The Pittsburgh Pirates have a potential need at third base. As of right now, their go-to answer at the hot corner is Jared Triolo, however sticking him to one position would limit his value, given his versatility. There are multiple players out there the Pirates could go after, but one trade target may have just become available, that being New York Mets’ corner infielder and 2025 breakout slugger, Bretty Baty.
With the Mets signing Bo Bichette, their infield becomes very crowded. Bichette has only played shortstop throughout his Major League career. But he had -12 defensive runs saved and -13 outs above average at the middle infield position. They didn’t sign Bichette to move Francisco Lindor off of shortstop. They also acquired Marcus Semien, who is still an excellent defensive second baseman. Both Lindor and Semien likely means Bichette will move to third base, where Baty was currently penciled in at. First base also isn’t a very likely destination, after they signed Jorge Polanco and currently have him lined up to take over the position.
After struggling in his first three looks in MLB in 2022 through 2024, Baty would go on to turn in a .254/.313/.435 triple-slash, .324 wOBA, and 111 wRC+ over 432 plate appearances. The infielder provided above-average power, with 18 home runs and a .181 isolated slugging percentage. While neither his 25% strikeout rate or 7.6% walk rate stood out, his overall performance at the plate was not a fluke.
Baty had a 66th percentile xwOBA at .334, and a 70th percentile xSLG% at .457. He also had a quality 90.7 MPH exit velocity, which was in the 64th percentile, and a 12.8% barrel rate, sitting in the 81st percentile. Baty saw a massive reduction in chase rate, from 31.4% in 2024, down to 24.8% in 2025. If anything, his underlying numbers at the plate suggests there’s potential for Baty to do more damage at the plate in 2026.
Baty made massive strides defensively as well. From 2022 through 2024, he had -9 DRS and -2 OAA at third base. In 2025, he had +4 DRS and +2 OAA at the same position. Baty even logged 373 innings at the keystone. Despite having never played second base in the Major Leagues prior to 2025, and only seeing 217 innings up the middle at Triple-A in 2024, Baty posted a respectable +3 DRS with only -1 OAA.
Baty isn’t a rental either. The Pirates can slot him in at third base until 2029. He is still an entire season away from arbitration. 2026 will also only be his age-26 campaign. That would make him a younger, and longer term answer at third base than trading for Alec Bohm, and arguably better than pursuing Eugenio Suarez. The only downside is Baty would cost more to acquire than Bohm would, given his age and control remaining.
If the Pirates are serious about competing, Baty should be one of their top trade targets if the Mets entertain moving him. They have enough pitching in the system to acquire Baty, even after trading Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros and Johan Oviedo to the Boston Red Sox earlier this offseason. With Bichette now on board, the Pirates going after Baty should be on the table.
