Dodgers Sign Former Pirates Top Prospect as Trade Deadline Nears

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been roundly criticized for their inability to develop position player prospects. Since their last postseason appearance in 2016, the Pirates have sent exactly two position players they drafted to the All-Star Game — Josh Bell and Adam Frazier — and none since 2021.

This stretch of futility has extended into 2025 in spite of, not because of, the Pirates' draft position.

In 2022, the Pirates drafted high school shortstop Termarr Johnson fourth overall; in 2021 they selected University of Louisville catcher Henry Davis with the first pick in the draft. Shortstop Nick Gonzales (2020) and outfielder Travis Swaggerty (2018) were Top-10 picks. Combined, the four players have accumulated -1.1 bWAR at the major league level.

Konnor Griffin (the ninth overall pick in the 2024 draft and the new top prospect in baseball) has a chance to change the Pirates' poor track record. But it's understandable why other teams would take a flier on failed Pittsburgh prospects whose production have yet to match their potential.

Enter Matt Gorski, whom the Dodgers signed to a minor league contract Wednesday after he was released by Pittsbugh on July 12. Gorski, a second-round pick out of the University of Indiana in 2019, never hit in 15 games with the Pirates this year (.195/.214/.390).

However, he showed some pop last year with Triple-A Indianapolis (23 home runs, .522 slugging percentage in 113 games), and was slugging .519 for the Pirates' top farm team this season at the time of his release.

The Dodgers have the option of plugging Gorski into all three outfield positions as well as first base. They lost Michael Chavis earlier this month when the former Boston Red Sox prospect signed in Japan. Chavis had primarily played first base at Triple-A Oklahoma City; the Comets are also without outfielders Esteury Ruiz and James Outman, who have found homes in Los Angeles in the wake of injuries to Max Muncy and Kiké Hernández.

In a 2022 interview, Gorski credited a revived mentality, confidence, and more upper-body strength for coming into his power in the Pirates' system. By spring training of this year, he was making only minor adjustments at the plate.

"I had a lot of high peaks and low valleys last year," Gorski told MiLB.com in March, "and I think trying to stay consistent and even keeled for the whole season will be big for my campaign this year.”

The Pirates were impressed with Gorski's improved contact rate in spring training. Last year at Triple-A, he struck out in 37 percent of his plate appearances — a figure he'll have to cut down in order to crack the Dodgers' major league roster.

Perhaps a ticket out of the Pirates' farm system gives him a better chance. If nothing else, he gives the Dodgers added outfield depth in the organization if any of their trade deadline pursuits fall short.

The deadline is July 31.