The Pirates five best acquisitions since 2010

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Much of the discourse surrounding the Pittsburgh Pirates pretty much every year — and especially during their 4–14 stretch this month, has been negative.

So, with all of that negativity, I’m going to try and offset that by looking at the Pirates five best acquisitions since 2010.

This can be trades, draft picks or international signings. Anything that helped the Pirates substantially in the past 15 seasons.

Honorable mentions:

• Drafting Paul Skenes No.1 overall in 2023.
• This doesn’t really need much of an explanation, and the only reason it’s not in the top-five is because he’s still a rookie.
• But even as a rookie, Skenes started the All-Star game for the National League, has 2.30 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 98 innings.
• Oh, and he’s second on the Pirates in fWAR after debuting in May.
• Drafting Jared Jones No.44 overall in 2020.
• Again, the only reason this move isn’t in the top-five because he’s still a rookie. But even with not having made a start since July 3, Jones is fifth on the Pirates in fWAR at 1.6.
• He also posts a 3.56 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 98 strikeouts in 91 innings.
• Trading for J.A. Happ in 2015
• The Pirates traded for Happ at the 2015 deadline. He only made 11 starts with Pittsburgh before leaving in free agency, but he had the best stretch of his career as a Pirate.
• In those 11 starts, Happ went 7–2 with a sizzling 1.83 ERA. He ended up throwing 63.1 innings, only surrendering 52 hits and 13 walks while striking out 69.
• Trading for Marlon Byrd in 2013
• Byrd, similar to Happ, only played in 30 games with the Pirates before leaving for free agency.
• But also similar to Happ, Byrd played the best stretch of his career in Pittsburgh.
• In those 30 games, Byrd slashed .318/.357/.486 with three home runs. He sported a 136 OPS+ in those games.
• And just like the No.5 guy on this list, Byrd homered in the iconic 2013 Wild Card victory over the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park. Bonus points in my book.

No.5: Signing Russell Martin to a two-year deal.

The Pirates signed Martin to a two-year free agent deal in November 2012. Martin was a catalyst of the Wild Card teams of 2013 and 2014, slashing .256/.362/.401 with 26 home runs in 238 games.

He was absolutely elite in 2014, when he slashed .290/.402/.430, good for a 135 OPS+. The Pirates were the only club Martin had an above-average OPS+ with (116).

Oh, and who could forget his iconic home run off Johnny Cueto in the 2013 Wild Card right after Cueto dropped the ball during the ‘Cue-to’ chants? Legend.

No.4: Drafting Mitch Keller 64th overall in 2014

Keller was drafted 64th overall out of high school in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He shot up the Pirates’ prospect ranks in 2016, becoming the club’s No.1 prospect in 2018.

It was tough sledding for Keller when he first made the majors in 2019, delivering just a 7.13 ERA in 11 starts his rookie year and a 6.17 ERA in 23 starts in 2021 (he only made five starts in 2020 due to COVID/injury).

Keller broke out in 2022, pitching to a 3.91 ERA and becoming a staple of the rotation. Since a short move to the bullpen in May 2022, Keller has pitched to a 3.80 ERA and earned an All-Star selection in 2023.

He inked a five-year, $77 million extension in February. The 28-year-old figures to stay entrenched in the rotation for years to come.

No.3: Trading for Oneil Cruz in 2017

In 2017, the Pirates acquired shortstop Oneil Cruz and right-handed relief pitcher Angel German from the Los Angeles Dodgers for left-handed relief pitcher Tony Watson.

Watson pitched in 24 games for the Dodgers (20 innings) before leaving in free agency. He had a 2.70 ERA with Los Angeles. He spent stints with the Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants before his career ended in 2021, subsequently the same year Cruz’s began.

Cruz, the Pirates’ 2024 leader in fWAR at 2.8, has showcased absurd potential at times. In 2024, Cruz is slashing .262/.322/.468 with 18 home runs and a 114 wRC+. He’s also stolen 14 bases in 15 tries.

In 210 career games, Cruz has a .250/.313/.459 slash line. If he can take another step forward in what’s already been a breakout year for him, he can be a perennial All-Star. And all they had to give up was 24 games of a reliever!

Oh, and German fizzled out in Double-A Altoona in 2019, in case you were wondering.

No.2: Drafting Gerrit Cole first overall in 2011

The Pirates drafted Cole No.1 overall in 2011 before trading him after the 2017 season. It may have ended on a sour note, and he may not have been the Cy Young-type pitcher in Pittsburgh that he is now, but he was still pretty darn good as a Pirate.

That was evidenced by his 3.50 career ERA in Pittsburgh in just over 782 innings. He also earned an All-Star selection in 2015, a year in which he anchored the 98-win Pirates with 19 wins of his own and 202 strikeouts with a 2.60 ERA in 208 innings.

The Pirates also got Joe Musgrove when they traded Cole, which in turn netted them David Bednar and Endy Rodriguez.

No.1: Trading for Bryan Reynolds in 2018

The Giants received 130 games of Andrew McCutchen (who slashed .255/.357/.415 with them) in exchange for Bryan Reynolds and right-handed reliever Kyle Crick.

Reynolds debuted in 2019 and never looked back, slashing .314/.377/.503 with a 130 OPS+ as a rookie. In 2021, he finished 11th in National League MVP voting and earned his first All-Star selection, finishing the season with a .302/.390/.522 slash line with 24 home runs and a league-leading eight triples.

Reynolds inked a seven-year, $100 million extension (the first $100 million deal in Pirates history) in 2023, a year where he slashed .263/.330/.460 with 24 home runs.

In 2024, Reynolds earned another All-Star selection. As of Aug. 22, he boasts a .280/.346/.458 slash line with a team-leading 19 home runs. The 29-year-old hopes to headline playoff lineups along with Cruz in the coming years.