One thing the Pittsburgh Pirates have made clear this year is that they are not a clutch-hitting team. Despite having one of the best producing offenses, the Bucs are hitting just .238/.329/.362 with runners in scoring position. They’re also slashing .236/.324/.352 in high-leverage situations. Clutch is still very hard to quantify because even great players are inconsistent year to year when the game is on the line, given small sample sizes. However, these trade targets have performed well when it matters most over the last three seasons, as well as making an impact with a runner in scoring position.
The Pirates Are Not a Clutch Team, but These Trade Targets Would Fix That
Jake Burger
Jake Burger is about as consistent as a player can get. He is almost guaranteed to put up a wRC+ somewhere around 110 to 120 with above-average power. Burger is posting solid numbers in a 2026 rebound season. He is slashing .251/.313/.441 with a .329 wOBA, and 109 wRC+. He already has 13 home runs over 307 plate appearances, with a .190 isolated slugging percentage. Burger’s 7.8% walk rate is a career-best mark, though he is still striking out just over a quarter of the time, with a 26.4% K rate.
In terms of clutchness, Burger owns a .271/.332/.500 triple-slash over 244 high-leverage plate appearances since 2024. Although his 27.9% K rate may not be strong, he has hit for plenty of power. Burger has 17 homers and a .229 isolated slugging percentage in high leverage. He is having one of his best high-leverage seasons this year, with a .389/.438/.709 slash through 64 plate appearances. He also owns a .806 OPS with RISP this year. Burger’s 1.38 win percentage added and 1.42 clutch this season are both career-best marks.
Burger’s defense at first base grades out around league average. This year, he has +3 defensive runs saved and +1 outs above average. The Pirates could use Burger as a first base platoon option for Spencer Horwitz and utilize him at designated hitter as well, pushing Marcell Ozuna out of the way. Additionally, the slugger is not a rental. Burger becomes a free agent after the 2028 campaign.
Ryan Jeffers
Ryan Jeffers is one of baseball’s best-hitting backstops. This year, the long-time Minnesota Twins catcher was slashing .295/.408/.541 with a .411 wOBA, and 163 wRC+ before a hamate bone fracture in his wrist. Jeffers had seven home runs in just 147 plate appearances, leading to a .246 ISO. Jeffers had identical 15.6% walk and strikeout rates, both of which were career-best marks.
Jeffers excels in high leverage. Since 2024, he has been hitting .274/.361/.474 throughout 203 high-leverage trips to the plate. He has hit for power with a .200 ISO and nine home runs, along with drawing plenty of free passes, with a 10.3% BB rate in the most serious situations. He also does not strike out very often, with a 20.7% K rate. Jeffers has ripped the cover off the ball, both in terms of high leverage and with RISP this season. The former situations see him post a 1.417 OPS, while the latter see him bat for a 1.216 OPS. His +1.04 WPA is another career-high mark.
Jeffers has always graded out as a bat-first catcher. However, he had +1 DRS and +0.9 framing runs before his IL placement. He has also struggled with blocking in the past, but has +1 blocks above average this year. Jeffers is only a rental, but the Pirates can upgrade the catching position massively by trading for him.
Mickey Moniak
Mickey Moniak broke out big time since joining the Colorado Rockies. His last 630 plate appearances yield a .272/.313/.538 line, 36 home runs, a .360 wOBA, and 117 wRC+. While neither his 4.3% walk rate or 24.3% K rate is going to wow anyone, his .267 isolated slugging percentage is the fourth best among primary outfielders since the start of the 2025 campaign. Some may question how his bat would play outside of Coors Field; Moniak’s 13.6% barrel rate and 89.7 MPH exit velocity would play anywhere.
Moniak is the kind of player you want at the plate when you need a clutch knock. Since 2024, the former first overall pick is hitting .296/.359/.611 over 231 plate appearances with RISP. 22 of his last 50 home runs have come with at least one man on base. Moniak is also a good hitter in high-leverage situations, with a .272/.324/.520 lines in 188 trips to the dish since 2024. This year, he has an astounding 1.507 OPS with RISP and 1.045 OPS in high leverage.
Moniak’s outfield defense looked poor on paper in 2025. He had -23 DRS with -8 OAA. This year, he is much closer to average with -2 DRS and 0 OAA. Moniak runs good routes and gets good jumps on flyballs, and getting him out of Coors Field’s spacious outfield grass would likely help his defensive numbers. Moniak fits the Pirates’ outfield and could give both should-be-All-Star Bryan Reynolds and Ryan O’Hearn more time at designated hitter. Moniak comes with control through the 2027 season as well.
Main Photo Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
