The Solution: Casey Schmitt<\/h3>\n
San Francisco Giants infielder Casey Schmitt<\/a> is off to a strong start in 2026. He has 14 hits, including five doubles, a home run, and a pair of walks through 50 plate appearances. That comes out to a 148 wRC+. Even if he doesn\u2019t maintain that level of production, Schmitt has proven to be a solid hitter in the past. Between 2024 and 2025, Schmitt compiled a .240\/.300\/.420 triple-slash, with 18 home runs in 461 plate appearances, and 101 wRC+. Schmitt was also above the 55th percentile of xwOBA (.329), xBA (.255), and xSLG% (.409) last year. Although Schmitt has seen playing time at all four infield positions throughout his Major League career, his best position is third base.<\/p>\n It is the position where he has zero defensive runs saved and +2 outs above average, and where Baseball America once named him a potential future Gold Glove winner. Schmitt also isn\u2019t a rental, as he still has control through 2029. With the Giants\u2019 pitching staff off to a shaky start and without much depth in the minor leagues, a trade between these two teams involving Schmitt makes sense.<\/p>\n The Pirates\u2019 bullpen has a solid core relief group. Closer Dennis Santana<\/a> is backed by the likes of Isaac Mattson<\/a>, Gregory Soto<\/a>, and Mason Montgomery<\/a>. Yohan Ramirez<\/a> is also off to a solid start, despite his lack of track record. However, Justin Lawrence<\/a> has not been nearly as effective this year as last. Offseason signee Jose Urquidy<\/a> still resides on the Pirates\u2019 roster<\/a>. The Bucs have also rotated between Evan Sisk and Cam Sanders<\/a>. As we\u2019ve seen in the past, adding a quality reliever can make all the difference for a team to make a deep playoff run.<\/p>\n Brooks Raley<\/a> has been a consistently solid left-handed reliever since returning from the Korean Baseball Organization. Although he missed time between 2024 and 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery, he has put things back on track since returning. Raley\u2019s last 32 1\/3 innings dating back to the start of the \u201825 season with the New York Mets have yielded a strong 2.23 ERA, 2.06 FIP, and 0.80 WHIP. The veteran left-hander has only walked 7.2% of opponents, while owning a healthy 27.2% strikeout rate.<\/p>\n Raley has not allowed a home run in this time, and has a barrel percentage of just 2.5%. His pitch quality is already back to pre-surgery levels. Raley\u2019s 116 Stuff+ is the 11th best among lefty relievers who have thrown at least five innings this season. With the Mets off to a poor start to 2026, and Raley being a rental, there\u2019s a good chance he becomes available this summer in trade talks.<\/p>\n Henry Davis<\/a> has become a quality defensive backstop<\/a>. His plate discipline is also improved (hopefully), combined with his raw power, leading to better results at the dish as well. However, the other catcher on the Pirates\u2019 roster, Joey Bart<\/a>, has struggled mightily, both in terms of defense and offense. He also went through similar struggles last season. His wRC+ for the last two seasons comes in at 95, and he has -7 DRS with -0.9 framing runs in just 729 innings. The Pirates\u2019 two other catchers on the 40-man roster, Rafael Flores Jr.<\/a> and Endy Rodriguez<\/a>, are not off to hot starts at Triple-A. Plus, Flores Jr. does not provide strong defense, and Rodriguez has missed most of the last two seasons due to a myriad of injuries.<\/p>\nThe Problem: Bullpen Depth<\/h3>\n
The Solution: LHP Brooks Raley<\/h3>\n
![\"With](\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/USATSI_28731486.webp\")
The Problem: Catcher Depth<\/h3>\n
The Solutions: C Luis Torrens<\/h3>\n