This Pirates trade package would bring former All-Star back to Pittsburgh

In late May, the Pirates have a winning percentage just under .500. With the annual MLB Trade Deadline at the end of July, the Pirates should consider improving their roster to increase their chances of making it to the playoffs. One area of need is first base. This was a need during the offseason, and Ben Cherington attempted to address this by signing Rowdy Tellez to platoon with Connor Joe.

After two months of the regular season, the Pirates have discovered that only half of the platoon has been successful. Joe has been one of the leading bats in the Pirates' lineup this season. Through 43 games, Joe has a batting average of .273 with six home runs and 22 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .804, which includes an on-base percentage of .344 and a slugging percentage of .460. His wRC+ is solid at 128, and his strikeout percentage is decent at 19.4%.

On the other side of the platoon, Tellez has been among the worst hitters in all of baseball. Through 44 games, Tellez has a batting average of .175 with a home run and eight runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .467, which includes an on-base percentage of .242 and a slugging percentage of .225. His wRC+ is very low at 36, and his strikeout percentage is at 24.2%.

Tellez has not been a good hitter, and there have been no signs of improvement in recent weeks. Joe has been good, but he does not have success when he starts daily. To get the best of Connor Joe, he must be in a platoon role with another first baseman. Despite Tellez and Joe being a good righty-lefty combination, the Pirates need to unload Tellez to win more games. By getting rid of Tellez, Cherington must get a new first baseman to continue to the platoon with Joe.

One player that stands out to fill this hole at first base is former All-Star Josh Bell. Although Bell is not having a year like 2019, he is still been more productive than Tellez. This season, Bell has a batting average of .228 with six home runs and 26 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .669, which includes an on-base percentage of .312 and a slugging percentage of .358. His wRC+ is barely below league average at 93 and his strikeout percentage is decent at 18.7%.

Bell had a rough start to the season in April, but in May he has heated up at the plate. Through May 24, Bell posted a .299 batting average with three home runs and 16 runs batted in. He also sported an OPS of .843, which includes an on-base percentage of .375 and a slugging percentage of .468. His wRC+ sat at 139 and his strikeout percentage at 18.2%.

Bell is not a bad hitter and would be a significant improvement at first base. Bell's contract is very expensive at $16.5 million, but this theoretical trade includes cash considerations from Miami (we can't bail the Marlins out of the entirety, even in a hypothetical). Another player the Pirates could acquire in this deal is left-handed pitcher Andrew Nardi. The Pirates bullpen has gone through multiple injuries this season, and the team's depth has taken a hit. Aroldis Chapman and Jose Hernandez are the lone southpaws in the Pirates bullpen, and they have had their own struggles. Getting another solid lefty would be huge for the Pirates bullpen.

This season, Nardi has an earned run average of 5.68 in 19 innings pitched and has struck out 24 batters. He also has a WHIP of 1.42 and a FIP of 2.55. Opponents are also batting .270 against him. These stats look poor, but advanced metrics show that he has been very unlucky this season.

Nardi's expected earned run average is at 3.35 and his expected opposing batting average is .236. Both of these are signifcantly lower than what he actually has. He also has a very impressive chase rate of 35.7%, which is in the 96th percentile.

Who will the Pirates send back in this proposed trade with the Marlins?

The Marlins would be acquiring two minor league pitchers in this deal. The first pitcher is the Pirates' 14th-ranked prospect, Michael Kennedy. This season, Kennedy has a 1-2 record with an earned run average of 3.83 in 40 innings pitched and has struck out 47 batters. He also has a WHIP of 1.10 and an opposing batting average of .257.

Kennedy is currently pitching with the Bradenton Marauders and has been solid. He is 19 years old and provides a lot of value.

The other pitcher that would head to the Marlins in this deal is the Pirates 21st ranked prospect, Patrick Reilly. This season, Reilly has a 2-3 record with an earned run average of 4.75 in 36.1 innings pitched and has struck out 51 batters. He also has a WHIP of 1.29 and an opponent batting average of .206.

Both of these young prospects have a bright future, but the Pirates need to improve the big league roster and unload on a few prospects.

Tellez feels as if he's on the verge of being designated for assignment, and Miami has proven to be sellers, as they have already sent Luis Arraez away. It is also realistic to expect the Pirates to address a need at first base and in the bullpen, while the Marlins need to acquire a few arms for their future. There's no reason this match could not happen.