Pirates playing the 'short' game by having Jared Triolo, Isiah Kiner-Falefa switch positions

After years of being blocked at third base for the Pittsburgh Pirates by one of the best defenders in baseball, Jared Triolo viewed the trade of Ke’Bryan Hayes as a bittersweet opportunity.

Although Triolo is a Gold Glove winner, he also is someone who studies the game and its best players. Triolo watched intently from the home dugout as 10-time NL Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado took grounders when the St. Louis Cardinals were in town, something he got to do daily while being teammates with Hayes.

“You get to watch one of the best third basemen in the game just take ground balls and go about his day,” Triolo said Hayes. “Hopefully, I can try to implement what I’ve been watching for the last two to three years and go out there and produce like he did.”

So it was a bit of a surprise to see Triolo starting five of the past six games at shortstop and Isiah Kiner-Falefa switching from short to third base for six of the past seven games.

Their position switch is by design, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said, so that they determine whether Triolo is an option at shortstop next season. The 2024 NL Gold Glove utility defender, Triolo has started more games at shortstop (17) this season than he has at third base (14), first base (12) or second base (10). But shortstop is the position Triolo has played the least in his three seasons with the Pirates.

“We know he’s a great defender,” Cherington said Sunday on his weekly radio show on team flagship 93.7 FM. “He’s played a lot of third, he’s played a lot of second in the past. He’s had a little bit of an opportunity at short. He’s got more this year, and I think he’s really answered the question: Can he play short? The answer is yes. That doesn’t mean he’s going to be the shortstop next year. But what it means is we now have some more confidence in the player.”

The key will be whether Triolo can find consistency at the plate. He is batting .178 with a .553 OPS this season but has a .267/.371/.333 slash line with two doubles and three RBIs in the nine games since the July 31 trade deadline passed.

“Personally, that’s what I would like to emphasize going forward for the rest of the season. I’m just trying to go up there and have consistent at-bats, get on base and score runs,” said Triolo, who was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Aug. 1 after three weeks in the minors.

“Anytime you’re up here, it’s an opportunity to find your role with the team. That’s what I’ve got here, so we’ll see what shakes out. I’m just trying to cement a role on this team going forward … so I’ll utilize the glove.”

Defensively, the Pirates have no concerns about Triolo. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder is a plus defender who ranks in the 89th percentile in range and 77th percentile in fielding run value, per Baseball Savant. He had seven defensive runs saved — three each at second and third base and two at first base — but was minus-1 DRS in 154 innings at shortstop entering Sunday’s game against Cincinnati, per Sports Info Solutions.

Perhaps the person most impressed by Triolo’s play at shortstop is his predecessor at the position.

“He’s got the size, he’s got the arm strength to play every day at shortstop,” said Kiner-Falefa, who had one DRS in 815 innings over 93 starts. “I can do it at a high level. I think ‘Tri’ can also do it a high level. He has the pedigree of just being a baseball player. The size and arm strength is huge. I think that’s what separates him from other people, his arm strength.

“He’ll have more value, being able to play shortstop, to the Pirates. He checks all the boxes. He’s going to get some run to show what he can do offensively. At the end of the season, the Pirates are going to have to make a decision. But I think this is a good opportunity for him to get that open run, see if his body can handle it and give them open feedback for going into next year.”

Despite trading Hayes, who had an MLB-best 65 DRS since 2020, the Pirates were uniquely positioned to replace him with their choice of Gold Glove defenders. They have used Kiner-Falefa at third base, where he won the American League Gold Glove in 2020 while with the Texas Rangers, in seven of the past 11 games.

“He’s got the Gold Glove there. Him and Tri both have the hardware,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “They both have dominated in the infield and done really well for us.”

Kiner-Falefa called the midseason move from shortstop to third base a chance to prove the value of his versatility in the final year of a two-year, $15 million contract, given that a potential suitor could view him in his preferred role as a super-utility player.

“It’s a little weird, a little funky, but that’s what I do best. Nothing out of the ordinary. I feel like I’m back at home,” said Kiner-Falefa, who hopes to improve his .337 slugging percentage as his body gets a break from the defensive demands of shortstop. “I feel like I profile as a whole different player when I’m playing third compared to shortstop. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to showcase that.”

Cherington heaped high praise on the “above-average” play at shortstop by Konnor Griffin, the 19-year-old 2024 first-round draft pick who is ranked the sport’s No. 1 overall prospect by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. So the Pirates could be looking for someone to serve as stopgap at the position until Griffin, who is starring at High-A Greensboro, is ready for the major leagues.

With Triolo and Liover Peguero expected to get most of the playing time at shortstop, Kiner-Falefa is treating his time at third base as an audition for the starting job vacated by Hayes being traded. Kiner-Falefa is open to staying with the Pirates, whether it’s at third base or elsewhere.

“That’s where they need the most help right now,” Kiner-Falefa said. “I can’t control that, but it makes sense for both sides. You leave that up to the agent and the general managers. I see a bright future for this team. I’m going to do everything I can the rest of the year to set them on the right path. If I’m here, great. If not, I hope I helped them. I feel like I’m a big part of this clubhouse, and I have taken a lot of pride in my relationship with these players. It would be nice to succeed with them. … The fit is there. That’s the biggest thing, the fit. We’ll see what happens.”

Cherington believes Triolo’s versatility gives the Pirates a chance to be creative when it comes to addressing offseason additions, where the priority will be to add a run producer to baseball’s least productive offense.

“As we look to build the team in 2026, Triolo playing shortstop — or, at least, as part of a shortstop solution — is at least an option that we can consider,” Cherington said. “It opens up the options we have in terms of we might add back to the infield roster in the offseason. At least, I would expect we would. And it just helps to know we’ve got these options with Tri because maybe the best opportunity we find out there is a third baseman, maybe it’s a shortstop, maybe it’s something else. That versatility with Tri can really help us out in that way.”