The Pirates may be in position to buy at the deadline, and the fit that’s drawing attention is a familiar one: Toronto center fielder Daulton Varsho.
Pittsburgh’s 53-50 record has them just 1.0 game out in the NL Wild Card chase, which puts them squarely in the conversation as a team that could add before the deadline. A bullpen upgrade would make sense, but the bigger need might be on the position-player side, where both the offense and the defense could use a boost. Center field stands out as one of those spots, even with Oneil Cruz potentially returning.
That’s why The Athletic’s Jim Bowden pointed to Varsho as the Pirates’ “perfect” target. “If the Blue Jays decide to sell, Varsho would be the perfect trade target for the Buccos,” Bowden writes.
The Pirates’ current center field mix includes Billy Cook, Jake Magnum, and Cruz, while Esmerlyn Valdez, Tyler Callihan, Ryan O'Hearn, and Bryan Reynolds are listed as corner outfield options. If Pittsburgh were fully healthy, the need might not be as obvious. But adding Varsho would give the club a Gold Glove-caliber defender in center and could also open the door to moving Cruz to designated hitter for a postseason push.
Varsho won a Gold Glove in 2024 and has remained a strong defender over the last season and a half. The bat, though, has cooled.
In 300 at-bats this year, he’s posted a .237 average with a .678 OPS and an 84 OPS+, good for 0.8 bWAR. He’s not a liability at the plate, but he has been below league average offensively this season.
Even so, the appeal is easy to see. Varsho’s defense gives him real value, and with Toronto expected to sell at this rate, he could be available at a price Pittsburgh can handle. He’s also set to be a free agent after 2026, which makes him the kind of affordable addition a team like the Pirates could justify if they’re serious about chasing a postseason spot.
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