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The Twins may be catching the Pittsburgh Pirates at a tricky time, both in terms of playing them on the field (the Bucs looked awfully ready for them, as the Twins limped into town after their Bronx bombing), and with regard to considering their roster as a target for pillaging. The Pirates have been sellers at many of the recent trade deadlines, and they haven’t made the postseason since 2015.
Yet, this year feels like a possible turning point for their historic franchise. While they still find themselves near the cellar of the NL Central, their current trajectory is an upward one. They have emerging stars in their lineup in the form of shortstop Oneil Cruz and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. Those young guns pair well with veteran regulars such as Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds, and their young rotation has become the envy of baseball, led by two standout rookies in Paul Skenes and Jared Jones.
It’s hard to imagine the Twins and Pirates matching up for a swap of any of the aforementioned players, but the Pittsburgh roster still presents some options that are at least intriguing.
The Hitters
With Cruz, Hayes and Reynolds almost certainly staying put as building blocks going forward, and McCutchen likely staying in Pittsburgh for a swan song to his illustrious career, there aren’t many clean fits that could be clear upgrades for the Twins’ lineup, or at least in positions of need. The Twins’ wish list in a trade for a hitter would likely include a right-handed outfielder with a good bat that presents a clear upgrade over the suddenly hot Manuel Margot; a left-handed hitter who can play first and/or second base; and a catcher that can either hit left-handed or is just a clear upgrade over Christian Vázquez.
Let’s start in the outfield. The Pirates have a few intriguing guys who could be of interest to the Twins. Connor Joe has been a speculative target for the Twins since the 2022-2023 offseason, and is currently having one of his better all-around campaigns. The 31-year-old right-handed slugger sports a .263/.338/.440 clip (120 wRC+) and can play either corner outfield spot, plus first base. The most appealing aspect of Joe’s game would be his solid numbers against southpaw pitching (.856 OPS, 138 wRC+). He comes with three-plus years of club control via arbitration.
If we would’ve looked at the Pirates’ roster a few weeks ago, old friend Michael A. Taylor may have been a reasonable name to target for a low-wattage move, especially if the Twins were confident they could get his bat back to its lefty-mashing ways from last season. But now that Margot has improved drastically, his slightly above-average .708 OPS against southpaws is considerably higher than Taylor’s .583 OPS this season. Might be best to leave that one on the table, unless Byron Buxton suffers an injury that necessitates more true center field depth.
As far as a target at the catcher position is concerned, Joey Bart caught my eye before he went on the injured list with thumb discomfort a few weeks ago. Upon joining the Pirates after being designated for assignment by the San Francisco Giants, the former top prospect lit it up at the plate, to the tune of a .267/.362/.517 (149 wRC+) line. He’s likely to be blocked by former first overall pick Henry Davis going forward, though Davis himself is off to a slow start this year and freshly restored after a short demotion to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Had Bart remained healthy, and if the Pirates were willing to dangle him in a trade, the Twins would’ve had to give up a decent (but not elite) return package to secure his services. After all, the catching position is pretty bleak league-wide (aside from a few stars at the top), and Bart is under club control through the 2027 season. He could theoretically still be a target for the Twins, but it’s not as clean of a fit as it probably needs to be to get across the finish line.
The Pitchers
Skenes or Jones are as untouchable as any pitchers can be in today’s game, but there are a few other arms that could make sense for the Twins. I would’ve loved to put Mitch Keller (3.16 ERA across 13 starts this year) on this list, but he recently signed a five-year contract extension to stay in Pittsburgh, very similar to that of Pablo López. Scratch him off the list.
The most realistic trade targets on the Pirates’ roster are all housed in their bullpen. Some of their lower-leverage arms, such as Justin Bruihl and Carmen Mlodzinski, could make some sense if the Twins are willing to work some of their mechanical magic. Bruihl (4.09 ERA across parts of four MLB seasons) is a 26-year-old lefty with an interesting sweeper, despite low velocity on his sinker. He’s under club control for four more years after the 2024 season, so he may need to be part of a bigger package to make a trade work.
Mlodzinski is a former first-round pick of the Pirates from 2020, and while he doesn’t appear to be tracking toward the ceiling that was projected when they drafted him, he could still have some upside in a relief role. Since becoming a full-time reliever in 2023, the 25-year-old has a 3.17 ERA across 48 ⅓ innings pitched, and is still a work in progress when it comes to refining his repertoire. He’s still working with a five-pitch mix, but three of his offerings are marginal at best. The Twins could look for him to focus on his fastball and gyro slider, which has been his best breaking ball so far. They’ve done it before with former starters as they transition to a bullpen role, and they’ll surely do it again with someone like Mlodzinski at some point.
Pittsburgh’s closer David Bednar is another name I’d keep an eye on. He would cost a pretty penny, especially given the fact that he’s a native son of Pittsburgh. His season started with a handful of blown saves (though he has seemed to straighten out in the last month), making the trade possibility even trickier, as they would be selling him at a relative low point of his career. But what if the Twins offered the Pirates another Yinzer as part of the return package? Could Alex Kirilloff (plus an actual centerpiece or two) entice Pittsburgh’s front office into considering a trade for their native son? It’s hard to say, but there’s plenty to like when looking at Bednar as another late-game option to pair with Jhoan Durán and Griffin Jax.
What do you think? Are there any realistic targets on the Pirate’s roster that the Twins should consider targeting in a trade? Let us know what you think in the comments, and as always, keep it sweet.
