The Pittsburgh Pirates are pulling out all the stops this MLB offseason.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are maintaining that they want to bolster their lineup this offseason, which means that they could be spending more money than we generally expect.
The Pirates are reportedly interest in Kyle Schwarber, and they have also checked in on some other free-agent bats like Jorge Polanco and Ryan O'Hearn.
However, Pittsburgh is also exploring the trade route, and Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic have reported that the Pirates have even called up an unexpected team about a potential deal: the St. Louis Cardinals.
"Free agents such as O’Hearn, Polanco and [Kazuma] Okamoto also might shun the Pirates if offered deals by clubs more likely to contend. Which is why the Pirates also are actively exploring trades, checking in with the St. Louis Cardinals on their available left-handed hitters, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman, and also speaking with other teams," Rosenthal and Drellich wrote.
In-division trades are definitely rare, especially when an All-Star player is involved.
St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan. Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images.In this case, Donovan would be the All-Star player in question, as he made his first trip to the midsummer classic this past year after slashing .287/.353/.422 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI over 515 plate appearances.
Nootbar and Gorman are far less enticing for Pittsburgh. Nootbar managed a .686 OPS in 2025 while Gorman was at .666. To be fair, Nootbar has been a passable hitter in the past, owning a lifetime .242/.341/.406 slash line, but he wouldn't move the needle for the Buccos.
Donovan, on the other hand, boasts a lifetime .361 OBP, and while he isn't a big-time power bat, he would at least bring some much-needed plate discipline to a Pirates club that registered a .305 OBP this past season.
The problem is that the Cardinals would surely ask Pittsburgh for an arm and a leg in exchange for Donovan. Not only are the Pirates an NL Central rival, but Donovan has two years of club control remaining, so St. Louis does not have to be in any sort of rush to move him now.
Pittsburgh seems to be examining a multitude of different avenues to try and improve its offense for 2026, with Rosenthal and Drellich noting that the Bucs have been speaking with other teams, as well.