With the Detroit Tigers likely becoming sellers, the Pittsburgh Pirates should inquire about DH/OF Kerry Carpenter. The Pirates haven’t gotten much out of their designated hitter this year. They signed Marcell Ozuna with the hope that he could provide at least some thump. Unfortunately, he has fallen well short of those expectations. He carries a meager .573 OPS with just a 36th percentile xwOBA at the time of writing this. The Pirates are now relying on rookies like Jhostynxon Garcia and Esmerlyn Valdez to cover Ryan O’Hearn’s absence, and Ozuna’s lack of production. However, the Pirates could add a legit power threat this summer, and potentially for an affordable price.
Kerry Carpenter Should Be a Pirates Trade Target
Kerry Carpenter Has Become a Sneaky Source of Power
Since Carpenter broke out in 2023, he has been a very good batter, providing plenty of power. His last 1,336 plate appearances have yielded a .265/.321/.504 triple-slash, .351 wOBA, and 116 wRC+. In that time, Carpenter has hit 70 home runs with a .239 isolated slugging percentage and 12.5% barrel rate. The only downside is that he does not walk often (6.2% walk rate) and has an unimpressive 25.1% K rate.
Carpenter has sneakily been one of the best power hitters in the sport. Among batters with at least 1,000 plate appearances since ‘23, he has the 15th-best ISO. That is higher than the likes of Shea Langeliers (.233), Brent Rooker (.235), and even Bryce Harper (.226). His barrel rate is the 46th best, once again surpassing All-Star caliber sluggers like Vlad Guerrero Jr. (11.8%), Elly De La Cruz (11.2%), and Freddie Freeman (10.5%).
Low Salary Makes Him a Fit for the Pirates
Carpenter is affordable in terms of payroll. He is making just under $3.5 million this year. Next year is his second go through arbitration. Even if his salary doubles next year, he would still make less than $7 million. Given how much the Pirates were willing to shell out for Ozuna last offseason, they should have plenty of money to give Carpenter. He also becomes a free agent after the 2028 campaign.
Some Red Flags Worth Noting
However, he doesn’t come without his own set of red flags. His outfield defense is far from his strong suit. He has -6 defensive runs saved with -10 outs above average over 1,983.1 innings between left and right field. He has shown above-average arm strength, and moving out of Comerica’s spacious outfield would likely help him. However, he’d more than likely share outfield and DH duties with Bryan Reynolds and O’Hearn. He also slugs right-handed pitching to the tune of an .860 OPS for his career. However, he has managed a meager .595 OPS vs lefties.
Carpenter also has an injury history. He has played 120+ games in a season just once in his MLB career. He is also on the IL currently, as he suffered a left AC joint sprain. Luckily for him, the injury does not appear to be serious and should not linger long. Carpenter will begin rehab very soon and should find himself back in action. Still, it wouldn’t be the first time he missed games because of injuries.
At the time of writing this, the Tigers are 22-35, 10.5 games out of their division, and six out of a Wild Card spot. While they are just two years removed from making a miraculous second-half run in 2024, they were still sellers that season and moved a handful of short-term pieces. Given that Carpenter is controlled for two more full seasons after 2026, and the Pirates could always use some more power output, they should consider giving the Tigers a call regarding Carpenter this summer.
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