kansas City.

Luckily, the trade market for outfielders this July could be pretty active. The Pirates will definitely have a chance to improve their outfield and offense overall via the trade market. So far, they've acted like they're willing to move pitching prospects in order to improve the major league team, and I, for one, am optimistic they do at least something to make the lineup and outfield better. 

That means it's time to assess their potential trade targets. Performance is only one of the multiple factors in this ranking. We're also considering years of control left on the player's contract, the cost in terms of prospects it would take to acquire them, and what we deem as the overall likelihood the Pirates would acquire the player. Finally, this ranking will also take into consideration how available that player will be at the trade deadline. This list is also ranked from best and/or most likely to worst/least likely.

Pirates Trade Deadline Outfield Targets, Ranked

No. 1: JJ Bleday

The Miami Marlins drafted JJ Bleday in the first round of the 2019 draft as the fourt overall pick. He was then traded to the Oakland Athletics in the 2022-2023 offseason, and while it's taken longer than expected, Bleday has finally found his footing and has broken out in a big way in 2024. Still, it's quite possible the A's look to move the outfielder, and if they are willing to trade him, he's someone the Pirates should have at the top of their list of players to pursue.

Bleday is batting .248/.331/.453 on the season with a .340 wOBA and 126 wRC+. He has been one of the best hitting center fielders in baseball, ranking third in OPS and wOBA, and tied with Jarren Duran from the Boston Red Sox for the second best wRC+ among primary center fielders. Bleday is walking at a healthy 10.7% rate, but more impressively, he's cut his K% down to 18.8%. Bleday struck out just over a quarter of the time in 2022-2023 with the Marlins and A's, so this is a big development for him.

Bleday has done everything right with the bat. He has an above-average exit velocity (89.3 MPH), barrel rate (8.5%), and expected weighted on-base average (.341) with a chase rate in the 80th percentile. The only notable statistic that he's below average in is whiff rate at 25%, but even then, he's still in the 46th percentile.

Bleday projected more like a corner outfielder in the minor leagues, but he's held his own in center field. Defensive runs saved haven't been too kind at -4, though his outs above average are slightly better at -1. Bleday is a slightly above-average runner with a strong arm, so a move to left or right field isn't out of the question, but he's shown he can at least handle center field.

Another major positive is that Bleday is under control for a while. He's still a whole season away from even reaching arbitration. Bleday is young and is only in his age-26 campaign, so he'd be a long-term option if this is someone the Pirates are able to go after.

Bleday is not nearly as proven as many of the other hitters on today's list. This is the first time he's done well in an extended period in the major leagues. Granted, it is only the second time he's played in at least half the season, and to his credit, he's done well.

So what would it take to get Bleday? Well, according to Noah Hiles, it might be less than what we're expecting. Andrew Filliponi made a mock trade that would send Jack Suwinski and Liover Peguero to Oakland for Bleday. Hiles stated while no trade was proposed, he did say this, in his estimation, is the sort of return that Bleday would go for at the deadline this year. If that's true, then Bleday would be a bargain.

Bleday is a great hitter and a solid defensive center fielder. He has been under control for quite a while, and the price might not be as high as we're expecting. To me, those factors make him the best trade target the Pirates should pursue. 

No. 2: Taylor Ward

Taylor Ward has solidified himself as an underrated outfielder in MLB. Although he's never been an elite hitter, he consistently provides above-average hitting with good defense in the outfield corners. 2024 has been yet another solid season for Ward, but he has the potential to produce much more offensively.

So far this year, Ward has been a very solid batter, slashing .244/.329/.444 with a .337 wOBA and 117 wRC+. He is walking at a career-high 11% rate, but has an unimpressive 23.4% K%. On the positive side, he is hitting for a good amount of pop. He's already matched his 2023 home run total of 14, but in 72 fewer plate appearances. His .198 isolated slugging percentage is currently a career-best mark.

These are some good numbers, but they could be even better. Ward is above the 90th percentile in expected wOBA at .374 and expected slugging percentage at .519. He's hitting the ball harder than he ever has before with a 91.1 MPH exit velocity, but he's also making quality contact on a consistent basis. His 15.5% barrel rate is the 13th best this season.

Ward consistently grades out as a good defender. This year, he has zero outs above average, but +5 defensive runs saved. Ward has spent his entire 2024 season in left field, but he also has over 1,500 innings in right field, and even over 100 in center field. He has a strong enough arm to play an outfield corner, as he's in the 70th percentile of arm strength.

The one red flag is that Ward isn't young. He's already 30, and will be 32 (heading into his age-33 season) when he hits free agency. However, this is about the only thing you can knock Ward for. He's consistently been both a good defender and hitter for the last three to four seasons. Ward is under control until 2026, giving him two more full seasons of control via arbitration. With all that in mind, Ward feels like a prime trade candidate for the Pirates.

No. 3: Jose Siri

Jose Siri broke out in 2023, hitting 25 homers in an injury-limited 106 games with a 106 wRC+ and +2.6 fWAR. This earned Siri the starting center field job for the Rays, and he's continued to hit well. But with the Tampa Bay Rays likely willing to move some of their players at the trade deadline, Siri will probably be a name that gets thrown around in trade talks among outfielders.

Siri is slashing .219/.300/.423 with a .317 wOBA and 110 wRC+. Siri's isolated slugging percentage has dropped, but is still at a healthy .205 mark. While he's still striking out over a third of the time with a 35.4% K%, he has seen his walk rate go from just 5.5% last year to 8.5% this year. Siri also has a .334 xwOBA, a .467 expected slugging percentage, and a 15.8% barrel rate, suggesting maybe there's more to his game than meets the eye.

On top of providing top-of-the-line power, Siri has established himself as one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball. Since 2022, Siri has +10 defensive runs saved and +31 outs above average. Siri is an ultra-fast runner and is in the 98th percentile of sprint speed, which helps him track down balls in the gaps and fly balls hit deep. Don't think he's an easy guy to run on, either, as his throws average 92.7 MPH, which is in the 96th percentile.

Siri is under control for the next three seasons via arbitration. That could make him a bit more expensive in terms of prospect cost. His market has been quieter compared to that of Bleday, but with the Rays' current situation, they'll likely listen to offers on any player. Still, he should be a realistic trade target for the Pirates. He'll provide the much-needed pop this lineup desperately needs while giving them Gold Glove-caliber defense up the middle for the next three seasons.

No. 5: Luis Robert Jr.

Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. will be one of the most highly sought-after players at the trade deadline. He's young and is a potential 30+ homer center fielder with Gold Glove defense. Plus, he comes with multiple years of control remaining for an affordable cost, given his value.

Robert has missed a chunk of 2024, but when he has been able to play, he's been solid, batting .207/.285/.505 with a 115 wRC+. The name of the game for Robert Jr. is power. He has a .297 isolated slugging percentage and nine home runs in only 123 plate appearances. While he is walking at a career-high 9.8% rate, which is a massive step up from 5% last year, he is also striking out a career-high 34.1% of the time.

Of course, Robert Jr. was one of the best-hitting center fielders in baseball last season. He had an .857 OPS, .358 wOBA, and 128 wRC+. The only primary outfielders last year with more home runs than Robert's 38 were Ronald Acuña Jr., Mookie Betts, and Adolis Garcia. Along with nearly 40 homers from center field, Robert racked up +6 defensive runs saved and +13 outs above average.

Robert is great, so what's the catch? Well, part of it is that he hasn't shown to be reliable for even just 120 games a season. Robert made his debut during the shortened 2020 season. Since then, he's played 100+ games just once, which was last year. So far this season, he's missed time and has appeared in less than half of the White Sox's games. Robert also isn't cheap, payroll-wise. He'll make $15 million next year, then has two team options for 2026 and 2027 worth $20 million each. When healthy, Robert is a potential +5.0 WAR player. But that's when he's healthy. So far, he's played a lot like Byron Buxton: someone who is great when healthy, but not healthy very often.

But by no means is Robert Jr. a bad player. He'd be an upgrade to any outfield, especially the Pirates'. However, he doesn't seem like a guy the Pirates are about to sell the farm for. The White Sox were reportedly looking for a "Juan Soto-like" return, but Soto is one of the best hitters of this generation and has played 150+ games in four straight seasons. Of course, Pirates fans would still be ecstatic if Robert landed in black and gold. His ceiling is at a consistent All-Star level (or perhaps even higher than that) with Gold Glove defense. In this current climate, though, he seems like the least likely trade target for the Pirates.