Pirates Acquire Former Top Prospect From Nationals

Aug 8, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Robert Hassell III (57) runs to second base against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pirates Acquire Former Top Prospect From Nationals

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Jul 16, 2026 2:52 PM ET

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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.

Hassell, 24, is a former first round that was outrighted by Washington on Sunday. He is not on the Pirates’ 40-man roster.
— Colin Beazley (@colin_beazley) July 16, 2026

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.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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