The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded one starting pitcher this winter and wouldn’t be opposed to dealing a second if they can get an impact hitter.
The Pirates dealt right-hander Johan Oviedo to the Boston Red Sox for outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia on Dec. 4 in a five-player trade. Oviedo was expendable because the Pirates already have a projected rotation of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, and Mike Burrows for next season.
However, the Pirates need to significantly upgrade their offense if they are to contend in 2026 after finishing last in the National League Central this year with a 71-91 record. The Pirates were last in MLB in runs scored, home runs, and OPS.
The Pirates believe Garcia is going to be a good player in the long term. However, he is likely to start next season at Triple-A Indianapolis. The Pirates need hitters who can help them right away, and general manager Ben Cherington knows he may need to trade one of the five projected starters to acquire a difference-making bat.
“We’re open to that,” Cherington said. “We’ll have a high bar. Will more likely consider that if it’s something that’s coming back immediately into our lineup.”
If the Pirates were to trade a starting pitcher, Cherington said he might have to acquire someone to fill what would be a hole in the rotation.
“We’re not only engaged on position players; we’re talking about adding pitching, too,” Cherington said.
The most logical starter to trade is Keller. He has been one of the most durable pitchers in the big leagues over the last four seasons and has three years and $55.7 million left on his five-year, $77-million contract. The Pirates could take the money they save by trading Keller and pursue more hitting.
However, there is no robust market for Keller, according to executives and scouts assembled at the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando earlier this week. Many of them think that teams won’t give up a significant hitter for Keller without the Pirates absorbing at least part of the $55.7 million.
Skenes, who won the NL Cy Young Award this year, isn’t getting traded, and a team source told Pirates Roundtable that the Pirates would have to be “overwhelmed” to trade Chandler. Thus, the Pirates might have to deal Ashcraft or Burrows to add some much-needed offense.