Proposed Trade Sends Rangers Third Baseman To Pirates
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With rumors floating around that the Pittsburgh Pirates are linked to Eugenio Suarez, this trade proposal sends a different third baseman to the team.
Texas Rangers 3B Josh Jung is currently in his first year of arbitration. While he's under team control through 2028, it's clear the Rangers have their intentions on moving him in the somewhat near future.
Jung is coming off a fine season where he posted a .684 OPS in 131 games. Having been his fourth year in the league, the 27-year-old had never played more than 122 games prior to last season.
He still has a ton of room to grow, but there's no doubts the Pirates could use him. According to this trade proposal by Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter, all it would take is a reliever for the Pirates to land the 2023 All Star.
Pirates Send Thomas Harrington To Rangers For Josh Jung
"Josh Jung is another potential fit at the hot corner with buy-low upside," Reuter wrote. "The 27-year-old is controllable through 2028, not far removed from starting the 2023 All-Star Game and coming off a 2025 campaign where he logged a 100 OPS+ with 23 doubles, 14 home runs and 61 RBI in 131 games."
He acknowledged their additions of Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn, Jake Mangum, and Jhostynxon Garcia, but that doesn't mean the team should be satisfied with where they are. There's no point in being content with their moves thus far as there are still plenty more to be made.
Reuter continued, "Jung had an up-and-down 2025 season in which he was briefly optioned to the minors in July, and he has looked like a potential trade candidate since the offseason started."
Pirates Must Be Careful Not To Overpay
When looking at signing Suarez to a two-year, $42 million deal or trading Harrington for Jung, the Pirates need to be extremely careful. Reuter noted that Harrington was the No. 74 prospect according to Baseball America at the start of last season.
In no world should the Pirates be making their pitching staff worse, but that's where there's a discussion to be had.
On the surface, a one-for-one trade doesn't seem to bad. Harrington is obviously a few years younger and has only appeared in three MLB games.
Sure, he gave up 15 runs in 8.2 innings, but that doesn't mean he won't improve in the coming years. It's certainly a trade worth considering, just a matter of who the Pirates want more between Suarez or Jung and how much they prioritize a guy like Harrington.
-8bfc4854a6a49ec0e06fe32d76334d6d.jpeg "Jordon Lawrenz")
Jordon Lawrenz began his On SI journey writing for the Tennessee Titans and Iowa Hawkeyes. Since then, he's began contributing to both the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.