Pirates & Angels Linked As Trade Partners

The Pittsburgh Pirates went "all-in" this past offseason (as much as the Pittsburgh Pirates can go all-in). So far, it's paid off with a decent start, at 19-16, but the Bucos aren't stopping there. 

They're expected to be active in the trade market if they continue to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. 

Of their big moves this winter, only Marcell Ozuna has flopped. The aging DH is batting a career-low .189 with an equally anemic .553 OPS. He has just three homers and 13 RBIs. And quite a bit of those numbers just came over the past few days. 

His struggles have left Pittsburgh ranking 26th in batting average out of their DH spot, and 27th in OPS. 

If Ozuna can't get back to being consistently productive, the Pirates could cut bait and look for another solution. Granted, eating most of the $12 million they put out in free agency for the veteran DH would be a tough pill to swallow for the tight-fisted Bucs, but they won't pass on this season's opportunity to compete for a postseason berth. 

To that end, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report has predicted that the Pirates will go for it at the trade deadline, and try to land the LA Angels' Jorge Soler to plug that void. 

If Ozuna's bat never wakes up, Pittsburgh will be in the market for whoever ends up playing this year's role of 2025 Eugenio Suárez as top slugger available.

Soler is as likely a candidate as there is right now, as the Angels are doing their usual thing, bringing up the rear in the AL West Division. They will likely be sellers once again at the deadline. 

Soler has thus far launched seven long balls with 26 RBIs in 32 games. He was an All-Star, with 36 homers, as recently as 2023, with the Miami Marlins.

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