The Pirates are still hanging around the edge of the NL Wild Card race, and that’s enough to make every small roster move feel a little more interesting. Pittsburgh comes out of the All-Star break at 50-47, sitting 9.5 games behind the NL Central lead but only 2.0 games back in the Wild Card picture.
That position makes it easy to understand why the club would take a shot on a player with some name value and a little upside. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Pirates are making a “no risk” move for former Washington Nationals outfielder Robert Hassell III, who was designated for assignment last week.
“The Pittsburgh Pirates take a no-risk flier on outfielder Robert Hassell III, who was designated for assignment last week by the Washington Nationals,” Nightengale reports. “The cost is only cash or a player to be named later.”
So Pittsburgh isn’t paying much to see whether there’s anything left to unlock. The return will be either cash considerations or a player to be named later, which keeps the price tag light.
Hassell’s path to this point has been a winding one. He was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 draft by the San Diego Padres, then later went to Washington in the Juan Soto deal along with James Wood, CJ Abrams, and MacKenzie Gore.
The production has been uneven. In Triple-A this season, Hassell hit .215 with a .593 OPS in 228 at-bats for the Nationals. He did post an .839 OPS in Triple-A last season, so there’s at least some recent evidence that he can still put together a productive stretch.
But the Nationals’ decision to designate him for assignment says plenty about where things stood. The 24-year-old also struggled in his 2025 MLB debut, batting .223 with a .572 OPS over 70 games and 197 at-bats. He added three home runs, 18 RBIs, and eight walks against 62 strikeouts.
For the Pirates, this is the kind of move that costs almost nothing and could still turn into something if Hassell finds a better groove in a new setting. It may not work, but if it does, Pittsburgh would have landed a high-upside outfielder for very little.
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