Pirates Insider Names 5 Potential Trade Deadline Partners For Pittsburgh

With the Major League Trade Deadline coming up at the end of the month, the Pittsburgh Pirates appear poised to be sellers. Despite their recent hot streak, they’re still last in the National League Central and 12 games below .500.

The Pirates have pitching to spare, which should draw interest from several contenders. They’re also looking to get offense in return, according to general manager Ben Cherington.

Given that, Colin Beazley of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently named five teams that could be ideal trading partners for Pittsburgh this month.

The Pirates are still expected to sell at the deadline. Plenty of teams need what the Pirates have: starting pitching and relief help.

With that, I took a look at five potential trade partners and what the Pirates could possibly get in return: https://t.co/JBDj1VcS3r

— Colin Beazley (@colin_beazley) July 3, 2025

One team is the Philadelphia Phillies, who need relief pitching. Their bullpen’s been one of the worst in baseball, ranking 24th in ERA (4.42). They could use a reliever or two and might be willing to part ways with an outfielder to clear up their logjam there.

The Pirates probably want to avoid trading with a division rival, but they shouldn’t rule out the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs have one of the best offenses in baseball, ranking second in runs per game (5.38). However, they could use some help in the rotation, where they rank 23rd in ERA (4.28).

The Minnesota Twins are five games under .500, so they may opt to sell. If they decide to go for it, they’ll need to add some arms to a staff that ranks 20th in ERA (4.15).

The New York Yankees have faded since their hot start, losing control of the American League East to the Toronto Blue Jays. They’re asking a lot of Max Fried right now, so they’re going to need more pitching depth if they want to turn things around in the second half.

Speaking of which, the Blue Jays need to add if they want to outlast the Yankees. Their starters rank 26th in ERA (4.67), so starting pitching should be their top priority.

A lot can change over the next few weeks, but don’t be surprised if Pittsburgh ends up making a deal with one of these clubs.

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