The Pittsburgh Pirates are already receiving trade interest in LHP Steven Brault. These three teams may be interested in trading for him.
In some unsurprising news out of Pittsburgh Pirates camp, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi recently reported that multiple teams have been in contact with the Pirates about trading for left-handed pitcher Steven Brault this winter.
As the Pirates look to build up their pipeline of talent down on the farm and focus on the future, the organization is expected to be busy fielding offers for some of their top major league talents like Brault, Joe Musgrove, and others.
As Morosi points out in his tweet, there are a few reasons why Brault is currently drawing so much interest, but perhaps no reason bigger than his three years of control remaining. Young arms with multiple years of control are always a hot commodity, and it doesn’t hurt that Brault is coming off his best stint in the major leagues since making his MLB debut in 2016 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In 10 starts (11 total appearances), Brault went 1-3 with a career-low 3.38 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and .192 average against. He also struck out a career-high 21.3% oh hitters he faced and allowed just two home runs in 42 innings pitched, significantly slashing his home run rate from 2019 (1.19/9 IP).
Walks were still an issue for Brault (12.4% walk rate in 2020), but his improvements in most other areas of his game and ability to limit hard contact (average exit velocity on batted balls was about 3 mph lower than league average last season) are attractive traits when combined with his
If Brault’s 2020 campaign is a preview of what the future holds for the 28-year-old, just about every other team in baseball will be calling at some point to check in on him. But let’s look at three teams in particular who could be likely trade partners with Pittsburgh for Steven Brault.