The Pirates don’t just have one trade deadline chip sitting in the system. They may have two.
Pittsburgh has already been discussed as a club that could make noise without touching its top prospects by leaning on its surplus of young pitchers, with Hunter Barco singled out as one possible lever. But there’s another part of the organization that could matter just as much when the deadline games begin: catching.
The Pirates have a real pileup at the position, and it stretches across the minors. Michael Bradley pointed out on July 27, 2026 that Pittsburgh has “massive amounts of catching throughout minors,” and the list of catchers with at least 100 at-bats and a 95 wRC+ this season underscores the point: AAA Flores, Ross; AA Berg, Alfonzo; A+ Carmichael, Plaz; A- Richard Ramirez, Edgleen Perez; FCL Francisco Loreto; and DSL Oscar Borges and Gilbert Ramirez.
That kind of depth is rare because catching talent is hard to find in the first place. The Pirates, though, have a group of young backstops who can do the job defensively and hold their own with the bat.
And several of them sit near the top of the organization’s prospect list: Axiel Plaz at No. 6, Easton Carmichael at No.
7, Edgleen Perez at No. 8, Rafael Flores Jr. at No. 14, and Omar Alfonzo at No.
That matters because catching is one of the most sought-after spots on the market right now. Jeff Passan’s top-100 trade candidates list includes only five catchers, and contenders are clearly chasing them. Of that group, only about two are viewed as truly available.
Even before Shea Langeliers went down with a potentially season-ending torn meniscus, the A’s were more in the mode of listening than actively shopping him. The same general picture applies to the Rockies and Hunter Goodman, and the Orioles and Adley Rutschman.
The Twins may be more open to moving Ryan Jeffers, but that is mostly tied to his rental status. At this point, the only veteran catcher being actively shopped is Cincinnati’s Tyler Stephenson.
That leaves clubs with real needs behind the plate facing a thin market and plenty of competition. In that kind of environment, even an average catcher becomes a valuable piece.
It also helps explain why Pittsburgh’s depth could become a weapon. For contenders looking to upgrade, the Pirates can use catchers like Plaz, Carmichael, and Perez as bigger-name pieces in a deal. The lower-ranked catchers in the system can still have value too, serving as the extra sweetener that pushes a trade over the line.
For a team trying to be aggressive without overpaying, that’s a useful place to be. At the deadline, the clubs that can turn an organizational strength into leverage are the ones that tend to come out ahead, and Pittsburgh has one sitting in plain sight.
In Other News...
Pirates Just Lost A Catcher Who Briefly Forced A Bigger Question
Shawn Ross did not stay on Pittsburghs roster long, but he did enough in a brief look to make the Pirates think for a moment about what they might have found. The catcher, who also brings some defensive versatility, reached the majors with Pittsburgh recently and quickly logged a small but notable first impression before the Pirates moved on from him.
The New York Mets then claimed Ross off waivers and opened a spot by designating right-hander Joey Gerber for assignment, a roster shuffle that mostly affects the other side of the transaction. For the Pirates, the more interesting part was the fleeting possibility Ross created during his two-game debut, when a depth piece suddenly looked like someone worth watching a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Ben Cherington Just Raised A New Carmen Mlodzinski Deadline Question
Ben Cherington left the door open to a different kind of deadline move, one that would send a big leaguer out and bring another back in. For a Pirates club still centered on run prevention, that matters because it suggests the front office is not simply hunting for depth or future pieces, but is willing to consider swaps that could help the roster right now. Even after bringing in Camilo Doval, Cherington made clear that one move does not have to be the last one.
That broader posture is why Carmen Mlodzinski has become a name to watch. The right-hander has a live arm and major league experience, but his role in Pittsburgh has never fully settled into one lane, which makes him easy to imagine in the kind of deal Cherington is signaling is possible. If the Pirates decide they want immediate help in return, Mlodzinski fits the profile of a pitcher who could be part of that conversation. [Read more 🡒]