Pirates Should Trade Growing Prospect for Pitcher

Pirates Should Trade Growing Prospect for Pitcher

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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates are proceeding slowly before the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline. Instead of pursuing the pieces that could upgrade this team immediately and help end their recent playoff drought, the general manager seems content to wait and consume the scraps.

Pirates GM Ben Cherington can change that narrative, however, with a simple move to upgrade the bullpen. The name popping up one month away from the deadline is a familiar face: Aroldis Chapman. The problem for the Pirates is whether or not they are willing to pay the price, both contractually and in trade assets, to acquire a big name like Chapman. Some, like MLB writer John Perrotto, believe a combination of prospects, including infielder Termarr Johnson and pitcher Antwone Kelly, would get the job done.

That package is a bit of an overpay for the Pirates, but Perrotto's suggestion is exactly the direction the team must go. The Pirates have to be willing to give up an important part of their farm system to improve their bullpen and push for the postseason.

Why This Specific Deal Works for the Pirates

Chapman is 38 years old, so it's fair if the Pirates don't want to part with a former fourth-overall pick in Johnson.

The problem is that Johnson hasn't quite lived up to the expectations of being such a high draft pick. This year has been especially disappointing, as the 22-year-old is struggling mightily with the organization's Triple-A affiliate. He's hitting .168 over 279 plate appearances with just four home runs and 21 runs batted in.

It's hard to give up hope on a talented young player, but the Pirates should make the tough call on Johnson. With other infielders in the system and a superstar 20-year-old on the MLB roster in Konnor Griffin, Johnson is expendable. At this point, he's worth more to the organization as a trade chip than as a prospect.

Antwone Kelly has some upside as well, but for one and a half seasons of Chapman, he's worth parting with.

Will Pirates Make This Deal?

If Cherington's recent quotes about Trade Deadline are any indication, the Pirates won't be making any huge splashes. The team might add another arm to the bullpen, but after the team swapped Joey Bart for Hunter Stratton, the Buccos don't seem set on adding another big name.

That's a poor decision on their part, however, as this potential trade of Termarr Johnson and Antwone Kelly for Aroldis Chapman should be a no-brainer for the Pirates.

Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!

Jacob is a featured writer covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for Steelers On SI and the NHL for Breakaway On SI. He also co-hosts the All Steelers Talk podcast. Previous work covering the NHL for Inside the Penguins and The Hockey News.

Giants 2026 Training Camp Preview: Tyler Nubin, Safety

Tyler Nubin Enters Pivotal Year 3 With Simplified Role Under New Giants Defense

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The New York Giants' safety room underperformed expectations in 2025, with Jevon Holland being brought in as a big-name free agent signing that couldn’t exactly find his footing in year one.

Second-year safety Tyler Nubin was expected to take a significant leap in year two, but instead, seemed to struggle to string together consistent performances.

The Giants have built quality depth at safety with Raheem Layne and Beau Brade returning from last year’s squad as depth pieces that still have room to grow.

In free agency this spring, the Giants added veterans to the room in Ar’Darius Washington and Jason Pinnock.

Both players have some familiarity with the franchise in 2026, as Pinnock, of course, played for the Giants from 2022-2024, and Washington has spent his entire career under John Harbaugh.

As a unit, the room is more reliable depth-wise in 2026 than it was in 2025, but will be replacing Dane Belton as their third safety, who also spent plenty of time in the box and at nickel.

The room is unlikely to be one of the top units on the team, but the improved play of the safeties themselves, as well as an improved defensive game plan, should lead to significant improvement.

Tyler Nubin, S

• Height: 6-2
• Weight: 210
• EXP: 3 Years
• School: Minnesota
• How Acquired: D2-’24

2025 in Review

It’s clear that 2025 was still a learning experience for Nubin, who took on a much larger role on defense, both in terms of total snaps played and in a more versatile role.

As Nubin took on that more versatile role, it seemed like he struggled to handle the new workload that asked him to contribute more as an all-around option as a sophomore.

Nubin finished the season with 78 total tackles, 7 TFLs, two passes defended, one fumble recovery, and one fumble recovery touchdown.

Missed tackles were an issue for Nubin throughout the season, with 15 missed tackles and a 16.9% missed tackle rate.

The missed tackles would often come in stretches, going multi-game stretches without any, but also having five over the course of two games.

On special teams, Nubin was a consistent contributor on kick coverage and field goal block, playing 131 special teams snaps on the year.

Contract/Cap Info

When the Giants drafted Nubin in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, they signed him to a standard four-year contract worth $8,176,718 total with $5,935,968 fully guaranteed at signing.

Unfortunately for Nubin, the 2025 draft was when mid-second-round picks started getting significantly more in guarantees: the 47th pick in 2025 got 85.5% of his contract guaranteed, and this year’s 47th pick got a fully guaranteed deal, as opposed to Nubin’s 72.6%.

Based on his contract alone, before even considering talent and potential, Nubin should be viewed as a virtual lock to make the Giants roster in 2026.

If the Giants were to cut Nubin, they would create $330,743 in cap space but would also incur a dead cap penalty of $1,899,271.

That’s a trade-off that many teams would not be willing to make for a third-year player with potential - there isn’t enough financial incentive to warrant that kind of move.

It’s also worth noting that Holland and Nubin are the only safeties under contract past 2026, so eating Nubin’s dead cap penalty immediately while also destabilizing the room long-term is just another reason that parting ways with Nubin doesn’t make much sense, if any.

2026 Preview

The expectation is still going to be for Nubin to be one of the starting safeties with Holland on the back end.

With a new defensive scheme, there’s no better time than now for Nubin to start playing a new, simplified role that can help him find his footing once again.

If Nubin is put into more situations that let him operate in the box, especially with the snaps that are now available from Belton’s departure, then he should see more success in 2026.

Coverage is still an area that needs notable improvement to put him in a position to make plays on the ball, as he has no interceptions through the first two years of his career.

With a new coaching staff in East Rutherford, this is a fresh slate for Nubin to make an impression, but he also has to remember that this is not the coaching staff that drafted him; it’s all new.

It’s possible that special teams contributions become a more important part of the equation for Nubin’s role under Harbaugh, so he could see more time there.

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Brandon Olsen is the founder of Whole Nine Sports, specializing in NFL Draft coverage. He is also the host of the Locked On Gators Podcast, and appears in-season on the Giants Squad Show for the Locked On podcast network.