The Pittsburgh Pirates have been much more active than many fans are used to. They went out and signed the likes of Ryan O’Hearn, Marcell Ozuna, and Gregory Soto this past offseason. They also acquired Brandon Lowe, Jhostynxon Garcia, Jake Mangum, and Mason Montgomery via trade. Now, they’ve promoted Konnor Griffin before the first homestand of the year, and are likely going to finalize a long-term extension with the number one prospect in all of baseball. The Pirates are trying to win this year, and their transactions are showing that. They will likely be buyers by summer, something that many are also not used to. So, who are some way-too-early trade targets Pirates fans should be keeping an eye out for?
Yandy Diaz
The Pirates’ current designated hitter, Marcell Ozuna, isn’t getting off to a strong start. Plus, he had a down season last year, suffering a hip injury. If he doesn’t start turning things around, the Pirates will be in the market for a DH slugger. Yandy Diaz may be one of the best available on the free agent market come this summer.
Diaz has long been one of baseball’s most underrated batters. 2025 was one of Diaz’s best seasons at the dish. He slashed .300/.366/.482 with a .364 wOBA, and 135 wRC+. The corner infielder slugged a career-best 25 home runs over 651 plate appearances, with an isolated slugging percentage of .182. Diaz walked at a respectable 8.8% rate, while posting a 76th percentile, 24.6% chase rate. He also struck out in only 14.4% of his plate appearances, with a 17.9% whiff rate. Diaz has always had elite raw power, and his 93 MPH exit velocity was the second-best mark of his career, and in the 94th percentile of batters last year.
A leadoff blast for Yandy Díaz! pic.twitter.com/wRyMO6sTWd
— MLB (@MLB) March 30, 2026
Diaz is off to a scorching hot start in 2026. It’s only been 33 plate appearances, but Diaz currently has 13 hits. Of those 13 hits, two have left the park, and another is a double. He has only struck out five times with a trio of walks. Despite his advancing age, as this is his age-34 season, Diaz hasn’t lost a bit of his raw strength, with a 92.3 MPH exit velo early into 2026. His bat speed has surprisingly improved from 73.6 MPH last year to 74.5 MPH this year.
Diaz also isn’t a pure rental either. The Pirates can slot him into their DH/1B spot next year if they acquire him this summer. Diaz has a team option for 2027 worth $12 million. The Pirates already guaranteed $12 million to Ozuna this year ($10.5 million base salary, $1.5 million buyout for 2027). Why not use that money toward a much more productive batter, both for this year and next season?
Joe Ryan
Starting pitching is far from a dying need for the Pirates. With Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, and Carmen Mlodzinski, starters aren’t their top priority. However, if Mlodzinski struggles, the Pirates may be in the market for a reliable veteran for the back of their rotation down the stretch. Joe Ryan could be one of the best starters available on the market this summer.
Ryan has been a very solid starter for the Minnesota Twins since they acquired him at the 2021 trade deadline. 2025 was his best season yet. The first-time All-Star pitched a career-high 171 innings, while working to the tune of a 3.42 ERA, 3.74 FIP, and 1.04 WHIP. The right-hander had a healthy 28.2% K%, while only walking 5.7% of opponents. His 22.5% K-BB% was the fourth best in MLB, behind two Cy Young winners in Tarik Skubal (27.8%), the Pirates’ own Paul Skenes (23.7%), and AL Cy Young runner-up Garrett Crochet (25.7%).
@PitchingNinja, I am going to need some stats on this pitch by Joe Ryan.
This was disgusting 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1c5ApvVT5Y
— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) March 26, 2026
Ryan does struggle to limit hard contact. He was in just the 26th percentile of exit velocity at 90.2 MPH. He had an even worse barrel rate of 11.2%, which was in just the bottom sixth percentile. That led to an unimpressive 1.37 HR/9 ratio. However, this is about the only major criticism of Ryan’s 2025 campaign.
Ryan is purely a rental. He may have a mutual option for 2027; however, mutual options rarely get accepted by both parties. The buyout is also very affordable at $100K, even for the Pirates; it’s well within their budget. Ryan is off to a solid start to 2026. While he has allowed five earned runs in 9.1 IP, he has also struck out ten and has allowed just two free passes. Adding a legitimate starter to the Pirates’ rotation down the stretch could be the missing piece to the puzzle.
Adrian Morejon
Any team looking to compete can always use a shutdown reliever. The Pirates have a strong core of relievers, but adding a dependable hurler who can handle high leverage should be an absolute must if they are buyers in the summertime. One of the best lefty bullpen hurlers that could be available (depending on how the San Diego Padres perform) is Adrian Morejon.
Adrian Morejon was once one of baseball’s top pitching prospects. However, Morejon constantly struggled with injuries. He pitched just 75 innings from 2019 through 2023. After moving to the bullpen full-time in 2024, Morejon had a massive breakout season. He only got better in 2025, pitching 73.2 innings and posting a 2.08 ERA, 2.45 FIP, and 0.90 WHIP. Morejon punched out just under a quarter of opponents with a 24.5% K%, and only dished out a walk to 5.9% of batters he faced.
Release and home plate view of a nasty Adrian Morejon Kick-Changeup
-3” iVB and 15” run at 90 MPH from an above-average release with 1,362 RPM, absolutely disgusting. pic.twitter.com/uowhMhRvMX
— Danny (@dannybarrand_) August 20, 2025
Morejon was an expert at limiting hard contact and home runs. He was in the 98th percentile of exit velocity at 85.8 MPH, and the 94th percentile of barrel rate at 4%. That helped him put up a HR/9 ratio of just 0.24. He had the ninth-best exit velocity, the tenth-best barrel rate, and the second-lowest HR/9 among any qualified reliever in 2025. Morejon has elite stuff, and his 125 FanGraphs Stuff+ isn’t just the sixth best in baseball since 2024, but the best of any lefty reliever.
Morejon is a rental reliever. His trade status completely depends on the Padres and how good they are by the summer. Unless the Padres are in 100% win-now mode and are full-on buyers at the deadline, Morejon will likely be a potential trade candidate. If so, the Pirates need to be all over trying to acquire him. A shutdown reliever can be of great use during a playoff push/playoff run.
(Top Image Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)
