Photo provided by Matt Lynch
The Pittsburgh Pirates have so far come up empty in their pursuits to add a third baseman capable of impacting the lineup.
They’ve tried for several free agent options, including aggressive runs at Kazuma Okamoto and Eugenio Suárez before signing with the Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds, respectively.
With the top free agent third basemen off the board, it makes sense for the Pirates to pursue trade opportunities to fill the position.
ESPN’s David Schoenfield recently released a handful of mock trades, one of which has the Pirates landing Isaac Paredes from the Houston Astros. In return, the Pirates would send infielder Jared Triolo and left-handed pitching prospect Hunter Barco to Houston while also getting salary relief.
Paredes is one of the top third baseman who could be available via trade. The soon-to-be 27-year-old slashed .254/.352/.458 with 15 doubles, one triple, 20 home runs and 53 RBI in 102 games last season. In 566 career games across six seasons, Paredes owns a .237/.337/.429 batting line with 92 home runs and 287 RBI and has been an All-Star each of the last two years.
Triolo, who won a National League Gold Glove as a utility player in 2024, hit .227 with a .667 OPS, 18 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 24 RBI and 13 steals in 107 games last season. Barco made his MLB debut at the end of the season and tossed three-scoreless innings across a pair of relief appearances. He’s ranked as MLB Pipeline’s 96th-best prospect.
The Pirates have been aggressive in adding offense this offseason and have already landed 2025 All-Stars Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn as well as outfielders Jake Mangum and Jhostynxon GarcÃa. They’re still in search of at least one more position player.
Mentioned in this article: Hunter Barco Isaac Paredes Jared Triolo Pittsburgh Pirates
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