Why Pirates Trade for Robert Hassell III is Exciting with Former Top Prospect

Why Pirates Trade for Robert Hassell III is Exciting with Former Top Prospect originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Pittsburgh Pirates took a fascinating low-risk, potentially high-reward chance on a former top prospect on Thursday.

They've worked a trade with the Washington Nationals for outfielder Robert Hassell III.

The Nats announced the trade themselves, noting that the deal will be either for cash or a player to be named later.

In essence, it was a dumping of Hassell by Washington, which had recently designated him for assignment to remove him from the 40-man roster.

Pittsburgh sensed an opportunity and went for it, and it's a move that could pay off in the long run for the Pirates.

MORE: Full list of Pirates 2026 MLB Draft picks

What to know about Robert Hassell and why Pirates traded for him

Hassell was a top-100 prospect three years in a row, in 2021, 2022 and 2023, as he worked his way up through the Nationals' system.

He was originally a first-round pick, No. 8 overall, by the San Diego Padres in the 2020 MLB Draft out of high school in Thompson's Station, Tennessee.

Hassell went to the Nats from the Padres as part of the Juan Soto trade.

He has a .223 average in 197 MLB at bats so far and has spent most of the past two seasons at Triple-A.

In 2025, his Triple-A OPS was .839, showing promise, but that number was down to .593 this season, causing the Nats to give up on him.

The Pirates likely still see a lot of his power-speed potential there to be worked with, though, and they're taking that chance at almost no cost.

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