The Pittsburgh Pirates may look to improve their third base situation before the end of the offseason. If the season were to start tomorrow, the Pirates would be trotting Jared Triolo out to man the hot corner. Triolo has elite defense and showed some improvement at the plate in 2025. But for a team that ranked bottom three or worse in the league in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, wRC+, fans would likely want to see more offense. However, there is a terrific hitter still on the market that would resolve the Pirates’ third base woes. It may cost a pretty penny, but it would be worth it for the Bucs.
Putting together a Pittsburgh Pirates-New York Mets mock trade to acquire Brett Baty.
Pirates acquire: Brett Baty
In this mock trade, the Pirates would be acquiring Brett Baty from the New York Mets. After struggling in his first three seasons in the Major Leagues from 2022 through 2024, Baty found something that worked in 2025. He slashed .254/.313/.445 with a .324 wOBA, and 111 wRC+ over 435 plate appearances. While he had an unimpressive 7.6% BB rate and 25% K rate, he also hit 18 home runs with a .181 isolated slugging percentage. But there’s evidence to suggest he can get even better in 2026.
Baty owned an OPS over .800 with a 128 wRC+ from the start of July through the end of the year. He walked more frequently (9% BB rate) with a similar K% of 24.7%. Baty has the potential for more pop. He was in the 70th percentile of xSLG% at .457. The third baseman also had a 12.8% barrel rate. He ranked sixth in xSLG% and fifth in barrel rate among third basemen with 400+ plate appearances last year.
Baty also took a step forward defensively. From 2022 through 2024, Baty had -9 defensive runs saved and -2 outs above average in 1281 innings at third. However, he graded out positively in both stats in 2025. It only took him 573 innings to rack up +4 DRS and +2 OAA. He also saw 373 innings at second base. There, he had +3 DRS and -1 OAA, which is impressive considering he had less than 220 innings at the keystone heading into 2025.
The Pirates wouldn’t just be trading for a power-hitting third baseman who can provide above-average defense. They would also be trading for that player for multiple seasons. Baty does not become a free agent until after 2029. Baty was ranked as our number one Pirates’ third base trade target for a reason. However, that all means he will cost something significant.
New York Mets Acquire: Termarr Johnson, Khristian Curtis, Axiel Plaz
The headliner of this deal is the 2022 first-round pick, Termarr Johnson. The second baseman turned in a .272/.363/.382 triple-slash over 503 plate appearances at Double-A Altoona this year. He didn’t hit for as much power as he had before, with nine home runs and a .111 isolated slugging percentage. However, we know he has more power in the tank and hit at least a dozen in each of the last three prior seasons.
Johnson has always walked a ton, and 2025 was no different. His 11.7% BB rate was the ninth best among Eastern League batters with 400+ plate appearances. However, he made significant improvements with his hit tool. Johnson had a sub-70% contact rate and 26% K rate during his first full pro season in 2023. He improved that to a 71% contact rate in 2024 with a 21.3% K rate. Now, in 2025, he upped his contact rate to 75% and put up a sub-20% K rate, coming in at 18.5%. Johnson did all of this while being the 16th youngest hitter at Double-A with 400 or more trips to the dish.
TERMARR JOHNSON GRAND SLAM💣🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZsWhCScHN0
— Austin Oravec (@AustinOravec) August 19, 2023
Khristian Curtis would also be heading to the Mets. He is a very under-the-radar prospect in the Pirates’ system. The right-hander went from a 12th-round pick in 2023 to a top-15 prospect in the Pirates’ system per Baseball America. He should arguably be ranked even higher.
Last year, Curtis pitched to a 3.90 ERA, 4.09 FIP, and 1.24 WHIP over 110.2 innings, most of which were spent at High-A Greensboro. In that time, he struck out just over a quarter of opponents with a 25.1% K rate, with a BB rate of 9.7%. The right-hander also had a solid 0.98 HR/9 ratio. He was also dominant during the second half of his season. He worked to the tune of a 2.54 ERA, with a 26.3% K rate, and 7.2% BB rate over his last 60.1 frames of the year.
Curtis has a wide arsenal of pitches, most of which project as above-average or better. According to Baseball America, his fastball sits in the mid-90s and tops out at 98, with good carry through the zone. His most used secondary offering is his cutter, and his best offspeed pitch is his change-up, which has well-above-average horizontal movement. He’ll also use a slider and a curveball. BA also states that his cutter, change-up, and slider each induced a whiff rate coming in at 40% or greater. The only pitch that didn’t receive a 55 or better grade was his curveball, which still projects as an average offering. Curtis has also improved his strike-throwing, indicated by his sub-8% BB rate. This was his biggest question mark heading into 2025.
In Khristian Curtis’s last eight starts…
⏩5-0
⏩2.23 ERA
⏩.192 BAA
⏩0.91 WHIP pic.twitter.com/1Xa2Ps83Rc— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) August 11, 2025
The third player going to the Mets is a high-ceiling, but still young prospect in the form of Axiel Plaz. The backstop spent most of his 2025 at A-Ball Bradenton, where he owned a .262/.348/.450 triple-slash, with a 122 wRC+. Plaz showed he had some serious power potential, with nine home runs over 233 plate appearances, a 92.3 MPH exit velo, and 12.9% barrel rate. Additionally, he only struck out 20.2% of the time, with a respectable 9% walk rate. While Plaz struggled at Greensboro, it was only over an 11-game sample. He is still only 20, and won’t turn 21 until August 12.
A Look at What Both Teams Are Getting
It would sting to lose Termarr Johnson, let alone both Curtis and Plaz. All three have exceptionally high ceilings. But the Pirates need a player like Baty. It may just be enough to pry him away from the Mets. The Mets get a talented middle infield prospect who has the potential to make an impact at the Major League level in 2026, with Curtis potentially making his debut as well.
Main Photo credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
