Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Pittsburgh Pirates have fallen from playoff contention after losing eight of 10 games, putting their postseason hopes in jeopardy.
- Several key players on expiring contracts now face uncertain futures as the team contemplates whether to buy or sell at the deadline.
- The decision to trade or keep these assets will hinge on the Pirates' ability to turn things around in the next few weeks.
After taking two of three from the Houston Astros on June 4, the Pittsburgh Pirates were 34-29, good for second place in the NL Central and the first Wild Card spot in the National League. The Pirates appeared primed to snap their decade-long postseason drought, but ever since, they've lost eight of 10, entering Tuesday's contest with a 36-37 record. All of a sudden, they've gone from surefire buyers to a team that's hoping to give its general manager a reason to buy.
The Pirates are now in fourth place in the NL Central and would miss the playoffs if the regular season ended today. They've lost a ton of ground in just 12 days. While their season is far from over, Pittsburgh needs to win games quickly. Failure to do so could force Ben Cherington to sell, and that could result in these players being on the outs.
2B Brandon Lowe
Pittsburgh's best position player might be the first to go. Brandon Lowe has been an outstanding addition to the Pirates, leading the team with 17 home runs and 46 RBI. Heck, he leads all primary second basemen with those home run and RBI totals. There's a good chance he'll be an All-Star second baseman once the Midsummer Classic rolls around. He's a player the Pirates shouldn't want to move, but given his contract situation, will they have a choice?
Lowe is on an expiring contract, and given how he's played, does anyone believe Bob Nutting, of all people, will extend him? Lowe playing the year out in Pittsburgh and leaving in free agency would be a fine outcome if the Pirates made the postseason, but keeping Lowe, only to watch him leave, while they miss the playoffs anyway, would be a brutal turn of events.
In what figures to be a shallow deadline for position players, the Pirates would be able to get a haul for Lowe if they decide to trade him.
LHP Gregory Soto
Lowe has been the Pirates' best offseason addition, but that's no slight to Gregory Soto, who has been the most reliable reliever in Pittsburgh's beleaguered bullpen. Soto has a 3.26 ERA in 31 appearances and he's converted 10 of his 13 save opportunities since taking over as the team's closer.
Soto shouldn't close for a contending team, but that doesn't mean he can't be a valuable weapon. While command can elude him at times, Soto has held the opposition to a sparkling .151 average, and he's been nothing short of excellent against left-handed hitters over the course of his career, as their .602 OPS against him would indicate.
Soto would be one of the best left-handed relievers at the deadline, and that's something most contenders could certainly use. Given the fact that he's on an expiring contract, it'd make no sense to hold onto him if selling is the path Pittsburgh goes down.
RHP Dennis Santana
Dennis Santana began the year as Pittsburgh's closer, only to lose his job to Soto. While that's a bad look, the right-hander allowed just one earned run in his first 13 innings, pitching to a 0.69 ERA through 13 appearances, and after a slump, he's allowed only two runs in his last 7.2 innings of work (2.35 ERA) spanning eight appearances.
In other words, while Santana's 4.66 ERA might not look great, he's probably better than that one statistic might indicate, especially when considering he was Pittsburgh's best reliever in 2025. He'd be a viable middle reliever on a contender.
As is the case with Soto and Lowe, Santana is on an expiring contract, so if the Pirates are selling, there's no reason for him to remain with the team past the deadline. Their return wouldn't be stellar, but something is better than nothing.
DH Marcell Ozuna
While it's easy to find some positives with Lowe, Soto and Santana, the Marcell Ozuna signing has been a disaster. Not only did that move kick franchise legend Andrew McCutchen to the curb, but it hasn't brought any sort of positive value. Ozuna was brought to Pittsburgh to provide middle-of-the-order thump, but instead, all the veteran has done is be one of the worst hitters in the sport.
I'm not kidding. Ozuna's 60 wRC+ ranks 183rd out of 188 players with at least 200 plate appearances. His .193 batting average is 184th out of that same group, as is his .574 OPS. Things have gone so poorly for Ozuna that he hasn't started either of Pittsburgh's last two games, and there's a good chance he's lost his spot as the everyday DH altogether.
It's not as if Ozuna, a 35-year-old who doesn't run well or play the field at all, is providing any value if he isn't hitting, so it should come as no surprise that his -0.9 fWAR is tied for fifth-worst among every position player in the sport.
Ozuna has a $16 million mutual option for next season that'll almost certainly get declined, so he's essentially a rental. The Pirates would have no reason to hold onto him for that reason if they decide to sell, and honestly, if they're buying, can they really justify holding onto Ozuna for much longer if he can't get going offensively? The real question is, can the Pirates even find a trade suitor for Ozuna? I'm not so sure.
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