The Pittsburgh Pirates have a starting rotation that should be the envy of virtually every other Major League Baseball team, but their offense could use a boost.
As a result, the team might be looking to leverage some of its pitching depth for a young slugger via trade this winter. Proposing a series of “realistic MLB trades that could happen before 2025 spring training” for Bleacher Report, Zachary Rymer pitched a deal with the Boston Red Sox that would do just that.
“Trade Proposal: Boston Red Sox get RHP Jared Jones; Pittsburgh Pirates get 1B Triston Casas, 2B/SS David Hamilton,” Rymer suggested. “Even without Jones, the Bucs would still have Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft and Thomas Harrington standing by in their system. That’s a lot of pitching! What the Pirates have less of is impact bats, which has been a theme for a better part of the last decade. Casas has enormous potential in this regard, as his 222 games at the MLB level have yielded a .830 OPS and 42 home runs.”
And there’s reason to believe the Red Sox could be looking to flip Casas for an MLB-ready starter like Jones. Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive have reported that the team is open to trading Casas to facilitate some other moves this winter, which might include the addition of an infielder like Nolan Arenado or Alex Bregman.
After a 4.14 ERA, 22-star debut 2024 season, Jones would be a strong middling addition to the Red Sox rotation and he’s got two more seasons before becoming arbitration eligible.
Meanwhile, the Pirates have an urgent need for some additional offense. The team ranked toward the bottom of MLB for total hits, batting average and on-base percentage in 2024. Casas has slashed .250/.357/.475 in his three-year big-league career and could be a nice young infield addition for years to come alongside the newly-acquired Spencer Horowitz.
Plus, landing Hamilton would bring in another player with a chance to serve as an everyday infielder for the Pirates.
“Hamilton is a lesser offensive player, but he was one of the best baserunners in MLB last year,” Rymer added. “At the very least, he’d be another option for a thin middle infield depth chart.”
A deal that would leverage some pitching depth for additional offense seems like it makes sense for the Pirates. Depending on the team’s timeline to return to contention, it might focus on some younger, controllable players like Casas and Hamilton. If that’s the case, Rymer’s trade proposal may indeed get done before spring training begins.
More MLB: Giants blockbuster trade idea could add $22 million Justin Verlander complement
