3 Underrated Trade Targets For The Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates will hopefully be buyers later this summer. Many fans want them to go after some of the big names that may become available over the next few weeks. Aroldis Chapman, Ryan Jeffers, and even Willson Contreras would all significantly help the Pirates out. However, these three are three of the best possible trade targets. There are many other names that Pirates fans should become familiar with.
Kody Clemens
The Minnesota Twins purchased Kody Clemens’ contract from the Philadelphia Phillies last April, and it immediately turned into a bargain. Clemens went yard 19 times with a 98 wRC+ over his last 379 plate appearances of 2025, while starting games between first base, second base, and the outfield. Clemens is off to an even better start this year.
His first 238 plate appearances of 2026 have seen him slash .249/.313/.480 with a .342 wOBA, and 116 wRC+. Clemens is once again hitting for power, with 11 homers and a .231 isolated slugging percentage. His 21.8% K% is about league average, though he has only walked in 6.5% of his plate appearances. However, Clemens is in the 93rd percentile of exit velocity (92.5 MPH) and the 82nd percentile of barrel rate (12.8%).
Clemens has primarily played first base for the Twins this year. However, he already has over 130 innings in the outfield, split among all three spots. While first base is his best position defensively, he has graded out as an average or better glove at second base, third base, and all three outfield positions.
Clemens isn’t a rental either. He is under control through arbitration for the next two seasons. He only made just over $800K this year. His ability to play anywhere a team needs, along with his plus power that can provide 20 homers in a season, can make him a very valuable piece of any roster. The Pirates could use him at third base, along with second and first base.
Garrett Whitlock
When anyone brings up a Boston Red Sox reliever who could possibly get traded at this year’s trade deadline, the immediate thought is Aroldis Chapman, and it’s not without merit. However, Chapman isn’t the only dominant reliever from the Sox’s bullpen that could get moved in the very near future. Their set-up man, Garrett Whitlock, is another player that fans should get familiar with.
After two injury-marred seasons in 2023 and 2024, Whitlock rebounded in a big way in 2025. He pitched to a 2.25 ERA, 2.18 FIP, and 1.08 WHIP over 72 innings of work. The right-hander induced plenty of strikeouts, with a 31.1% K%, while only allowing a free pass at an 8.2% rate. He also allowed just two home runs all season while inducing a ground ball at a 45.1% clip. Whitlock is following up 2025 with another stellar campaign.
He has pitched 21.2 innings so far this year while posting a 2.96 ERA, 2.63 FIP, and 1.06 WHIP. His K% has remained steady at 30.7%, and he is now walking fewer opponents. Whitlock’s K% comes in at 6.8%. Although he has already allowed as many home runs as last year in nearly 50 fewer innings, his exit velocity and barrel rate have also improved from 2025, going from 88.5 MPH to 87.6 MPH and from 8.7% to 7.3%, respectively.
Whitlock has contract control through the 2028 season via team options. A team can pick up his team option for 2027 at $8.25 million. Then, his 2028 option rises to $10.5 million. They also have a $1 million and $500K buyout each year, respectively. The Pirates need to get bullpen help any way they can, and Whitlock provides a late-inning/high-leverage option for two seasons.
Daniel Lynch IV
Daniel Lynch IV transitioned from a starter to a swingman role in 2025 and produced the best results of his MLB career. However, the lefty has now moved into a more traditional single-inning reliever role in 2026 and has improved his game in nearly every aspect. Now, he could be one of the most underrated lefty relievers on the trade market.
Lynch IV has pitched 31 innings so far this year with a 2.61 ERA, 3.25 FIP, and 1.00 WHIP. His 23.8% K% may not jump off the page, but it is a significant improvement from the 15.6% mark he posted last year. He has induced far more swings and misses, going from a 22.5%, 25th percentile whiff rate in 2025 to a 31.9%, 90th percentile whiff rate in 2026. Meanwhile, his walk rate has barely changed from 9% to 8.7% over 2025 and 2026. Lynch IV is excelling in limiting home runs and hard contact, with a 0.58 HR/9 ratio, and both an exit velo (87.2 MPH) and barrel rate (6%) in the 70th percentile or greater.
That isn’t the only area in which Lynch has seen improvement in. His FanGraphs Stuff+ went from 96 in 2025 to 106 this year. He is now primarily utilizing his sinker, a pitch that has held opposing batters to a .237 xwOBA and 92.9 MPH exit velocity. His slider, change-up, and knuckle-curve have all induced a whiff at least 30% of the time. The biggest upgrade was to his four-seam fastball, going from 14.8 inches of induced vertical break to 16.6 inches of IVB.
Lynch also has two more seasons of control left after 2026. Unlike Whitlock, however, Lynch’s two seasons of control come via arbitration. Lynch has already recorded nine holds this year, and his average leverage index went from 0.78 last year to 1.30 this year. The Pirates need a setup man, and Lynch IV provides a quality option who is only getting better.
