Report: Pirates 'Open-Minded' On Potential Jared Jones Trade
The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't been hesitant to use their pitching depth to address other needs.
But could that extend to the Pirates being willing to one of their most promising young starting pitchers?
The Athletic's insider Ken Rosenthal broke down the Pirates' situation with their young pitching, particularly with right-hander Jared Jones. While he noted Pittsburgh could be less inclined to move Jones after it already traded Luis Ortiz and left-handed pitching prospects Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle to the Cleveland Guardians for left-handed hitting first baseman Spencer Horwitz, he also didn't rule out the Pirates making another deal.
"The Pirates have worked hard to build their young rotation," Rosenthal writes. "Jones, 23, is under club control for five more seasons. But like the Guardians, Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers, teams with similar payrolls, Pittsburgh intends to stay open-minded on all possibilities, the source said."
Jones, 23, went 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA over 22 starts and he struck out 132 batters over 121.2 innings pitched in 16 starts. Jones was off to a strong start in his rookie season, going 5-6 with a 3.56 ERA, struck out 98 batters over 91 innings pitched before the All-Star break and held opponents to a .220 batting average.
The Pirates rookie right-hander saw his numbers dip in the second half, as he went 1-2 with a 5.87 ERA over 30.2 innings pitched and opposing hitters batted .269 against the rookie right-hander. He also missed nearly two months of the season with a strained right lat.
If Pittsburgh is going to trade Jones, one would imagine it has to be for a young bat who will be under team control for the foreseeable future. An outfielder like JJ Bleday of the Athletics could be a good fit in a potential trade for Jones, given that he won't be arbitration-eligible until 2026 and a free agent until 2029. Bleday, 27, set career highs with 20 home runs and 60 RBIs in 2024 and he was sixth in baseball with 43 doubles.
Rosenthal also noted that given the Pirates' approach to free agency and preference for using trades to improve the team along with the rising prices for starting pitchers, Pittsburgh would be remiss not to at least listen when it comes to Jones.
"The three teams mentioned above, all of whom are more competitive than the Pirates, generally improve not through free agency but through trades," Rosenthal writes. "The soaring price of free-agent pitching might prompt clubs to make aggressive trade offers for younger, cheaper starters. So, if a team offered the Pirates a hitter of comparable talent and service to Jones, it might be something they consider — or, at least, should."
