The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent years guarding their prospects like they were too precious to touch. At the trade deadline, that approach should finally give way to something more aggressive.
If this club wants to turn a promising season into a true postseason push, Ben Cherington has to be willing to deal from an area of depth. That starts with Termarr Johnson, and it should include one of Nick Yorke, Nick Gonzales or Jared Triolo if that’s what it takes to land bullpen help.
Johnson still has real value. He went No. 4 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, is only 22, and remains Pittsburgh’s No. 5 prospect via MLB Pipeline.
But the production hasn’t matched the pedigree. In 228 Triple-A at-bats this season, he is hitting .184 with a .320 on-base percentage, four home runs, 21 RBI, 15 steals and a .601 OPS.
He has started to heat up lately, but there’s also no clean path to everyday big-league playing time with Gonzales, Yorke and Konnor Griffin in the mix. That doesn’t make Johnson a bust. It does make him a player the Pirates could move before the rest of the league becomes even more skeptical of the value.
The fit here is obvious: Pittsburgh needs bullpen certainty. A controllable late-inning arm would change the shape of Don Kelly’s bullpen, and the Pirates should be willing to package Johnson with one of Yorke, Gonzales or Triolo to get one.
There’s plenty of overlap in the middle infield picture already. Gonzales has been the most productive of the bunch, entering play Tuesday with a .295 average and .721 OPS, which may also make him the toughest name to part with.
Triolo brings defensive versatility but has posted a .609 OPS this season. Yorke has shuttled between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis and owns a .555 OPS in his small big-league sample this year.
The Pirates do not need all of them. What they need is relief help they can trust. That’s the difference between looking like a real Wild Card threat and looking like a team one ugly inning away from blowing it.
So yes, moving Johnson would hurt. Moving Yorke, Gonzales or Triolo would hurt too, for different reasons. But the best deadline deals usually come from combining names that can actually get a transaction across the finish line.
If Johnson and one of those infielders can bring back a legitimate high-leverage reliever with control beyond this season, Cherington should make the call. The Pirates have protected the future long enough. Now they need to use it.
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