The Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t done a whole lot this winter in spite of promising that they would be adding some offensive firepower at the start of the offseason.

Yes, the Pirates have been involved on some top free agents and even made an offer to Kyle Schwarber, but they have whiffed on all of them.

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Exploring the trade market is probably Pittsburgh’s best bet, and even then, the Buccos may have a difficult time landing an impact player.

However, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan have linked the Pirates to a very intriguing potential option: Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams.

Abrams has been floated as a possible trade candidate this offseason, and with Pittsburgh in dire need of offense, the former first-round pick would make sense for the club.

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“Abrams has been the worst defensive shortstop over the past three seasons (-31 runs), with the next-closest player at -15 runs. But he is a solid hitter, with close to average power and on-base figures, and is also an elite baserunner, ranking sixth in baseball over the past three seasons (+18 runs) due in large part to his 109 stolen bases in that span,” McDaniel and Passan wrote.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams. Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams. Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images.

At this point, the Pirates probably aren’t going to be too picky when it comes to adding offense. They finished at or near the bottom in every offensive category this past season, so even though Abrams may be awful defensively, the fact that he has a good bat should be enough to convince the Bucs that he is a decent trade target.

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Abrams slashed .257/.315/.433 with 19 home runs, 35 doubles and 60 RBI over 635 plate appearances in 2025, which are actually solid numbers for a shortstop. He also stole 31 bases.

The 25-year-old originally entered the big leagues with the San Diego Padres in 2022 but was trade to the Nationals in the deal that sent Juan Soto to the Padres.

Abrams owns a lifetime .249/.306/.411 slash line and has shown improvement as a hitter over the last couple of seasons, making the All-Star team in 2024.

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There is still room to grow for the Alpharetta, Ga. native, and he is under team control through 2028. That should certainly be enough to interest the Pirates.

Whether or not Washington actually decides to move him remains to be seen.