Recent Pirates prospect promotion feels suspiciously like offseason trade showcase

The Pittsburgh Pirates need to make a splash this offseason, and it sure looks like they might be showcasing one of their top prospects for a spot in the package.The Pirates recently called up left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco for the final week of the regular season. While he may not see much playing time, given how late it is in the season, the Pirates are giving all other 29 teams a look at how his stuff looks at the Major League level.

Barco has split the 2025 season between Altoona and Indianapolis. Between the two minor league levels, he owns a 2.81 ERA, 3.54 FIP, and 1.20 WHIP over 99.1 innings. He got plenty of strikeouts, with a 27.8% strikeout percentage. His 11.8% walk rate wasn’t great, but an uptick in BB% was expected, given he pitched most of his season at Triple-A Indianapolis. Triple-A utilizes the fully automated ABS system, with an average BB% of 10.8%. On the plus side, Barco remained immune to home runs, with an 0.45 HR/9.

Barco utilizes three pitches. His sinker is his primary weapon, sitting at 93-95 MPH. His go-to breaking pitch is a slider that comes in around 82-84 MPH. It was a highly effective pitch to get swings and misses on at Triple-A, with a whiff percentage of 39%. His mid-80s splitter is his offspeed pitch, which also induces plenty of swings and misses with a 40% whiff rate.

A Hunter Barco-centered trade seems like a real possibility this winter for Pirates.

So why does Barco seem like the most likely top prospect to get dealt from the current crop? The Pirates already have plenty of pitching in the Major Leagues. The Pirates seem to have their starting five set for next season. They still have two pitchers who could make starts or pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen, including Mike Burrows and Carmen Mlodzinski. The Pirates will also welcome back 2024 rookie standout Jared Jones sometime next year.

When examining the Pirates’ top 100 prospects on MLB Pipeline, Barco has the strongest chance to get dealt among the five on the list, (he ranks at No. 82). The Pirates aren’t going to trade the number one prospect in baseball, Konnor Griffin. They need offense, and trading Griffin would be counterintuitive, especially given how close he is to the Major Leagues. Trading Edward Florentino would also be counterintuitive for similar reasons (although he is further off from the Major Leagues than Griffin). Bubba Chandler is likely penciled into one of the rotation spots for 2026. It would take something insane to pry him away from the Pirates right now. The Pirates also aren’t going to trade Seth Hernandez less than a year after drafting him, especially given how talented he is.

It’s not as if Barco is their lone top pitching prospect, either, aside from Hernandez and Chandler. Antwone Kelly and Wilber Dotel both had very promising seasons and will likely get added to the 40-man roster this offseason, as they are Rule 5 eligible. Khristian Curtis had an outstanding second half, and the Pirates have many other prospects we haven’t seen much of yet, like Zander Mueth, Jeter Martinez, and Levi Sterling.

The Pirates also need to make a move for a bat this winter. It’s clear the Pirates didn’t do nearly enough last offseason to improve the offense. This year, the Pirates have the fifth-most games in which their pitching has allowed three or fewer runs, with 81 such contests. However, they also have the most games where they have scored three or fewer runs, with 91. 48 of their games have seen them both allow three or fewer runs, and score three or fewer runs, which is the most in MLB this year.

The obvious argument against this theory is that two or three appearances out of the bullpen likely aren’t going to drastically sway opinions, regardless of whether or not he performs well. While that is true, it doesn’t hurt his prospect status either. If anything, it only helps, given he’s shown what his stuff looks like against Major League opponents. Given the Pirates’ system's pitching richness, Barco’s own prospect status, and the Pirates' need to make a notable offensive splash this offseason, right now feels like Barco’s trial run for an upcoming deal.