The Pittsburgh Pirates are off to one of their most promising starts to a season in ages. They’re 32-28 with a +31 run differential. Only three teams in baseball have a higher run differential than the Pirates. They’re also top ten or better in nearly every important offensive statistic and have a quality starting pitching staff. Hopefully, the Pirates are buyers later this summer, and one player many fans want the Bucs to pursue is Houston Astros designated hitter/left fielder Yordan Alvarez.
Astros Price Yordan Alvarez Outside The Pirates’ Range
While it was always unlikely at best that the Pirates would go after and acquire Alvarez, recent rumors suggest that any remaining chance of it happening has been shut down, given the Astros’ asking price. According to Chandler Rome, the Astros are seeking a Juan Soto-type package for Alvarez.
Astros reporter @Chandler_Rome tells us on @937theFan that a Yordan Alvarez price would be ‘similar to what the Nationals got for Juan Soto.’
Alvarez has 20 HR and a 1.050 OPS this season.
— Donny Football (@DonChed54) June 2, 2026
Yordan Alvarez Is One Of Baseball’s Best Hitters
The Astros understandably want an absolute haul for Alvarez. When healthy, he is one of the best hitters in the entire sport. Since making his MLB debut and winning Rookie of the Year in 2019, Alvarez has slashed .297/.391/.579 and averages 36 home runs per 600 plate appearances. He has a sub-20% K% at 19.6%, and has drawn walks at a healthy 12.3% rate. Overall, he has a .405 wOBA and 165 wRC+. He, along with Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, is the only hitter in the sport since ’19 with at least a .900 OPS, .400 wOBA, and 150 wRC+ (min. 3000 plate appearances).
Alvarez is rebounding in a big way from an injury-ridden 2025 and is in the midst of a potential career season. He is batting .305/.418/.645 with a .446 wOBA and 188 wRC+ over his first 267 plate appearances of the year. He is also drawing walks at a 15% clip, with a K% of only 18%. Alvarez has already hit 21 homers with a .341 isolated slugging percentage. As things stand right now, the slugger is setting career-bests in walk rate, ISO, OBP, slugging percentage, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA (.495). He is also currently in the 100th percentile of xwOBA, xBA, xSLG%, as well as in the 98th percentile or better in exit velocity and barrel rate.
A Look Back At A Historic Trade
When the Nationals traded Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres at the 2022 trade deadline, they received some of the best prospects in the sport at the time. CJ Abrams entered the year as a consensus top ten prospect. James Wood would become a consensus top 20 prospect in 2024. Robert Hassell III was a consensus top 100 prospect in 2023. Mackenzie Gore was also a consensus top ten prospect as late as 2021. That doesn’t even include pitching prospect Jarlin Susana, who has also developed into a consensus top 100 prospect. Luke Voit was also traded to the Padres in this deal; however, he was there primarily for salary-offset purposes.
What That Would Look Like For The Pirates
Based on what the Astros want for Alvarez, the Pirates would have to send both 2025 first-round pick Seth Hernandez and top outfield prospect Edward Florentino to the Astros. The CJ Abrams equivalent for the Pirates would be 2024 second-round pick Wyatt Sanford. Hassell III’s equivalent would be Jhostynxon Garcia. The Pirates would send Reinold Navarro as their Jarlin Susana (a recent international signing whose stuff is currently far ahead of his control). Marcell Ozuna would serve the role Luke Voit served in the Soto trade.
Would This Be Worth It For Alvarez?
Alvarez is very good, and he’s going to cost a massive haul, that is, if the Astros trade him. The Astros would be trading Alvarez with two full years of control left on his contract, just like Soto. Soto made $54 million over his last two years of control via arbitration, whereas Alvarez is owed $53,666,666 in 2027 and 2028. Both are big slugging corner outfield types, though Alvarez has seen much of his playing time at designated hitter. There are more differences than just that, however.
When the Nationals traded Soto, he was still in his age-23 season. His contract would expire after his age-25 season. Alvarez will turn 29 by the end of this month. Alvarez’s injury history is far more extensive. He has suffered multiple injuries over multiple different seasons. Up until 2026, Soto’s only IL placement since getting called to MLB in 2018 was a COVID list placement during the 2020 campaign.
As good as Alvarez is, the Pirates would have to be 100% confident he is the missing piece to (at least) a pennant-winning team. If the Astros hold their price on Alvarez, the Bucs would have to mortgage the top quarter of their farm system to acquire him. There is almost no other batter like him in the league, and the Astros have rightfully placed an insane price on the slugger.
Main Photo Credits: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
