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With the 2025 MLB trade deadline approaching, Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz has emerged as a significant name drawing league-wide attention, according to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Several teams have inquired about Cruz’s availability. While the Pirates are not actively shopping the 26-year-old, they are open to listening to offers.
Cruz, the team’s most productive power hitter this season, has posted a .738 OPS with 16 home runs through 91 games. He’s slashing .219/.319/.419 with 72 hits in 329 at-bats, 14 doubles, two triples, 40 RBIs, and an MLB-leading 33 stolen bases on 37 attempts. His 123 strikeouts and occasional lapses in effort have led to some internal concerns, but his upside remains unquestionable.
Notably, Cruz hit the hardest-recorded home run of the Statcast era (since 2015) on May 25, 2025, a 122.9 mph, 432-foot shot into the Allegheny River off Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Logan Henderson.
He also unleashed a 105.2 mph throw from center field on July 6 to tag out Seattle’s J.P. Crawford at home, matching the Pirates’ Statcast-era outfield throw record.
Cruz’s elite physical gifts make him a highly coveted asset. Standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 215 pounds, he’s one of the tallest players to ever start at shortstop and now patrols center field following a late-2024 position change prompted by defensive inconsistency.
Signed by the Dodgers in 2015 for a $950,000 bonus, Cruz was traded to Pittsburgh in 2017 for reliever Tony Watson. Since debuting in 2021, Cruz has had a rollercoaster career.
He impressed in his rookie 2022 campaign with 17 home runs in just 87 games. After fracturing his left fibula in early 2023 and missing the rest of the season, Cruz returned strong in 2024, hitting .259/.324/.449 with 21 homers, 76 RBIs, and 22 steals in 146 games.
Cruz’s contract adds to his value. Earning just $785,000 this year, he enters arbitration in 2026 and remains under team control through 2028.
His combination of raw power, speed, and arm strength, demonstrated in his 2025 Home Run Derby performance with 34 total homers, including a 513-foot blast from the Pirates star, makes him one of the league’s most intriguing potential trade chips.
The Pirates have shown interest in several other players, including Mitch Keller, David Bednar, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds, and Tommy Pham. But Cruz, with his rare toolset and years of control, may be the most watched Pirate as the deadline approaches.
