The Pirates have their top 2026 draft pick in the fold. Pittsburgh signed LSU outfielder Derek Curiel, the fifth overall selection, to a $6.2 million bonus, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis.
The number matters as much as the name. Curiel’s deal came in roughly $2.1 million under the slot value for the fifth pick, which sat at $8,336,500, and that savings hands the Pirates extra pool money to put toward their other selections. Curiel was among the last of Pittsburgh’s 2026 class to reach an agreement, and the team planned to introduce him at PNC Park on the morning of July 26, before the series finale against the Cubs.
Signing him was not a given. Curiel spent only two years at LSU and could have gone back to school, but because he turned 21 before the draft, he was eligible to be taken and to sign. What the Pirates get is a contact-first hitter with a strong defensive profile in the outfield.
The LSU production backs up the scouting label. Over 126 games across two seasons, Curiel slashed .349/.452/.522 for a .975 OPS, piling up 171 hits, 38 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs and 101 RBI while drawing 87 walks against 99 strikeouts. He was remarkably steady, hitting .345 as a 2025 freshman and .353 in 2026, the kind of on-base-heavy, disciplined bat the Pirates have gravitated toward. Current center fielder Jake Mangum plays a similar low-power, high-average game and can cover all three outfield spots.
There is a built-in connection to the current roster, too. Curiel is close friends with Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, who was himself committed to LSU before Pittsburgh took him ninth overall in 2024.
