'Lots of shades of gray': Pirates will weigh value of dealing top prospects at trade deadline

After years of stocking their system with prospects through the MLB Draft, international signings and trade-deadline deals, the Pittsburgh Pirates are finally in position to use minor leaguers to acquire players to improve their major-league roster for a potential playoff run.

With the Pirates (52-50) sitting seven games back in the NL Central but only one game out of the wild-card standings, they are expected to be buyers for the first time in years leading up to the July 30 trade deadline.

Whether Ben Cherington is willing to part with certain prospects is another story, however, as the Pirates general manager said such decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.

“I don’t think we operate in a world where we think of things as untouchable,” Cherington said. “It’s just, how much is this player going to help us win this year? In future years? How long can they be a Pirate? How impactful of a Pirate can they be? That guides us in terms of what we think the price ought to be or what we can justify.

“We’re willing to trade players to get players back to help our major-league team. We’d like to do that. It’s just a matter of waiting through all of the potential scenarios and opportunities and lining up on the thing that makes sense.”

The Pirates entered the season with baseball’s No. 9 farm system per MLB Pipeline, though that was before right-handed pitchers Jared Jones and Paul Skenes made their major-league debuts. They have four players ranked among MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects in right-hander Bubba Chandler, second baseman Termarr Johnson, left-hander Anthony Solometo and righty Braxton Ashcraft.

Baseball America, which updated its top 100 prospects rankings Tuesday, has Chandler at No. 57 and shortstop Konnor Griffin — selected No. 9 overall in the 2024 first-round — at No. 82.

“There are players we will value really highly, and we’re less likely to talk about unless what we’re talking about is really impactful to our major-league team current and future,” Cherington said. “There are lots of shades of gray.”

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The closest to an untouchable is Chandler, 21. An elite athlete who bypassed playing football at Clemson to sign an above-slot bonus of $3 million after being drafted in the third round in 2021, he spent his first season as a two-way player splitting time between pitcher and shortstop.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is 5-6 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.03 WHIP while averaging 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings in 17 outings at Double-A Altoona this season, and some talent evaluators have compared him favorably to rookie sensation Jones in terms of talent.

The 20-year-old Johnson was billed as the best prep hitter in a generation when he was selected No. 4 overall in 2022 but has yet to hit with consistency. The 5-foot-8, 175-pounder got off to a slow start this spring, batting .194 in April and .205 in May at High-A Greensboro before boosting his average to .266 in June and .380 this month.

“The only guy I would absolutely refuse to trade is Bubba Chandler,” MLB Pipeline analyst Jonathan Mayo said. “I would not deal him. Termarr Johnson has been so up and down before getting hot in the second half, it still would be selling low so I’d probably hold onto him. I would hold onto their hitters. Other than Chandler, I would listen on any of them.”

A look at other Pirates top-10 prospects who could be trade candidates:

• Braxton Ashcraft, RHP: The 6-5, 195-pounder’s career has been stalled by shoulder, knee and elbow injuries, but he jumped from Low-A Bradenton to Altoona last season and made a splash in big-league camp at spring training. Ashcraft had 63 strikeouts in 11 games to earn a promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis but is on the seven-day injured list with lateral forearm tightness.

• Thomas Harrington, RHP: The No. 36 overall pick in 2022 out of Campbell University, the 23-year-old is 2-2 with a 2.44 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 62 2/3 innings over 12 games at Altoona. With a four-pitch mix, he has potential to be a back-of-the-rotation starter.

• Anthony Solometo, LHP: A 6-5, 220-pounder with a funky delivery, Solometo advanced to Altoona before Chandler last season but has taken a step backward this summer. He was 0-4 with a 6.27 ERA and 1.61 WHIP and almost as many walks (21) as strikeouts (24) before being placed on the development list.

• Jack Brannigan, 3B: The 2022 third-round pick out of Notre Dame is batting .219/.333/.445 with 12 doubles, 16 home runs and 47 RBIs at hitter-friendly High-A Greensboro. He has a strong arm — his fastball touched triple digits in college — and some power but the 23-year-old has stayed at the hot corner as a pro.

• Mike Burrows, RHP: Armed with a 97 mph fastball, a high-spin curveball and changeup, Burrows was one of the Pirates’ top prospects before undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2023. After missing last season, he has pitched 9 2/3 innings in four starts at Low-A Bradenton.

• Mitch Jebb, SS: A left-handed contact hitter with speed, Jebb was a 2023 second-round pick out of Michigan State who can play on either side of the bag. He is batting .228/.328/.336 with six doubles, four triples, six homers and 31 RBIs at Greensboro.

• Tsung-Che Cheng, SS: The 5-7, 173-pounder from Taiwan hit his way to Double-A last year but is batting .225/.327/.370 with 14 doubles, nine homers and 38 RBIs in 83 games at Altoona this season. He can play on both sides of the bag but has been used primarily at shortstop for the Curve.

• Patrick Reilly, RHP: A 2023 fifth-round pick out of Vanderbilt, the 6-3, 208-pounder has electric stuff with a high-spin fastball that touches 99 mph complemented by a slider and is ranked No. 7 by Baseball America. He’s 5-4 with a 3.54 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, 102 strikeouts and 41 walks in 84 innings over 18 starts at Greensboro.