The Pittsburgh Pirates are mired in a disappointing season. While the club is expected to make several players available to other teams for trades before the deadline, there are two players they won't give up. Those players are Paul Skenes and Oneil Cruz, per USA TODAY.

The Pirates though do have a few intriguing trade candidates, per the outlet. They are outfielder Brian Reynolds and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes.

“They were each expected to become cornerstone pieces of the franchise and both have struggled, with the Pirates expected to put them on the market at the trade deadline,” USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale wrote. “Reynolds is in the third year of an eight-year, $106.75 million deal, the largest in club history. Hayes is in the fourth year of an eight-year, $70 million extension.”

Pittsburgh is expected to listen to trade proposals for everyone on the roster, essentially, except Skenes and Cruz. The Pirates are 22-37 this season, and last in the National League Central.

The Pirates have shown some signs of life in recent weeks

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) celebrates with teammates in the dugout against the Arizona Diamondbacks in at Chase Field.
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The Pirates started out the season so poorly that the team fired their manager, Derek Shelton. Pittsburgh's new manager is Don Kelly, who has lifted the team's spirits.

The club has hovered around a .500 record since Kelly took over. Pittsburgh is also starting to find some offense, which had plagued the team in the first several weeks of the season. Pittsburgh remains near the bottom of Major League Baseball statistically in most offensive categories.

The team already has a pretty strong rotation, which revolves around Skenes. Skenes finished the 2024 season as the National League Rookie of the Year, and started for the National League in the All-Star game. This season Skenes holds a 4-5 record, with a 2.18 ERA.

Time will tell how the Pirates decide to make moves, as the MLB trade deadline approaches. The league's trade deadline is July 31. Skenes has been named incessantly in news reports as a player that teams want, but it seems the Pirates are shutting the door on any possible trade speculation.

The Pirates play at the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Sunday's winner takes the series.