Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington speaks during the Major League Baseball’s general manager meetings, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
There has been speculation that the Pirates are dangling their compensation pick — No. 34 overall — in hopes of acquiring a relief pitcher through a trade.
Pittsburgh’s relievers this season rank 23rd in MLB and 12th in the National League with a 4.53 ERA.
The Pirates have been in talks with other teams about acquiring bullpen help, and using their compensation pick — the only picks that can be traded per league rules — is one avenue they are exploring.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel published his two-round mock, and the draft guru said some rival executives expect the Pirates to trade the pick.
“This pick has been heavily rumored to be offered in trades for about a month,” he wrote. “I’ve had at least half a dozen teams tell me they made a run at this pick; the asking price seems to be a good MLB reliever. Teams expect the pick to be traded before the draft, but the clock is ticking.”
The 2026 MLB draft gets underway on Saturday afternoon, and the first day of the draft covers the first four rounds. So, if the Pirates want to use their draft pick to upgrade their bullpen, a trade would have to come before then.
If the Pirates were to trade the pick, they would lose $2,897,400 — the slot value attached to the 34th pick — from their bonus pool. Pittsburgh currently has the largest bonus pool ($19,130,700) of any team in this year’s draft.
Recent trades involving compensation picks include the Guardians’ acquisition of catcher Patrick Bailey from the Giants for the 29th pick earlier this year, and a deal between the Orioles and Rays last year that netted Tampa Bay right-handed reliever Bryan Baker for the 37th pick.
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