Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Time for Pirates to be 'ruthless' by making moves at trade deadline
Since the trade of Adam Frazier at the All-Star break, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been abundantly aware of MLB’s trade deadline and the possibility that any player not named Paul Skenes could be dealt.
One veteran noted that if you don’t want to see people get traded, you need to win. That the Pirates are riding a five-game winning streak and a series sweep at the San Francisco Giants going into their weekend series at the Colorado Rockies is a sign of too little, too late. The Pirates have been bad since last year’s trade deadline, losing 94 games since Aug. 1.
“You have to be a little bit ruthless at this point in time and realize that you’re not one player away from being a championship team,” MLB Network analyst Dan O’Dowd told TribLive, “as good of a player as Paul Skenes is.”
Publicly, the Pirates have tried to block out trade rumors by talking about focusing on what they can control. Privately, there is a belief that the team has become comfortable with losing, and that it’s time to create a new culture in the clubhouse by making “cataclysmic changes.”
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that they won’t be holding a fire sale but will make moves with the intention to improve in 2026: “The exercise is not to move payroll. The exercise is to get better.”
Cherington started the shakeup before Wednesday’s game, trading Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to Cincinnati for left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers and 20-year-old shortstop Sammy Stafura, the Reds’ No. 9 prospect.
During the game, the Pirates sent lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson to Seattle for 19-year-old right-hander Jeter Martinez, ranked the Mariners’ No. 13 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 22 by Baseball America.
Whether the changes are calm or cataclysmic will be determined by 6 p.m. Thursday, depending on if the Pirates simply sell off players on expiring contracts like shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, left-hander Andrew Heaney and outfielder Tommy Pham or they’re willing to take big risks by dealing their biggest trade chips in right-handed starter Mitch Keller and closer David Bednar, a pair of former All-Stars.
1. Unlocking Key: The Pirates’ spin that they got better now and in the future by trading Hayes is laughable.
It was a straight salary dump – and it was the right move.
Defensively, Hayes is elite and worth every penny of the remaining $32.2 million salary over the next four years. Based on metrics like defensive runs saved and outs above average, he’s far and away the best third baseman in baseball and worthy of a Platinum Glove.
His offense has never lived up to the promise he showed in batting .376 with a 1.124 OPS, seven doubles, two triples, five home runs and 11 RBIs in his first 24 games in September 2020.
Hayes’ .569 OPS is the worst among qualified third basemen on a team that desperately needs power from its corner infield and outfield positions.
The Reds believed Hayes could solidify the left side of their infield, providing Gold Glove play next to shortstop Elly De La Cruz, and that his gap-to-gap bat will play better at the bandbox known as Great American Ball Park.
The Pirates have their choice of Gold Glove winners to replace Hayes at third. Against the Giants, they used Kiner-Falefa, who won an AL Gold Glove at third with the Texas Rangers in 2020. The Pirates also could recall Jared Triolo, who won the NL Gold Glove as a utility fielder last year.
Where the defensive difference between Hayes and Triolo isn’t drastic, there is a drop-off. Hayes has 91 DRS since making his debut in 2020, the most of anyone in the majors, while Triolo’s strength has been in his versatility to play all four infield positions. Triolo has nine DRS in 921 1/3 innings at third base since 2023.
Triolo also isn’t much of an offensive upgrade over Hayes. Triolo has a .231/.304/.331 slash line with 10 doubles, one triple, eight homers and 48 RBIs in 105 career games at third base, which is slightly better than Hayes’ .236/.279/.290 with 10 doubles, two triples, two homers and 36 RBIs in 100 games this year.
So the Pirates got future salary relief by trading Hayes. Whether they spend that savings on a bat remains to be seen. Not only did the Pirates deal Hayes to a division foe, but he will return to PNC Park with the Reds to play against his former team Aug. 7-10.
Sammy Stafura was the 43rd pick in 2023.
He ranked ninth in the Reds system prior to today’s Ke’Bryan Hayes trade.
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) July 30, 2025
2. Rating the return: Acquiring a lefty reliever for Hayes didn’t make much sense on the surface, given the strength of the Pirates’ bullpen and their need for offense.
The Pirates had to take on the remainder of Taylor Rogers’ $12 million salary — the Giants picked up half in their January trade with the Reds — but his three-year deal expires at the end of the season.
It also allowed the Pirates to trade Ferguson, who was complimented by manager Don Kelly for being “so consistent” this season, to the Mariners for a starting pitching prospect.
The Pirates can either flip Rogers in another trade or allow him to enter free agency at the end of the season.
The real return is Stafura, a 2023 second-round pick who is highly regarded for his love of the game. Defensively, the 6-foot, 188-pounder has the ability to stay at shortstop. Offensively, he has a .393 on-base percentage, 18 doubles, nine triples, 28 stolen bases and 48 runs scored in 88 games at Low-A Daytona this season.
Adding Stafura creates a crowd of shortstops in A-ball for the Pirates, who have MLB’s No. 1 prospect in Konnor Griffin at High-A Greensboro and 2024 second-rounder Wyatt Sanford at Low-A Bradenton. MLB Pipeline inserted Stafura at No. 7 among Pirates prospects, two spots ahead of the 19-year-old Sanford.
The Hayes and Ferguson trades show that the Pirates might not get much of a return for rentals like Kiner-Falefa, Heaney and Pham. And, if that’s the case, they have to wonder if it’s worth upsetting a frustrated fan base by trading designated hitter Andrew McCutchen, who’s also on a one-year deal. That might be a boiling point.
Martinez was a top-50 international prospect from Mexico who dominated the Dominican Summer League. He received a 55 grade on the 20-80 scouting scale on both a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touches 99 mph and his slider. He projects as a potential middle-of-the-rotation arm, if he can resolve his command issues.
The 6-4, 180-pounder was enjoying a strong July when acquired by the Pirates, posting a 2.84 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and .209 batting average against with 18 strikeouts and eight walks in four starts. MLB Pipeline ranked him the Pirates’ No. 21 prospect.
3. Offensive identity: One of the questions that Cherington avoided answering was about the Pirates’ identity. They rank among baseball’s worst in most major offensive categories, despite firing hitting coach Andy Haines and replacing him with Matt Hague.
That pins the blame on underperforming players.
Kiner-Falefa has been candid about the Pirates’ struggles. He is still a relative newcomer after being acquired from Toronto at the trade deadline last year but believes the Pirates don’t have an established identity in the same way that the Milwaukee Brewers do.
“I feel like when we’re going good, we’ll turn into a slugging team for a week. All of a sudden, that goes cold and we try to revert into a small-ball team. We just ride the wave,” Kiner-Falefa said. “We need to do a better job of identifying who we are as players and knowing your strengths and your weaknesses. … I feel offensively we’re a young team and we don’t know what we’re good at and what we’re bad at. When we get into situations, we’re hoping for the best instead of understanding what we do well. I think other teams know what they do well.”
Adding pressure for the Pirates is that the pitching staff has exceeded expectations, delivering 45 quality starts through 109 games. The Pirates rank last in the majors at 3.39 runs per game, and are 19-24 in one-run games this season.
“It’s contagious to really pour on success when you have a good week and then not just a bad week but a terrible week,” Kiner-Falefa said. “You definitely ride the rollercoaster. Offensively, guys are still trying to figure out who they are as players. Our pitchers are so far ahead that it doesn’t allow our offense that time to develop or to see who we are or what kind of players we are offensively. That’s one thing that as time goes, hopefully guys start learning who they are and start turning into what kind of players they are.”
4. For starters: Where Keller was once viewed as one of the more coveted starting pitchers available at the trade deadline, word is that the Pirates are now leaning toward keeping him.
That’s surprising, for a number of reasons.
Keller has three years remaining on the five-year, $77 million contract he signed in February 2024, with escalating salaries. He’ll make $16,911,500 in 2026, with $2 million raises in each of the next two years.
Compare that to Paul Skenes, who’s earning $875,000 this season.
If there’s one area of depth for the Pirates, it’s with starting pitching. They have right-hander Bubba Chandler, a top-five prospect in all of baseball, waiting in the wings at Triple-A Indianapolis. Righty Johan Oviedo, who made 32 starts in 2023, should be ready to return to the majors by mid-August or September. And Jared Jones is expected to recover from elbow surgery by the All-Star break next season.
Braxton Ashcraft and Carmen Mlodzinski could move from the bullpen to the rotation, if needed. And the Pirates also have top-10 pitching prospects in lefty Hunter Barco and righty Thomas Harrington at Indianapolis.
That’s not to mention Keller’s second-half struggles the past two seasons. After making his first All-Star Game in 2023, Keller had a 5.59 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 13 starts. Last year, Keller posted a 5.65 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 12 starts.
Now, in fairness to Keller, he’s been a workhorse who hasn’t missed a start in the past two-plus seasons, set a franchise single-season record for strikeouts by a right-hander with 210 in ’23 and has more quality starts than Skenes this season.
It will be interesting to see if the Pirates change their stance on Keller, especially as the 6 p.m. deadline draws near, if they can get a significant return for the 29-year-old with three years of club control.
Joey Bart on David Bednar's 100th save:
"We all wanted that for him... we know how much the city means to him... that's a moment he'll never forget." ???? ???? @mearshannah_ | #RaiseIt pic.twitter.com/8Z9BXhg1zX
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) July 27, 2025
5. For closers: Bednar was emotional after recording his 100th career save Saturday night, as the Mars alum is living out his childhood dream by playing for his hometown team.
“It’s really special,” Bednar said. “I think every day I just have to pinch myself. It’s so special. It’s been awesome.”
As Bednar took a shortcut through the field to leave the ballpark, he stopped and took photos of PNC Park and the city skyline as a keepsake — just in case it was his final game there for the Pirates.
Bednar clearly doesn’t want to leave the Pirates, but he’s also a coveted trade chip. Closers are in demand, especially with the Philadelphia Phillies sending a pair of top-100 prospects in catcher Eduardo Tait and right-hander Mick Abel to Minnesota for Jhoan Duran.
The Pirates could opt to keep Bednar and trade righty Dennis Santana — scouts love his wicked slider — or the newly acquired lefty Taylor Rogers, but Bednar and Keller have the most value.
The Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners are all in the market for a closer, but the Pirates’ asking price is believed to be astronomical as they are seeking two top-five prospects in return.
If the Pirates can get a top-100 prospect like Detroit outfielder Max Clark (No. 10), Dodgers shortstop Alex Freeland (No. 35), Mariners catcher Harry Ford (No. 49) or a position player with some pop like Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones, they have to seriously consider making a move.
That’s if they’re serious about being better next season.
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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