Pirates Could Target White Sox Slugger This Offseason
Few needs are as prevalent as the Pittsburgh Pirates' need for more offense.
Could they opt for a young slugger who could be a presence in the middle of the lineup for at least the next couple of seasons?
Bleacher Report listed the top 25 trade chips in baseball heading into this offseason and had Chicago White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn at No. 24. The White Sox first baseman hit 19 home runs and slashed 246/.297/.402 in 2024.
"Vaughn led the White Sox in hits (140), doubles (30), RBI (70) and total bases (229) while slugging 19 home runs, but he hit just .246/.297/.402 for a 99 OPS+ in 619 plate appearances," Bleacher Report writes. "He could benefit from a change of scenery and still offers some untapped offensive upside, though his lack of on-base ability does undercut his value."
First base is among the positions Pittsburgh needs to improve at offensively if it's going to improve next season. In 2024, Pirates first basemen hit 19 home runs, drove in 77 runs and slashed .230/.295/.380. Vaughn's numbers alone were eerily comparable to the total production Pittsburgh got from the position with multiple players.
As a whole, the Pirates ranked in the top 10 in nearly every major category at the plate.
Pittsburgh aggressively pursuing a trade isn't in its nature, but the impetus has to be there for General Manager Ben Cherington to make a big move or two if he's going to hold onto his position beyond next season. The White Sox's right-handed hitter is only 26 years old and should be affordable for a typically cash-strapped Pirates franchise. Spotrac estimates Vaughn to earn $4.4 million in arbitration next season and he'll have one more year of arbitration in 2026 before becoming a free agent in 2027.
If the White Sox are open to trading Vaughn after having the worst season in modern MLB history, Pittsburgh would be remiss not to at least see what it would cost to acquire Vaughn. If the price for the right-handed first baseman is within reason, adding his bat to the middle of the lineup would go a long way toward fixing one of the Pirates' biggest problems from last season.
