Pirates Acquire Former Top Prospect From Nationals
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The Pittsburgh Pirates are taking a chance on a former top prospect who hasn't quite panned out as initially hoped.
Per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Colin Beazley, the Pirates have acquired outfielder Robert Hassell III from the Washington Nationals for either cash considerations or a player to be named later (PTBNL). He is not on the club's 40-man roster.
Trade: The Pirates have acquired minor league outfielder Robert Hassell III from the Washington Nationals for either a PTBNL or cash.
— Colin Beazley (@colin_beazley) July 16, 2026
Hassell, 24, is a former first round that was outrighted by Washington on Sunday. He is not on the Pirates’ 40-man roster.
Hassell was designated for assignment by Washington earlier this month and subsequently outrighted to Triple-A Rochester after going unclaimed off waivers.
The 24-year-old was selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres. Ranked as high as the No. 26 prospect in the sport by Baseball Prospectus ahead of the 2022 campaign, Hassell was sent to the Nationals as part of the massive trade that landed Juan Soto in San Diego at that year's deadline.
Hassell proceeded to make his major league debut last season and appeared in a total of 70 games for the Nationals. Over that span, he slashed .223/.257/.315 in 206 plate appearances with three home runs, 18 RBIs and four stolen bases.
As organizational depth, Hassell is an intriguing pick-up for the Pirates as they bet on his pedigree and raw talent. He'll need to turn it around in order to get back to the bigs, though, as he posted a .593 OPS for Rochester this season.
Is There Hope for Hassell in Pittsburgh?
The Pirates, after years of falling short at the plate, have begun to change the narrative surrounding their organization as a haven for up-and-coming position players.
With Endy Rodríguez, Esmerlyn Valdez, Konnor Griffin and Nick Gonzales in particular all finding success in the majors this season, Pittsburgh is churning out young, quality hitters to go with its veteran core that includes Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn, Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz (when healthy).
Hassell is far down on the pecking order when it comes to outfielders in the organization, but that isn't to say he can't work his way up now that he has a fresh start.
Little stood out during his run with Washington in 2025, though his chase rate of 27.3 percent was right around league average while his barrel and hard-hit rates of 8.2 percent and 40.7 percent, respectively, were at least semi-respectable.
Hassell has an average exit velocity of 89.2 mph in Triple-A this year, which falls in the 66th percentile according to Prospect Savant, while his barrel (7.2 percent) and hard-hit (41.2 percent), are in the 63rd and 67th percentiles, respectively.
An athletic and rangy outfielder with a strong arm, the tools that made Hassell such a highly-regarded prospect are still present. That's not to say he's going to reach his ceiling, but there's still a chance he turns into a fourth outfielder and bench piece in Pittsburgh.
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Jack is a New Jersey native who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh as a Media & Professional Communications major in 2024 who is now covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Yankees for On SI.