Pittsburgh Pirates should not trade JT Brubaker

It is clear that the Pittsburgh Pirates will be sellers at the trade deadline. They are clearly in the midst of what will be a lengthy rebuilding process, one that will be painful in the standings. And yet, it is one that, if navigated properly, could lead to solid results down the road.

As such, virtually anything that is not nailed down will be on the block in the days and weeks leading up to the deadline. This includes players such as JT Brubaker, who is in the midst of a breakout campaign in 2021.

JT Brubaker will be popular target on Pittsburgh Pirates

Brubaker had a pair of rough outings earlier in May, but appeared to have righted the ship with six shutout innings against the Rockies, allowing just four hits and a walk while striking out five batters. He has easily been Pittsburgh’s best pitcher this season, posting a 3.74 ERA and a 1.193 WHiP over 55.1 innings, striking out 56 batters with just 13 walks.

At 27 years old, Brubaker is just entering his prime, which will make him even more enticing for other teams. He also has just one year of service time, which would open his trade market to virtually every franchise, especially those that feel they are close to contending. The Pirates could get a surprisingly strong return for his services.

But those are the reasons why the Pirates should not look to trade Brubaker just yet. At some point, Pittsburgh will need to identify building blocks for the franchise other than Ke’Bryan Hayes. It is likely not a coincidence that Hayes has rebuffed any attempts to discuss an extension as he likely wants to see the direction that the Pirates are heading in.

Keeping Brubaker as one of those building blocks will only help those efforts. He may not be a staff ace, but he appears to be developing into a solid middle of the rotation arm, the type of pitcher that good teams need to have. That would include the Pirates if they ever want to pull out of their rebuilding process.

It will be tempting for the Pittsburgh Pirates to trade JT Brubaker, especially considering the return they could get. Instead, they should resist that temptation.