Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz is thought to be available on the trade market, though a deal seems to be a long shot. Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the club is not shopping him but has received plenty of calls and is willing to listen to offers. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com frames the situation similarly, saying that the Bucs would have to be bowled over by an offer in order to pull the trigger. Jeff Passan of ESPN is even more emphatic, saying that Cruz isn’t going anywhere.
The possibility of a Cruz trade first seemed to open about a month ago, when it was reported that the Pirates had very few untouchable players ahead of this year’s deadline. Apart from Paul Skenes and franchise icon Andrew McCutchen, it seemed everyone else was on the table.
A lot of the club’s focus seems to be on players they signed to long-term deals who are no longer in their plans. That would be Ke’Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds and Mitch Keller. Both Hayes and Reynolds have had disappointing results lately and their contracts are seen as underwater. Keller has been pitching well but he may be expendable since the club has so many younger and cheaper pitchers who could replace him.
Cruz would be a different situation. He is still young and cheaply affordable. He can be retained for three seasons beyond this one. He will qualify for arbitration for the first time at the end of this season.
His performance on the field has not been perfect but he is clearly talented and valuable. He has some of the top raw abilities in the majors, frequently topping Statcast leaderboards with his exit velocity, speed and arm strength. On the other hand, he strikes out a lot and his defense is wobbly. By the eye test, he takes some awkward routes but he can make up for those sometimes with his excellent speed.
He has been punched out in 31.9% of his plate appearances this year but he’s also drawn walks at a 12.5% clip and hit 16 home runs. The result is a .219/.319/.419 batting line and 102 wRC+. He has 33 steals in 37 attempts. Defensive Runs Saved has him at -7 this year but Outs Above Average has him at +2. Put it all together and it’s still a strong player. FanGraphs credited him with 3.5 wins above replacement last year and he’s on a similar pace this year, currently at 2.0 fWAR.
Teams will naturally be attracted to that, especially those with notable budgetary concerns. However, from Pittsburgh’s perspective, it’s understandable that they would set a high asking price. They have developed a huge pool of pitching talent but have struggled to do the same with their position players. Players like Hayes, Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo and others have not turned out as hoped.
Cruz, on the other hand, is the club’s best position player. He’s the only one on the team to have produced more than 1.1 fWAR this year. Last year, he was the only guy to get beyond 2.1 fWAR. In other words, trading him would blow a huge hole in the lineup. And the lineup already has a few of those.
The Pirates aren’t contending this year but presumably want to get over the hump soon. They haven’t been in the playoffs since 2015. They have an exciting group of young pitchers, headlined by Skenes, and surely want to build a winning club around them. They’re already having a hard time doing that with Cruz on the roster. Unless they get offered something too good to refuse, it seems he is likely staying in Pittsburgh.
Teams like the Royals, Guardians, Mets, Phillies, Tigers and Angels could be looking for center field help, though they may have a better chance at getting guys like Luis Robert Jr., Cedric Mullins, Harrison Bader or Alek Thomas. The Pirates will listen to Cruz offers but will likely spend more time talking about Keller, Reynolds, Hayes and others in the next week.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
When an organization is a chronic loser, they need to listen to offers on all players on the roster.
If you always trade everyone then of course you will be a chronic loser.
I dont think he is worth it. He gets lazy at times or doesn’t pay attention. The last Brewers series that was very evident
Would the attitude change with a competitive team around him? Or a good coaching staff?
maybe
True. Very true.
That may be true or he could also be the one to take the initiative to become the team leader and show by example. Now i know that is something that he has had to be shown at a younger age in order for that to be ingrained in him and if he has always been the best through out all the levels so hard to say.
I keep reading from people who say he’s a complete dikk. Is this true?
I would say no,but he has his moments.
He is too lackadaisical for many of us Pirate fans.
He is very talented,but does not always hustle.
He was not a good shortstop and should have been moved to CF several years before but he was stubborn and the Pirates were too weak to force him to do so.
He does not have good baseball instincts,but does try to get better.It is very difficult to change positions like that while in the ML’s but Cruz is trying to do his best there.He changed positions only about a year ago,so he has a lot to learn about playing center field.
The guy can run,and if he learns routes better,and reacts quicker,could become a very good center fielder,especially with the cannon called an arm that he has.
In summary, he’s just stupid. Great athlete, just a little dull
Cruz often doesn’t pay attention to the details of a game.
Number of outs, tagging up to run home on a sacrifice fly.
And if he’s unsure of the number of outs, he often doesn’t run to first base.
Like Mendoza said, he’s lackadaisical
Offer them Tony Watson. Who says no?
Offer Anthony volpe for him, it’s definitely a fair trade
Definitely not
Watson
He feels very so so despite a pretty decent war number.
So so defense
So so offense
Has power but doesn’t hit a lot of homers
Strikes out way too much
Runs well
Plays a premium defensive spot which props up his war
Playing the premium defensive spot only props up your WAR if you ware good at it. He seems to be right on the border of being worth playing there. Probably a better positional fit somewhere else.
Positional scarcity does prop up WAR in and of itself, regardless of how well the position is played. Last year, Cruz was -12 fielding runs above average according to bWAR, but he was +7 in positional scarcity runs.
Yeah it props it up a bit but if the guy sucks at that position he won’t have a good WAR. Cruz is at 1.2 for the year its not helping him much if any at all. He easily could have a higher WAR if he was playing corner outfield.
I hate how positions are factored into war so much. Either you are a good player or you aren’t. Like 1b and DH are always penalized for lack of defense but if they are skilled offensively they add value to a lineup. Yet a crap catcher or cf will get propped up regardless.
I thinl at times WAR has overvalued or undervalued certain positions but most of the time its fair and accurate.
As a Cardinals fan I remember a year back in the day where Jhonny Perlata had a higher WAR than Albert Pujols. And people just couldn’t wrap their head around it including myself. But shortstop had been a black hole for a few years before Peralta arrived and that first year he was really really good. He played excellent defense and hit pretty good not Pujols good but good. And at the same time the team had players that belonged at 1b but couldn’t play their because of Albert. Allen Craig ended up hurting himself playing outfield and was never the same his career ended before it should have all because he couldn’t play 1b where he belonged. Them Matt Adams had no place to play. Its easier to find a guy who can play 1b. Having a universal DH has changed things a bit but it still helps to play a tougher defensive position
He could be taught to play right field or first base.
His arm,if more accurate,would surely play extremely well in RF.
His stretch would work very well at first base,but his speed would be negated.
I would keep him in CF for now and work him hard in ST to see if he improves.
like dh
His arm strength is too strong to be wasted playing the DH position
Hayes has a higher WAR in 2025 than Cruz does.
The Pirates need position player help. All over the diamond. Upside is nice but they could use some high floor types to fill out their numerous holes.
Pirates need position player help. Pitching help, coaching help, front office help, baseball operations help, and ownership help.
They do have awesome fans though. Who definitely deserve at least some of the above. I hope the last two come to pass, and I think the rest would follow.
They definitely don’t need pitching help. The rest, yes.
You can never have too much pitching. Ask me how I know lol
They need to trade Skenes if they want any chance of contending in the near future. If an org offer’s their top 5 to 6 prospects, the Pirates would be dumb not to jump on that deal
Cherington has been adamant,, he doesn’t want prospects, he wants major league ready players with several years of control
Anthony, Mayer and Campbell. That would make sense for both teams i believe.
KOC – No it doesnt.
That’s a nice starting package but it’ll take more
You’re talking
Anthony
Campbell
Mayer
Rafaela
Tolle
Early
Perales
You’re asking for the best pitcher on the planet with what 5 years control? Gonna take a mega deal to get him.
Anthony Mayer and Campbell are all recent top 10 in baseball prospects. Thats a prospect haul thats probably more than any ever traded in the history of baseball.
Well you’re wrong on that cause Juan Soto netted more with 2.5 years control
So take the value of Soto deal and double it
Those prospects in the Soto deal were not all top 10 in baseball prospects. And that is widely seen as an overpay.
King-
Gore and Abrams were both previous top 10 prospects in baseball, Abrams entering the year as one and debuted in SD. Hassell was top 50 before the season, latter half by the end of that season. Wood was unranked only because the top 100’s hadn’t been updated but he had already started to explode w/SD. He played in just 21 games after the trade that season and was ranked the #3, #11 & #17 prospect overall that off season by BP, BA & MLB respectively. Jarlin Susana was a 6’6 teenager with a 100m+ FB and 13.5 k/9 in A-ball as an additional sweetener.
That package blows Mayer and Campbell out of the water.
Anthony Mayer and Campbell. Anthony was the number 1 overall prospect in all of baseball. Number 1. And like I said that is considered an overpay by the Padres and a trade they would probably like a do over for.
my bad, I missed Roman’s inclusion somehow.
I think that is a comparable package to the Soto trade.
He’s still 4+ years from FA. I feel like they should be dangling $200-$250m in front of him and see if you can’t extend his wondow with the team.
If they’re not willing to try doing that, seems awfully risky holding him with how much needs to go right in the near future to be competitive. But I guess some risks you just have to take.
That said a Skenes, Chandler, Jones & Hernandez rotation in a couple of years could be the best in baseball.
1. Wrong again
Gore was the #5 prospect in all baseball in 2020 and #6 in 2021 according to mlb
Abrams was #8 prospects in all of baseball in 2022 and #9 in 2023 according to mlb
Woods was ranked #1 in all of baseball according to baseball America
2. The deal also included top 50 prospects Hassell, Susana. So nationals walked away with 3 top 10 prospects in all of baseball, 2 top 50 caliber prospects in all of baseball for 2.5 years of control
3. Sorry facts prove you wrong but take the Soto and double the asking price for Skenes. Mayer Anthony Campbell isn’t enough for 5 years of Skenes.
Gore, Abrams, and Woods all found themselves on top 10 lists. The nationals also got two top 50 caliber prospects in Hassell and Susana. That was for 2.5 years of Soto
Skenes comes with double the amount of control and will require more than Anthony Campbell and Mayer.
as great as Paul Skenes is – there’s no way the Red Sox are trading Roman Anthony in a package to get him. There’s just too much injury risk inherent in young flame-throwing pitchers. Anthony is/was the #1 prospect in baseball and his performance at age 21 since being called up justifies it.
i doubt they would trade Anthony straight up for Skenes. Mayer and Campbell sure. Maybe even Mayer and Rafaella. But not Anthony
that’s insane. Skenes is a pitcher
KoC
As a Red Sox fan , that deal would be very hard to do. Understanding that Anthony would have to be included, Skenes is so good. The Pirates may not want Campbell,who is struggling in the minors now and signed a big contract. A deal highlighted by Anthony,and a handful of our top 10 prospects would be very tempting. A rotation featuring Crochet and Skenes for the next 5 years is to good to pass up. I would do it .
There’s a difference between should you make a trade and what would it cost to make a trade
Obviously trading for Skenes currently isn’t a savy business decision as you’d be giving up a plethora of players
No Mayer and Campbell or Mayer and Rafaela aren’t enough for Skenes. For 5 years it’s
Anthony
Campbell
Mayer
Rafaela
Tolle
Early
Perales
Should Red Sox make that trade? No but you think you’re the only team bidding on Skenes? You’re not.
E123
That trade is absurd. I think I was suggesting a possible trade ,a realistic trade to acquire the #1 pitcher in all of baseball. I do NOT think Skenes will be traded. Just a suggestion at what it would cost the Sox, realistically.
you people needn’t worry, Skenes isn’t going anywhere this season
That might be because he’ll get fired before the next rebuild b
Can we trade you to Hoop Rumors for a commenter-to-be-named-later?
I’d trade him for that Cash Considerations guy, he’s usually available.
I think it’s okay to trade him. The All-Star break was definitely a confidence booster, but couldn’t they get someone who hits 30 homeruns a year, bats .220, and makes muddy plays in the outfield from somewhere else? If a team is willing to unload a package for him, go for it.
Do you think you are smarter than mlb teams? If he really sucks as you indicated why would any team give up a package for him?
Depends on the team.
They couldn’t find a 30 hr bat if they were playing mlb the show.
They should keep him. Cruz fits the pirates model of being a pretty bad player
Hmmmmm if Tigers take on Reynolds, Keller and Hayes contracts as well as getting Cruz and Bednar in the trade; Tigers can thrown in 2 of their top 100 hitting prospects as well as Parker meadows and Melton …. I think it’s a fair trade for both. Pirates unload a lot of salary (which Tigers can take on no problem) and get back
some younger players it’s a win win for both sides ….
Is this fantasy baseball?
Boston- It is for one Tiger fan.
Pipe dream, it would probably take Max Clark and a low A pitcher just to land Cruz.
no it wouldn’t. they’re not trading Max Clark for the under-performing malcontented Cruz
I just stated what it would take to land the all-star player, not that I am advocating the move. For the record, yes, I would trade for Cruz because he isn’t a FA until 2029 and I don’t have much faith that Max Clark will be a perennial all-star at any point in his MLB career.
Tigers are in first and you want to turn over roughly one-fifth of the roster? (if you take on five guys)
Teams would happily take on Keller’s contract and give them 2 top 100 prospects. Bednar gets 1. Cruz gets 3.
Reynolds Hayes contracts look fair in Toronto NY LA so no need to bribe teams to dump them. And if they would they wouldn’t trade them. Pirates have to spend some $ to keep getting their revenue sharing.
Massively overvalues a bunch of mediocre players. 3 top prospects for a 2WAR CF? Comedy gold.
I’d say you’ll see because I am usually right but he isn’t likely to be traded. Could just be one prospect a really great one but teams would prefer to keep their best and give 3 good ones. And teams won’t be looking at his war as it would be completely useless.
Cruz has unbelievable talent he just needs to focus more than he does. the pirates should listen on everyone except Skenes. ownership,yes you Bob Nutting needs to loosen the purse strings and spend money on some hitting.
And who can focus more than he….Cruz. if he hasn’t he’s the player you see right now…..
I think he’s tantalizing enough that a team could go for him thinking they can “fix” him, or get him to GAF. Jazz is definitely rejuvenated since becoming a yankee. I mean when ownership puts your team behind the 8 ball from opening day year after year it wears on you. It would wear on anyone. Get the kid around some vets and wins and see what happens.
I wouldn’t even trust Nutting’s ability to listen properly
Parker Meadows even up for Cruz. Meadows is a better OF’er. Maybe not as good an arm. Runs the bases just as well. They both hit about the same, but I give the edge to Cruz. Both are controllable for years. I like Cruz. Poor man’s Elly de la Cruz.
Parker Meadows has a 537 OPS and negative WAR in 2025.
Very clear you are a Detroit fan. Hey, maybe they throw in Baez to sweeten the deal?
You typed this out and still hit post? Bravo.
more like a rich man”s Tyler O’Neill
None of this is happening, Noah Hiles just trying to get his name in the headlines.
Pirates will trade rentals plus maybe either Bednar or Santana. No Keller.
Cruz is the only player on the team that, when he comes up to bat, you stop what you’re doing and watch. Sometimes he does something amazing, but too often he stands there watching strike 3 go by.
Cruz is the major league leader in called third strikes
he’s hit like the longest and/or hardest hit HR ever. But he’s only done that once or twice. The vast majority of the time he’s just doing the same thing Reynolds and McCutcheon are doing. And sulking about it.
This guy screams Mariners, including the strikeouts. M’s have the ammo to deal for him, hitters and pitchers, top 100 prospects, could legitimately make an offer and not tear up their whole farm system.
The Yankees should jump in and have Cruz play 3B or SS if Volpe can’t get things figured out. Add that impact bat would be a game changer
he’s an “impact bat” in the same sense that Colt Keith, Nathan Lukes, and Gavin Lux are I suppose. They all have a better OPS than Cruz
It’s selling low. Hope he has a better year next year then sell him. Dudes head is never there.
Shocked Richard hasn’t shown up yet the tell us all how Pittsburgh is a bad baseball town
OC… erriffic talent, but lazy & brain dead. No way he is a CF’der. Put him in RF and bat him 7.
What a sad organization. They probably have the best pitcher in all of MLB and they are cheap skates.
High strikeouts and a low batting average… Andrew Friedman should be interested.
yeah, that guy can’t build a team to save his life.
I would only consider getting him because of his last name.
Anyone with last name Cruz or Marte kills the Dodgers. It could be someone called up from rookie ball and they will still hurt the Dodgers when it matters.
Can he play 3B. I’d take him and Keller over Hayes
He’s never played there before.
So probably not.
He came up as a SS. And has a cannon for an arm but so did Christopher Morel. It’s not something I would actually do unless it’s in MLB the show. Which I already have him on my franchise. Lol.
With his lack of attention I might pay to watch him be surprised or get hit by rockets to third. But I’m kinda mean.
So no-one other than the Pittsburg Cavett has heard anything near the same about this player…..enough said….he’s a fringe player that isn’t, maybe, and probably isn’t ever going to be…..
learn to spell
Pittsburgh has an H
The pirates can earn back the h when they win 80 games.
and you can earn my trust after being muted for ignorance
Like I said arrrr matey.
They all walk the plank.
It’s sad but this is nuttings definition of pirate baseball.
You can’t get mad
You cannot cry
You just watch as it happens
It ain’t sad it’s truth
Buucos for life
How has Nick Gonzalez not turned out he has been a solid player an the best hitter the pirates he not a super star but he’s performing an a good every day player
Yeah Gonzales is ok. Not great for such a high pick but at least he is like a 95 wrc+ hitter or so.
Still not a lot of impact bats.
Fun fact: the pirates don’t have a single hitter 24 or younger at AA or higher with an ops above 800 this season in the minors.
Nutting is the biggest problem but cheringtons failure to draft and develop hitters is a big issue too.
So many high draft picks and nothing to show for except for konnor griffin who looks solid but also is rumored to have gotten help by private coaches rather than the org.
Yes, Nutting has not helped but other orgs had more success with similar payrolls (Cleveland, rays,some As teams).
Cherington was tasked to build a cheap winner like the rays but failed to build the hitting development to do it.
I’m getting the feeling that we are going to cruise past the deadline with one or two trades and a whole lotta bs, teams should be making these moves by now, it’s all a bunch of malarkey.
You are new to the trade deadline. Welcome.
No doubt deals need to be made! Power,Power! Like to see Bucs to get Mayo from Orioles!Need contact hitters,in 70’s we had 6 or 7 in lineup!Lumber and lightning!
Cruz and Reynolds? Take on that bloated contract? Would that lessen the offer?
Nope taking on bloated contracts increases offer
The Pirates announced a Reynolds Bobble Head giveaway in September today probably knowing that he’s not getting traded
If the Pirates trade Cruz, he’s gonna hit 40 bombs on a team with a semi-decent line-up. He has the 3rd highest out of zone pitch rate in the Major Leagues. I know he leads the league in strikeouts looking, but all it takes is someone to tell him to be slightly more aggressive, see a few more pitches in the zone, and he’s going to rake.
Okay. Sure. It’s that easy.
His strike zone awareness is abhorrent. He sees nothing but off-speed pitches away. He has zero patience. But he will figure it out eventually.
Truthfully if they trade O’Neil, I’m done with them.
Cruz can crush a ball, no doubt or strike out a lot and be lazy and hit .200. His move to CF hasn’t been impressive. He has a hell of an arm but doesn’t track balls very well and looks lost in CF. If he wasn’t on the pirates as one of the few faces of a bad team, I’d love to know what people would think of him in a different MLB market.
He’s made some vast improvements to his CF defense from the start of the year. He’s put in a lot of hard work to improve his glove up the middle. He is not lazy.
Are you a total blinded loyalist yinzer? Do you not watch pirate games? Just this month he got benched for jogging out an infield ground ball cause he thought he would be the third out when in fact he was part of a double play due to him being LAZY. Zero hustle. And then he missed a play in CF this month and didn’t even chase it down cause he figured another OFer would get the ball. Wait for it…LAZY.
Immature is different than lazy.
Great…and on top of that he strikes out a third of the time and hits at a .219 clip….but he’s controllable…wow what a player…..
Yes, I watch him on the regular, and I see the mistakes he made. But he ultimatley owns up to them. However, I’ve seen plenty of other players, not just Cruz or on the Pirates, do similar stuff. It’s not just a Cruz problem is my point. Me personally, I think admitting he did something wrong and showing the sort of improvements he has made overall in his defense is a better showing of him than a few mistakes.
And he also gets on base at an average rate, and he also hits for power, and he is 33-for-37 in stolen base attempts, and he’s made huge strides in his defense in center field.
The Pirate team as a whole shows lack of hustle. In the last month alone, I have watched and been frustrated by numerous players on the Pirates jogging to first and creating an out due to lack of hustle. Cruz is not the only one or the biggest offender. It is part of the team culture that needs to change.
the lack of hustle falls on the coaching and management staff.
Kelly, like Shelton rarely disciplines the players
Bright eyes!!!! He has the 3rd highest out of zone pitch rate because teams know he will swing at those garbage pitches. Why he strikes out at such an insane rate. More aggressive he will strike out even more if that is even possible.
Hearing a lot of “trade Skeenes” on here to help bolster the Pirates’ future. You have to look at it like this: the Pirates do not have much on the offensive side of the ball, plus even with Skeenes, they are not making the playoffs anytime soon. If the Buccos could get a group of a star player plus two or three everyday starting bats, than you would have to do it. This kind of trade would probably need a third team involved to make it work. If you can get more wins from the offensive side of the ball on a everyday basis, it would potentially outweigh the value of Skeenes. My other fear is that Skeenes will breakdown at some point as pitchers like him (his type of amazing breaking pitches/speed) tend to do just that.
Dream on, Skenes isn’t going anywhere no matter how much you want him to
Might as well trade everybody for nothing, because that’s what Cherington will receive as a return in any trade. Worst owner in sports. Worst GM in sports. No hope for the present or future. They’re so inept they couldn’t even sign their 2nd round pick.
I attended my first Pirates game 52 years ago and have been to close to a thousand since (10 straight years would a full season plan), but none in years. Nutting and Cherington have me so disgusted that I think that I am giving up baseball for good.
Don’t give up! Richie Hebner wouldn’t of wanted you to! Have faith!
It’s not like they didn’t try sign their second round pick, the pick chose his 4 year scholarship to attend college first
Jasson Dominguez, Volpe, Cam Schlittler, Ben Rice and TJ Rumsfeld for O’Neil Cruz and Skenes; who says no?
Pittsburgh does haha. Come on now
Yah, you’re probably right
If they added a couple of their best young pitchers and just for Skenes the Pirates would have to seriously think about it.
Almost all of these supposed trades posted on this site are way off base though.
Benge and baty for cruz who hangs up?
He must be one of those Flat-Earthers because everytime he lets a ball get behind him, he seems to think it will keep rolling and fall off somewhere instead of Running after it…or Jogging after it!
A lesser defensive version of Luis Robert. If there is 1 club that thinks he’s all that, it would make sense to trade him for some good lower ceiling position players to improve offensive depth of their everyday lineup.
Paul Skenes for Tatis straight up
MLB is completely OK with minor league teams like the Pirates playing alongside the big league teams like the Dodgers.
Yup, BB should consist of nothing but cities with a 4M population and every team should be >.500.
That is what the TV partners want in the playoffs, yes.
And get most of the time.
No interest in Cruz, but Keller would fit nicely.
Braves need to get him for shortstop
Don’t trade him because pirates need offense and hes the only controlled positive offense on the team.
Trade him because his defense is barely passable and has issues with not getting on base and strike outs. Going into an arb year.
Trade Keller for quality near ready offensive prospects. Trade Bednar for similar. Trade Cruz for quality floor pen prospects and some lesser lotto ticket offensive prospects. Trade Reynolds for similar. Trade hays for some lotto ticket MiLB depth prospects (salary relief)
take..
Reynolds 70+m
Kellers 55M
Hayes: 40m
Bednars ~12M
Extend Skenes on a 20 year 1b+ deal with a third or so differed. freeing up the money above pays for a few seasons of that and bring some excitement in showing the pirates do care. If anyone can make a deal on that it would be BC. How he won in boston, throw money at it 🙂
Okay done day dreaming for the moment.
Cruz is an extremely frustrating player to watch. Half the time he appears to be giving half effort. He gets behind on the count frequently and gives away a ton of at bats. His outfield play is a juggling act, frequently misjudging balls but often making up for it with his speed
Then right when you’re about to give up on the guy he’ll uncork a 100 mph throw, hit a 115 mph liner into the stands or steal a couple of bases and remind you of his exceptional raw abilities. You hope that he’ll find the motivation and consistency to put it all together – he’s still in his mid-20s with superstar potential – but even if he doesn’t he’s worth watching for those occasional flashes of brilliance. Baseball is hard.
Teams need to decide what their window is. For the pirates I’d say it starts next season? Skenes, return of jones, arrival of chandler etc…
For me cruz seems like a devers situation in that he doesn’t want to be there. I’d flip him for young talent that can provide major league quality at bats and current 0 positions. I can be ok with nicky g and horwitz. Ss and 3B need to be addressed. Dump hayes. A glove only infielder is a luxury for teams like the yankees, dodgers, etc… If your 1B is horwitz you need an adequate bat at 3B. Get a bat first RF, get a plus defender in CF since you have a declining (defensively) reynolds in LF. Lean into the pitching and defense aspect of your roster. Get a righty masher DH to mostly platoon cutch.
he would look so good flanked by Merrill in LF and Jr in RF. 3 excellent defensive CF. that’d arguably be the best defensive OF in the world imo. Padres have one of the lower k rates in the league, hopefully it would rub off on Cruz and if not they could withstand his ks. Manny, Jr and Arreaz would be a huge positive influence on him, no more half assing it or plays/abs that don’t really matter. competitive environment would see Cruz elevating his game. after their own failures at c Salas would interest Pitt. throw in a Kash Mayfield and maybe their next best pitching prospect too and I bet that’s in the ballpark. hard to part with Salas but Cruz could definitely be a piece that helps close the gap with the Dodgers
Cruz is pretty much a classic example of today’s baseball — taking an athlete with phenomenal physical gifts and trying to teach them baseball. There are occasional flashes, but in general, Cruz is not very solid on fundamentals or situational awareness. Poor tracks to fly balls, failing to advance at times on the bases while at the same time being overly aggressive in others and a poor two-strike hitting approach have all added up to the player he is instead of the player he could be.
Replacing him, especially his power, would be difficult in any trade. The Pirates can afford to wait on him to see if there’s an opportunity to sell high. I would dare say that he would benefit greatly from a little protection around him in the lineup, which is why a Keller trade for one of Boston’s young outfielders makes way more sense at this stage than trading away Cruz for just about anything short of a massive overpay.