The Only Pirates Prospect Rankings That Matter

Who are the untouchable prospects for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline?

I don’t have a ranking of the top prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ system.

What I have is a rough draft of what the talent tiers would look like for the top 30 prospects.

The MLB trade deadline is approaching, and the Pirates need bullpen help. To get that help, they’d likely have to trade prospects.

You might wonder, which prospects would have value, and who could they trade?

Today, I’m giving you the only ranking of the Pirates prospects that matters.

Pittsburgh Pirates 2026 Top Prospects

1. Seth Hernandez, RHP

That’s the list.

Those are all the prospects you need to know for the 2026 trade deadline.

Seth Hernandez.

Drafted in the first round in 2025.

Ranked as the best pitching prospect in the game.

He’s the only prospect in the Pirates’ system who should be untouchable.

Anyone else should be fair game for a trade.

You might add Esmerlyn Valdez to this list, as he’s still prospect-eligible. He will lose eligibility by the time the trade deadline rolls around, and either way, the start to his MLB career makes him too valuable to the Pirates to trade.

Valdez might be the rare case of the Pirates developing their own power hitter. That’s one of the most expensive types of players to acquire, and the Pirates need to hold on to players like him who are literally in the Majors, starting to display their power.

On that same note, Hernandez is looking like a future top of the rotation pitcher. That’s another highly valued position. The biggest contracts in the game tend to go to the best pitchers. For a team like the Pirates, the only current avenue to get a player like Hernandez is to develop him.

Mason Miller would represent the dream acquisition by the Pirates. A lights out closer with three years of control remaining. If the cost was Hernandez, the Pirates would be better off going for a lesser reliever and keeping their top prospect.

Mason Miller Trade Value

There’s an argument that Hernandez might be the cost for Miller.

The Athletics traded Miller to the Padres last year, and the return included Leo De Vries, one of the top prospects in the game, currently ranked second overall, after being just outside of the top ten to enter the season.

Two differences exist with that trade.

First, the Athletics were also trading JP Sears, who might have the trade value of a Carmen Mlodzinski type pitcher. The Padres weren’t just acquiring Miller. They also got a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Even more important, the other three players sent by the Padres for the Miller package were far from top prospects. The return landed the top prospect from the Padres system, but it was a top-heavy return that didn’t get a lot of additional upside.

It’s possible that Hernandez wouldn’t need to be included for Miller alone, as long as the Pirates could replace him with a package that was just as valuable. The top prospect would be less valuable, but the other prospects would result in a better overall package.

Of course, if a team like the Yankees wanted to trade their top prospect for Miller, the Pirates wouldn’t have an attractive offer without Hernandez. The Yankees traditionally don’t need to exclusively build through the farm system, which means they could easily out-bid the Pirates in prospect capital.

The big disclaimer is that the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement could finally put the Pirates on the same competitive spending level as the Yankees.

That’s still not a reason to trade Hernandez, with the future economics of the league up in the air.

What Pirates Prospects Have Value?

Maybe the Pirates could get Miller for a package that doesn’t include Hernandez (or Valdez).

Maybe they turn to a different reliever who gives them an upgrade, without having the star impact of Miller.

They’re going to need to trade some prospects.

I don’t have a full ranking, but I have put some thought into early tiers.

Murf Gray, Edward Florentino, and Reinold Navarro are the top three who stand out to me.

These are guys who could contend for the top 100 overall prospects. If the Pirates were building a larger prospect package, versus trading Hernandez or Valdez as the main piece, they would absolutely need to trade one of these three.

I’m actually lower on Florentino than most. I like his upside, but I think he’s getting a lot of benefit of the doubt in his projections and current value as a top 100, or even a top 50 prospect. He’s still largely graded on raw tools, and not results.

On that same note, I’m probably higher on Navarro than others, and that involves me giving the benefit of the doubt that his control issues will improve with more experience. The difference between him and Florentino is that he’s getting results, despite the obvious flaw to his game.

Gray is moving up to Altoona after the break, and will get a big test on whether his numbers were a result of the age difference against A-ball pitchers. There’s some validity to his offense and power, but we don’t really know how much. His true power/hit tool level has yet to be graded against age-appropriate competition. He’s a third baseman, but I have doubts he’ll stick there long term, making the bat essential to his value. I do think he grades higher than Florentino, as Gray has better results and some indication of legitimate hitting tools.

In a move for Miller, the Pirates might have to give up two of these players. In any move for an impact addition, they’d have to give up one.

The next tier down would include top 100 contenders, and those inside the top 10 of the Pirates’ system.

Lonnie White Jr. and Wyatt Sanford are the only two who stand out to me. You could make an argument for Jhostynxon Garcia or Khristian Curtis.

White has started showing his abilities in Altoona, carrying over his power production to a higher level and a more neutral environment than Greensboro. I have reservations about Sanford, as his power has been boosted by Greensboro. My reservations for White are the injury concerns, though he’s healthy this season, and hopefully has that behind him.

Garcia and Curtis run the risk of lower upsides. Garcia might only be a fourth outfielder at best, and Curtis might only be a power reliever. I could see a path to Garcia starting, and I could see a path to Curtis being in the rotation or being a late inning guy. They’re some of the best prospects in the system, but they’re not top 100 guys, and at best, they’re secondary pieces in a big trade.

Beyond those players, the Pirates have a lot of depth options who profile safest as MLB bench players or relievers. I also discount the A-ball players, especially in Greensboro, as their abilities are hard to read with those park factors.

Some team might want to take a chance on a rebound for an upper-level former top pick like Termarr Johnson.

Another team might see more upside in an upper-level prospect like Connor Wietgrefe or Duce Gourson.

Teams could have their own lower-level priorities. I highlighted Sanford above, but if you wanted to elevate Richard Ramirez, Yordany De Los Santos, Eddie Rynders, or others in the lower levels, I wouldn’t argue. And maybe other teams have their own preferences, like Easton Carmichael, Levi Sterling, or Jhonny Severino.

There are wild cards in the lowest levels. Bralyn Brazoban has been one of my favorite stories as a top international signing who is starting to discover his power. Carlos Mateo has horrible control, historically speaking, but one of the best fastballs in the system, and his control is starting to show signs of improvement. At best, these guys are third pieces in a bigger deal.

It all comes down to preference.

If the Pirates are trading with the Padres, the only thing that matters is how the Padres see the prospects in the Pirates’ system.

The Pirates would have to agree on the overall value package. Maybe the Padres would think Florentino or Gray would be enough to headline a deal. Maybe the Padres would need both and more, and I’d probably make that move for Miller. Maybe the Pirates wouldn’t.

The only prospect rankings that matter are the untouchables.

Hernandez.

That’s the only prospect the Pirates shouldn’t trade.

And, Valdez, if you want to include him as a prospect.

Beyond that, winning in 2026 is far more important than hoping for results from a prospect in 2028 and beyond.

Until the next time I go live…

-Tim Williams