The Pirates have spent years building up one of the better farm systems in baseball, and now that stockpile could help them make a move at the trade deadline.
Pittsburgh sits at 50-47 and is two games out of the final National League Wild Card spot. With a lineup and starting rotation that can carry a run, the real question is whether the club does enough to shore up a bullpen that has been middling before the August 3 deadline. If the Pirates decide to buy, they may have to part with some of the young talent that has made the system so deep.
One name that fits the trade-chip profile is Hunter Barco. MLB Pipeline ranked him as Pittsburgh’s No. 3 prospect in early June, while FanGraphs had him at No.
- The left-hander, a second-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, reached the majors in 2025 and has logged 14 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh with a 6.14 ERA.
He has also posted a 4.91 ERA across 40 1/3 minor league innings this season. Even with those numbers, his unorthodox delivery and off-speed stuff could still draw plenty of attention, especially now that he’s starting a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League.
The Pirates also have some flexibility with Sammy Siani Garcia, better known as “The Password,” who came over from the Boston Red Sox in the Johan Oviedo trade. Garcia was a 2025 Futures Game participant and a former Top 100 prospect, and Pipeline currently lists him as the system’s No. 4 farmhand.
His brief big-league look from May 19 to June 7 didn’t go well, as he hit .200/.243/.229 in 35 at-bats. At Triple-A Indianapolis, he has put up a .759 OPS with six home runs.
With Esmerlyn Valdez and Tyler Callihan emerging, and Bryan Reynolds, Jake Mangum and Oneil Cruz in the mix when healthy, Garcia has become more movable. His raw power, strong arm and speed could make him the centerpiece of a larger deal.
Mitch Jebb is another player who could draw interest. The 22-year-old right-hander made his major league debut in June and has a 10.38 ERA over 4 1/3 innings in Pittsburgh.
In Triple-A, he has a 4.85 ERA across 17 outings, including 12 starts, over 68 2/3 innings. Pipeline has him as the Pirates’ No. 7 prospect, while FanGraphs ranks him No.
- He brings heat, with a fastball in the upper 90s that can touch over 100 mph, plus a cutter and changeup that still have room to develop.
His strikeout rate has dipped from 9.73 in 2025 to 7.08 in the minors this year, and his walk rate has climbed from 2.77 to 4.33, though those numbers could improve if he settles in more as a reliever.
On the position-player side, Jack Gourson has already become a nice development win. A ninth-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, the UCLA product is now FanGraphs’ No. 13 prospect in the system.
He is hitting .227/.375/.357 with 29 stolen bases in 337 plate appearances for Double-A Altoona, and his plate discipline stands out with a 16.0 percent walk rate and a 20.14 percent chase rate. Because he can play first base, second base and third base, Gourson could either headline a package for a quality back-end reliever or serve as a useful secondary piece in a bigger trade.
Catcher is another area where Pittsburgh has depth, with Rafael Flores Jr., Omar Alfonzo, Axiel Plaz and Edgleen Perez in the system. That gives the Pirates room to consider moving Tony Carmichael, who has hit .307/.352/.523 with 15 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 68 games for High-A Greensboro.
The 22-year-old was a 2025 third-round pick, and even if his bat settles in as below average long term, his defense gives him a strong floor as a starter or high-level backup. With catchers always in demand, Carmichael could attract plenty of calls before the deadline.
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Paul Skenes spent the MLB All-Star festivities doing what he has done so often for Pirates fans lately: giving them another reason to enjoy the moment. The young right-hander was in the middle of the leagues showcase in Philadelphia, where his presence alone has become part of the attraction, and he handled the spotlight with the same easy confidence that has made him such a compelling figure in Pittsburgh.
Along the way, Skenes also had a little fun with the kind of speculation that tends to follow stars once they start getting big-stage attention. When he crossed paths with young reporters in Yankees attire, he noticed the pinstripes and made the joke land, then later reacted with clear confusion when someone tried to label him a future Yankee. For Pirates fans, it was a small but welcome reminder that even in an event built around baseballs biggest names, Skenes still sounds very much like a player firmly in the present. [Read more 🡒]
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Hassell, a former first-round pick who once carried a lot of prospect buzz, had been designated for assignment by the Nationals before Pittsburgh stepped in. The move gives the Pirates another name to track as they try to stay in the race, and it also hints at how they are approaching the stretch run - looking for upside wherever they can find it, even if the next step for the newcomer is still to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Suddenly Have An Awkward Marcell Ozuna Problem
Marcell Ozuna was one of the more notable offseason additions for Pittsburgh, a one-year bet meant to give the lineup some middle-of-the-order punch. Instead, the early returns have been rough, with Ozuna sitting at a .623 OPS and eight home runs in 250 plate appearances, production that has left the Pirates with far less than they hoped when they signed him.
Now the bigger issue is what that means as the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaches. If Pittsburgh decides to sell, Ozunas performance makes him a tricky piece to move, especially when other hitters around the league are drawing more obvious interest, leaving the Pirates to sort out whether this is a player they can still count on or one whose market has already cooled off. [Read more 🡒]