It’s been a tougher year than expected for the Pirates. The club entered the year with heightened expectations, but an underperforming offense has landed them in the National League Central’s basement. There is still hope for the near future — the rotation will be anchored by guys like Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and No. 5 overall prospect Bubba Chandler, after all — and the approach this Deadline is to help build a 2026 team that can compete.

“We have to deliver better, more to our fans,” general manager Ben Cherington said. “Really focusing on how do we build a team that is going to be better on the field between now and March 2026. And our intent [is to be] prepared [to strike] between now and Thursday.

Of course there is plenty of time to add to the roster before Spring Training 2026, but the Trade Deadline is a golden opportunity to try to improve the offense and even potentially give any new acquisitions some runway in the Majors this year. The Pirates also have more than a handful of intriguing trade candidates, whether they are rental players on expiring deals (Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Tommy Pham, Caleb Ferguson and Andrew Heaney) or players with team control (Mitch Keller, David Bednar, Dennis Santana and Ke’Bryan Hayes).

There’s no guarantee that any particular player will be traded — even the rentals, as Cherington pointed out — but this team is in need of hitters, and it’s a chance to replenish the lineup. The Pirates have pitching depth, which is why All-Star-level talent like Keller and Bednar are in the rumor mill. Both are clubhouse leaders and could be big parts to a theoretical contender in 2026.

But right now, being a contender in 2026 is just theoretical.

“The leadership certainly and just the proven performance [is weighed in trade discussions],” Cherington said. “If we’re going to be better in 2026, we need more of that, not less. We would only contemplate giving up something that’s seemingly more proven if we really believe that they give us a better chance to be better by next year.”

Giving up a Keller or Bednar would be costly. If you want to acquire a proven Major League position player, the asking price is going to be high.

“It always depends a little bit on how much money they’re making and there are other factors in it, but the price for those players is going to be highest,” Cherington said. “We should be open to acquiring those players, but that’s also a reason why, especially for us, we need to be particularly ready and successful at acquiring players who are not fully proven. So, it’s both. If you want to get ready-made offense, you’re going to have to pay a lot for it.”

That’s why it’s not a foregone conclusion that the Pirates will be able to acquire a hitter like that. This team isn’t just one hitter away from competing, so they’re in need of both quantity and quality. If you want that, that probably means assuming some risk, like acquiring a prospect or an unproven Major Leaguer.

It doesn’t sound like Cherington is going to shy away from those opportunities.

“I don’t think we can be risk averse,” Cherington said. “I don’t think that’s going to work in Pittsburgh. We want to win, we’re going to have to assume risk. With risk comes downside to that, obviously. If that doesn’t work out, we get criticized. That’s OK. I don’t think we can win without assuming that.

“It’s case by case, right? We’re not going to assume — need to or will assume — massive risk on every decision. We’re going to have to be willing to assume risk, I believe, to win. [Those] risks can come in different forms. Sometimes, that’s going to come in the form of a player that we believe in that hasn’t done anything in the big leagues yet.”