3 Mock Trades That Would Make for a Perfect Pirates Deadline

With every single day that passes, the Pittsburgh Pirates inch closer to one of the most pivotal days for the franchise in recent memory: the 2026 MLB trade deadline.

As of the time I’m writing this, things are better for the Pirates than they’ve been in some time. At three games above .500, they’re serious contenders for the final Wild Card spot in the National League, and they also possess one of the strongest lineups in the entire sport.

It’s a testament to their offense that they’ve managed to stay afloat despite the significant injuries to Spencer Horwitz, Oneil Cruz, and rookie sensation Konnor Griffin. The Pirates will get Horwitz and Cruz back sometime around the trade deadline, which could strengthen this squad even more once again.

Of course, we can’t just acknowledge the good with this Pirates team without talking about the bad. Their bullpen is one of the worst in baseball, as they’ve blown 17 saves with an ERA of 4.38 as a group. Some of the more frustrating losses in franchise history have occurred as a result of this bullpen, and in its current state, this group is far from playoff-caliber.

With the balance of both these things in mind, this makes the Pirates’ deadline even more intriguing. They only seem to be a bullpen away from truly competing, and if they play their cards right, they could become the front-runner for the last NL Wild Card spot with a crafty deadline.

Let’s dive in and take a look at three trades that would make for a perfect trade deadline for the club, carefully examining each of these deals as we move along.

Stats updated prior to games on July 22.

Trade One: Bucs Pick Up Leverage Relief Help

Pirates Get: RHP Luke Weaver, LHP A.J. Minter

In the first of these three deals, the Pirates begin their deadline by picking up what they arguably need the most: late-inning leverage relief help.

As I touched on in the introduction, the Pirates have blown 17 saves, a total that ranks tied as the fourth-worst mark in baseball. While a lot of their worst collapses have taken place over the entire course of the innings the bullpen has been responsible for, a lot of their losses have also come from their lack of a true closer.

Before the season, this player was expected to be Dennis Santana, but as the season has progressed, that idea has fallen apart completely. He lost the closer role earlier this year and has pitched to an ERA over 20 in high-leverage situations in the eighth and ninth innings. In these same situations, he’s allowed four homers, and opponents have produced an OPS over 1.500.

Without another player to fill this role, the Pirates will need to acquire a legitimate closer on deadline day. In this scenario, Luke Weaver is the perfect candidate for the role. He’s been one of the best high-leverage men in baseball this year and has closing experience in the past.

He’s pitched to an ERA of 2.03 across 40 innings while limiting hard contact and producing plenty of whiffs. This is the exact type of reliever that could step up into a closer role in Pittsburgh, becoming the late-inning guy the Pirates desperately need. Not only this, but Weaver also comes with another year of control, meaning he could be the closer for the entirety of the 2027 season.

On top of Weaver, the Pirates could add another solid bullpen arm in A.J. Minter, who’s currently in the midst of a very good final season of his contract with the Mets. Minter has pitched to a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings, walking only 1.3% of batters he’s faced. The club could use a lefty who limits free passes, meaning Minter could be a nice extra piece in this deal.

Mets Get: LHP Hunter Barco, SS Wyatt Sanford, RHP Jeter Martinez

While the Pirates make out quite nicely in this deal, they’ll have to give up a decent haul to make it happen. It was reported by multiple sources that the Mets’ asking price for Weaver is incredibly high due to his excellence and extra year of control, meaning they’d be seeking a very good prospect haul in return.

Although it may be uncomfortable, the Pirates certainly have the pieces to make this happen. Hunter Barco would likely be the headliner in this deal, as he could pitch big-league innings in the near future. He’s a former top-100 prospect who struggled to find his footing in relief innings for the Pirates, but a change of scenery and consistent starts could do his career quite well.

In addition to Barco, the Mets would also get Wyatt Sanford back in this deal, a breakout middle-infield prospect who has been a hot-button trade candidate throughout this entire cycle. After being drafted 47th overall in 2024, Sanford was hailed as a hit-over power infielder with intriguing tools.

However, this season, he’s seen his profile flip-flop almost completely, as Sanford has now become a power-over-hit prospect. He revamped his swing, added muscle, and has doubled his career-high in homers, set a new career-high max exit velocity, and has posted a 145 wRC+ with over 20 stolen bases in just 48 games. In a few years from now, he may end up being the true headliner of this deal when all is said and done.

Along with Barco and Sanford is Jeter Martinez, a lottery-ticket arm the Pirates acquired for Caleb Ferguson at last year’s deadline. Through 57.1 innings in Single-A this year, Martinez has pitched to a 4.87 ERA.

All things considered, this is quite the haul for the Mets to get back for Weaver and Minter. However, it is a price worth paying if the Pirates can solve their late-inning troubles, as this could be the difference between a playoff appearance and another year of mediocrity.

Trade Two: Pirates Find Their Star Catcher

Pirates Get: C Adley Rutschman

Although the Pirates’ lack of bullpen arms has been the main source of struggles for their 2026 team, another underrated issue for them has been their catching situation.

Former first-overall pick Henry Davis has seen the most run behind the plate, but he has struggled significantly, slashing .167/.263/.333 with eight homers and a 64 wRC+ in 65 games. With every day that passes, he’s simply not cutting it, as his days in black and gold could be running short due to the little improvement he’s shown in four big league stints.

Before going down with a glute strain, former top prospect Endy Rodriguez looked like he could be the solution. He had slashed .260/.388/.470 with five homers and a 138 wRC+ through 35 games. In fact, his 135 wRC+ was the second-highest mark in baseball for catchers with at least 100 plate appearances.

But with Rodriguez on the injured list, the Pirates are essentially back at square one, as Davis hasn’t shown the ability to flip the lineup over to their impact bats. Luckily for the Pirates, a trio of star catchers has had their names thrown around as trade candidates this deadline: Hunter Goodman, Shea Langeliers, and Adley Rutschman.

The latter of these three catchers makes a ton of sense for the Pirates to go after, especially considering the suggestion from ESPN that the Orioles are “certainly listening” to offers surrounding the former number one overall pick.

After back-to-back disappointing offensive seasons, Rutschman is back to his star ways. He’s slashed .251/.331/.433 with eight homers and a 114 wRC+, while also generating 2.3 fWAR along the way. Rutschman was named to the AL All-Star team earlier this month, as he’s been productive all season long.

In fact, Rutschman has cut his strikeout rate, and he’s already racked up just shy of double the fWAR he produced in his 90-game showing last season in only 67 games.

Rutschman has been just as good on the other side of the ball, too, as he’s been a tremendous defensive catcher. Leading the Orioles’ staff, Rutschman has graded out as an elite framer and has been one of the best in baseball in caught-stealing above average. On top of this, Rutschman has produced 3 blocks above average, placing him in the league’s 80th percentile and adding to his defensive prowess.

When it comes to adding a catcher midseason, the fear is how they’d mesh with their new team’s pitching staff, as it usually takes a large majority of the season to earn the trust of their pitchers. However, when it comes to a catcher with Rutschman’s caliber of defense, this is far less of a concern. With elite defense and an electric, switch-hitting offensive profile, he’s a match made in heaven for the Pirates.

Orioles Get: OF Edward Florentino, OF Jhostynxon Garcia, RHP Levi Sterling

Similar to the first trade mentioned in this story, the Pirates would have to give up a very significant package to acquire a player as game-changing as Rutschman. This package would include two members of Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects list, making it a lofty deal to make.

The headliner of this deal would undoubtedly be outfielder Edward Florentino, our current No. 35-ranked prospect. Florentino first broke onto the scene last season as an 18-year-old, as he hit 16 homers, stole 35 bags, and posted a 159 wRC+ between 83 games at Single-A and the complex leagues.

Flashing above-average raw pop, an intriguing hit tool, and projectable physical traits, he was hailed as a prized member of this farm system. Florentino was even featured in a preseason article on our site as having a shot to be the number one prospect in the sport by 2027.

However, the 2026 season has been less-than-ideal for Florentino. He missed a decent amount of time at the beginning of the season due to injury, and since returning, has posted a 97 wRC+ with a near-30% strikeout rate in the hitter-friendly environment that is High-A Greensboro. His contact rates have dipped, and his swing has received criticism due to how “upper-cutty” it can sometimes be.

Even with all of these things in mind, there’s no denying that Florentino’s ceiling is incredibly high. He still has all the potential in the world, and this is a very hefty price to pay for Rutschman, but one that can be reasoned with due to the talent of the switch-hitting catcher.

In addition to Florentino, the other top-100 prospect moved in this deal would be Jhostynxon Garcia, an outfielder more commonly known as “The Password”. Ranked as the number 91 prospect on our Top 100, Garcia has intriguing power and has looked to be an interesting piece for the Pirates since coming over in the Johan Oviedo deal last winter.

Despite struggling in his little time in the big leagues with the Pirates, Garcia has been a productive hitter in Triple-A. During his 58 games at the level, he’s slashed .283/.355/.462 with nine homers and a 113 wRC+. Most notably, though, he’s kept his strikeout rate to a manageable 23.1%, which stands out due to the fact that this has been a bigger concern for him as a prospect.

Garcia may not get much run in Pittsburgh going forward due to the emergence of Esmerlyn Valdez, but he could still be a valuable major leaguer.

Lastly, the Orioles would receive right-handed pitcher Levi Sterling in this deal, a former competitive balance round A pick in 2024 who has struggled to transition to professional baseball ever since. This season in 17 starts, Sterling has recorded a 4.67 ERA in 79 innings, racking up 87 strikeouts to 29 walks along the way. Still only 19 years old, he looks to be an intriguing pitcher, especially in a deal that features two top-100 prospects.

This package would without a doubt be one of the largest trades made in franchise history, but it is worth the gamble because of the hole Rutschman fills. Especially considering his extra year of control, this is a calculated risk the Pirates should be willing to take.

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Trade Three: Rounding Out the Bullpen

Pirates Get: RHP Ryan Zeferjahn

The third and final trade the Pirates could make to have the perfect deadline would be to acquire right-handed reliever Ryan Zeferjahn from the Angels to round out their bullpen.

Zeferjahn is currently 28 years old and in the midst of the best season of his career, as he’s been a consistent late-inning reliever for the Angels all season long. Through 46 innings, Zeferjahn has pitched to an ERA of 3.91, struck out 63 batters, and even racked up a trio of saves along the way.

When it comes to Zeferjahn’s game, the two main traits that the Pirates would be betting on would be his ability to limit hard contact and induce whiffs. Currently, Zeferjahn’s whiff rate (34.2%) ranks among the best in the league, and his strikeout rate (31.8%) is virtually in the same area.

As for his ability to limit hard contact, Zeferjahn has produced a barrel rate this season of just 6.3%, paired with a hard-hit rate slightly above 35%. Both of these marks place him near the upper quarter of the league, and this is exactly what the club is looking for out of its bullpen.

The only downside to his game is his inability to prevent free passes, as he’s walked 15.2% of the batters he’s faced this season. When it comes to Zeferjahn, this is a case where they’d bet on the whiffs and lack of hard contact and hope that, in working with their staff, he could learn to prevent free passes.

Angels Get: OF Lonnie White Jr., C Axiel Plaz

The price for Zeferjahn would be the smallest return we’ve seen yet, although it would still be fairly significant. Heading back to the Angels would be a pair of Rule 5 eligible prospects: outfielder Lonnie White Jr. and catcher Axiel Plaz.

After battling a slew of injuries and poor performance, White has broken out in 2026, taking his game back to the level that the Pirates expected when they selected him 64th overall in 2021. Between High-A and Double-A this season, White has hit 16 homers, slashed .266/.370/.506 with a 125 wRC+ and 16 stolen bases.

At his best, White looks to be a productive outfielder with the capability of becoming a major leaguer one day in the near future. However, he does come with one downside: his strikeouts. He’s struck out 30.7% of the time this season between both levels, which could be a cause for concern. Regardless, he’s well worth the risk from the Angels’ perspective.

With the Pirates hypothetically trading for Adley Rutschman in this scenario and the rise of catcher Easton Carmichael, this suddenly frees up some of their catching depth to be traded. Axiel Plaz, a 20-year-old in the middle of a breakout season, could be the candidate who matches this description.

Spending the entire season in High-A, Plaz has slugged 10 homers, slashing .306/.384/.485 with a 120 wRC+ and good strikeout-to-walk numbers. He’s the exact type of low-risk, higher-upside player the Angels could expect to net for a player of Zeferjahn’s caliber, and he could be a nice big league piece for them in the near future.

Between White and Plaz, this seems like a win-win for both sides of the deal. The Pirates deal from their depth, clearing out two Rule 5 eligible, expendable prospects in their farm system, and cap off their bullpen additions with this move. On the flip side, these two players become valuable depth for the Angels, and both potentially become solid major leaguers someday down the line.