With the August 3 trade deadline closing in, the Pittsburgh Pirates are in the kind of market where the price tags can get ugly fast. That’s the reality for a seller trying to improve, even with a deep minor league system to lean on. But depth only helps if the club protects the right pieces.
There are four prospects Pittsburgh should treat as untouchable over the next week-and-a-half, starting with one player who should be completely off the table in any deal: Konnor Griffin Hernandez.
Even if Hernandez becomes the centerpiece in talks for Mason Miller with the San Diego Padres, the Pirates can’t justify moving him. He’s the organization’s top prospect and one of the best farmhands in baseball, ranked No. 6 overall by MLB Pipeline.
The No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft just turned 20 and has already put together a 2.54 ERA in 17 starts, covering 71 innings between Low-A Bradenton and High-A Greensboro. He’s striking out 14.3 batters per nine, and the profile is loud: a right-hander with a fastball that can hit 100 mph and several secondary pitches that could become legitimate out pitches.
Pittsburgh has seen this path before with Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler, and that’s exactly why Hernandez should stay put.
Another name the Pirates need to protect is Konnor Gray, whose stock has taken off in a hurry. The No. 73 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft has ripped through Bradenton and Greensboro, earning a promotion to Double-A Altoona on July 17.
He wasted no time making noise there, putting up a .997 OPS with two home runs in his first five games with the Curve. For the season, Gray is hitting .321/.408/.606 with 25 home runs, which ranks sixth among qualified minor league hitters.
He’s climbing prospect lists fast, and Pittsburgh should be in no rush to move one of the hottest bats in the system.
The Pirates also need to hold firm on Santiago Navarro. Signed during the 2024 international period for a $270,000 bonus, the 19-year-old left-hander brings some of the best stuff in the organization’s pitching pipeline.
His fastball sits in the high-90s, and he pairs it with a solid slider and a changeup that’s still developing. Navarro has posted a 2.34 ERA over 57 2/3 innings for Bradenton this season, along with 15.29 K/9 and a 3.78 FIP.
The command is still a problem - he’s walking 7.86 batters per nine innings - and that could eventually push him to the bullpen. Even so, the upside is obvious, and he has the tools to become a high-end late-inning arm.
Teams will ask. Pittsburgh should say no.
Rounding out the group is Tejera, a left-handed hitting outfielder who is already making a case as a sleeper in the system. He signed for $90,000 as part of the organization’s 2026 international class and started with a .230/.397/.377 line in 18 Dominican Summer League games, adding a home run, 14 RBIs and nine stolen bases.
After getting promoted to the Florida Complex League on July 18, he has kept producing, hitting to a 145 wRC+ with a .960 OPS and two home runs in his first nine stateside games. At 18, he brings speed, projects as an above-average center fielder and has the kind of power and plate discipline that can make a prospect jump quickly.
He may not be the loudest name right now, but he’s the type of player a team can regret moving before he really takes off.
In Other News...
Pirates Suddenly Look Serious About A Bullpen Move Fans Have Wanted
The Pirates are reportedly in the mix for one of the markets most electric bullpen arms, with San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller drawing real interest ahead of the trade deadline. Miller has been dominant this season, the kind of late-inning weapon a contender can build around, and Pittsburgh is said to be weighing whether it wants to pay the kind of price such a pitcher commands.
What makes this pursuit notable is the level of talent the Pirates may have to put on the table to get it done, with major league pieces and prospects both in the conversation. No deal has been confirmed, but the fact that Pittsburgh is seriously exploring a move for a high-end closer suggests the front office is at least considering a far bolder bullpen upgrade than fans have been used to seeing. [Read more 🡒]
Endy Rodrguez Finally Took A Step Pirates Fans Needed To See
Endy Rodrguez finally got back into game action with Triple-A Indianapolis, and for the Pirates that alone was a meaningful checkpoint in a return that has been handled carefully from the start. The catcher went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in his rehab debut, then said he felt healthy afterward, which is exactly the kind of update Pittsburgh has been waiting for as it tries to bring him back the right way.
The next step is less about one rehab box score than about how Rodrguez holds up as the workload increases. Pittsburgh wants him fully ready before he rejoins the major league club, and the club will keep easing him along while the catching picture shifts around him, giving him a path back without rushing the process. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Make Another Lineup Tweak With Bats Under Pressure Again
The Pirates shuffled their infield again for Fridays matchup with the Cubs, moving Nick Gonzales to second base, Jacob Gonzalez to shortstop and Jared Triolo over to third. Ryan OHearn was the only holdover from the previous games lineup, a reminder of how much manager Don Kelly has been searching for the right mix as the offense tries to find some traction.
The alignment was built with Chicago left-hander Shota Imanaga in mind, and Pittsburgh is hoping the new look can do more than just patch together a batting order for one night. Jacob Gonzalez, acquired from the White Sox on July 10, is making his fourth start at shortstop while filling in for injured Konnor Griffin, and the Pirates are leaning on a setup they already used in a 7-1 win over Cleveland on July 19. [Read more 🡒]