7-31-24 – By Ethan Smith – @mvp_EtHaN on X
The 2024 MLB Trade Deadline has come and gone, and honestly, it played out about how everyone expected.
The sellers market was strongly outweighed by the buyers market, making for a intriguing deadline with plenty of teams adding and not as many subtracting.
Miami traded pretty much their entire team, the Rays seem to be reloading, and your Pittsburgh Pirates, hence the reason you’re here, added, and it might’ve taken longer than you hoped, but they made moves that hint they think the squad they have can make noise in 2024.
Pittsburgh baseball has been a rollercoaster over the past few weeks, and the trade deadline was no different, so let’s break down each move the Pirates made, the impacts those moves will have and what the Pirates are welcoming in.
Pirates find their outfielder in Bryan De La Cruz
Pittsburgh knew going into the 2024 trade deadline that they desperately needed help in the outfield, especially offensively.
That need became blatantly more clear over the past few days, seeing as Jack Suwinski optioned to AAA, Joshua Palacios got nicked up and Ji-hwan Bae, who was brought in to be a direct replacement to Suwinski, suffered a minor injury as well.
Even before all of that, Bryan Reynolds was tasked with carrying the load offensively, but now, the Pirates found a Robin to Reynolds’ Batman in the form of Miami Marlins outfielder Bryan De La Cruz.
It isn’t Jazz Chisholm Jr., who ended up in the Bronx, but De La Cruz is talented, and more importantly, controllable, with the 27-year old corner outfielder under control through 2027.
De La Cruz has had a fine season for the Marlins up to this point, posting a .706 OPS and 18 homers with 51 runs batted in over 424 at-bats. His career statistics suggest good things as well, as his .724 OPS and .258 average showcase his hit tool and power output.
Per Statcast, De La Cruz also finds the barrel of his bat well, sitting in the 76th percentile in all of baseball in barrel rate at 11-percent. His xSLG (.465) is ranked in the 77th percentile in all of baseball, so yes, the guy can hit. His 14 homers expected in PNC Park is lower than his actual total, but his advanced power numbers suggest it might not matter a whole lot.
The biggest concern for De La Cruz will be swing and miss, as his 32.1-percent chase rate, 29.1-percent whiff rate and 26-percent strikeout rate are among some of the worst in baseball, and he doesn’t get on base via the free pass much either at just a 5.5-percent clip.
Defensively, De La Cruz comes in with a -7 OAA, but his arm is among the best in baseball, so slotting him into right field should be fine and he can definitely hold runners with the best MLB has to offer.
Pittsburgh sent Miami pitching prospect Jun-Seok Shim and infielder Garret Forrester, who ranked 17th and 18th on the Pirates Top-30 Prospects List per MLB Pipeline, so the package isn’t as substantial as what it would have taken to get Chisholm or other top trade targets.
Overall, this move was a need-filler, giving the Pirates a player in De La Cruz who brings offensive production from the outfield and should slot in nicely in a lineup that’s desperately looking for run producers.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa heads south from Toronto to Pittsburgh
I would definitely label this one a shocker, as the Pirates snagged utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Toronto Blue Jays near the waning moments of the deadline.
IKF brings versatility, having played just about every defensive position you can in baseball, but along with his Gold Glove caliber defense, IKF is in the middle of the best offensive season of his career, posting a .758 OPS in 257 at-bats with seven homers and 33 RBIs.
The advanced metrics won’t wow you at all, seeing as IKF ranks in the bottom six percentile in barrel ratev(2.2) and hard hit rate(26.9-percent), but he has a knack for being a contact machine and rarely strikes out or whiffs, as evidence with his 13.3 whiff rate and 13.2 strikeout rate.
The defense is elite per usual with IKR, as he comes in with a plus-4 OAA, but a statistic on IKF I love immediately is his production versus right-handers, production highlighted by a .765 OPS and six homers across 187 at-bats versus righties this year.
At worst, IKF is an on-base, high contact guy that immediately slots in the middle-to-bottom part of the order and gives the Pirates much needed production from outside of the top of the lineup.
The Pirates moved on from Charles McAdoo here, who has had quite the 2024 campaign, but with the versatility and offensive production IKF brings, it’s a move that just made sense and was going to cost the Pirates a bit, a bit being one of their better hitters in the minors this year.
He currently has the best on-base percentage of his career at .338, the best slugging of his career and best batting average of his career, so it was smart for the Pirates to strike the iron while it’s hot, and you hope the offensive production from Toronto crosses the border for IKF upon his arrival to Pittsburgh.
Pirates swap Quinn Priester for Nick Yorke
As we discussed in our piece on Monday, the deal of Quinn Priester for Nick Yorke sparked everything for Ben Cherington and Co. in a move that at first came off as puzzling, but upon further review may end up being a substantial one for the Buccos.
For Priester, he showed flashes throughout his time in Pittsburgh, but with an abundance of pitching talent available, it was becoming increasingly more difficult for the Pirates to find a place for him in the rotation, and his metric don’t suggest a bullpen move would have been much better, so this made sense to make a move happen, especially with what’s on the way pitching wise over the next couple years.
As for what the Pirates got in return, Yorke is intriguing for a plethora of reasons, the biggest being that he’s a former first round pick, like Priester, and is just 22-years old and has shown offensive capability throughout his time in the minors.
Yorke owns a .785 OPS with 10 homers and 46 RBIs this season with AAA Worchester, and the team already announced he would start in AAA Indianapolis after the move was made official.
He has primarily been a second baseman in the Red Sox system, but he has experience with outfield work also, playing 223.2 innings in left field between his time in AA Portland and AAA Worchester this season, so it’s a wonder if the Pirates view him as an outfielder or second baseman, or maybe even both in utility, but that will remain to be seen.
I see this move as lateral, seeing as Boston needed pitching depth and the Pirates get a high-minors player who can play at positions of need, be it the outfield or second base with Nick Gonzales on the shelf, and truthfully, I think both teams will come out of this deal feeling good about it.
Yorke also enters the Pirates system as their No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline and there’s a good chance we see him at the big league level this year, so keep a close eye on the 22-year old as it pertains to his impact in Pittsburgh.
Pirates move Martin Perez to San Diego
Martin Perez showed some savvy in the beginning of the season, but an injury derailed the positivity he was showing early on.
Due to the fall, his place in the rotation eventually became minute, and a move made sense, seeing as he was signed on a one-year contract in the 2023 offseason.
The Pirates chose to move him to San Diego in exchange for DSL Ronaldys Jimenez, an 18-year old left hander.
With the Pirates having depth in the rotation, this move made sense and there isn’t much else to say on the move besides that San Diego gets pitching depth as they await a return from the IL from Joe Musgrove and Pittsburgh gets a lottery ticket youngster, much like they did last season with Carlos Santana, so a good move in my book.
Mile High lefty Jalen Beeks added for bullpen depth
Ryan Borucki appeared to be returning from the IL, but a setback in his rehab made it very unclear on if the Pirates will even see Borucki suit up in a Pirates uniform again.
With Josh Fleming designated for assignment and no other left-handers showing much promise outside of Aroldis Chapman, the Pirates had to make a minor addition to the bullpen, and they did so in the form of Jalen Beeks – as Gary broke down.
Beeks is not supposed to wow any of you, and his 4.74 ERA over 49.1 IP surely won’t, but a couple things to remember are one, he was pitching at Coors Field often, and two, he’s a left-handed option in the pen, which is something Pittsburgh desperately needs and three, it took next to nothing to acquire him.
Pittsburgh, like they have with Rowdy Tellez and Michael A. Taylor, may also be hoping they can rekindle some of Beeks’ 2022 form, where he had a 2.80 ERA in 61 innings with Tampa Bay, but at the end of the day, this was a move for the bullpen to be able to survive through the end of the season and well, who knows, maybe Beeks has a strong ending to the year and becomes an under-the-radar move that helps more than it hurts.
Either way, welcome to Pittsburgh Jalen Beeks.
Pirates swap pitching prospect Patrick Reilly for Orioles outfield prospect Billy Cook
No, this isn’t Jackson Holliday for Jared Jones, or Coby Mayo for David Bednar, but this was a trade between Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and it’s quite intriguing.
Billy Cook, 25, will definitely give the Pirates upper-level depth in the outfield, especially after moving on from Gilberto Celestino in a trade with Chicago, and he’s played well with AAA Norfolk this year, posting an .841 OPS with 53 RBIs in 313 at-bats with the Norfolk Tides this year.
His career numbers in the minors are also impressive, posting a .779 OPS with 57 homers in his 1263 career minor league at-bats. He also offers some speed on the base paths with 81 career stolen bases in the minors.
Does Cook offer value to the Pirates in 2024? Maybe, seeing as the depth of the outfield has shrunk considerably as of late, and if he does come up in 2024, I wouldn’t expect anything flashy, but he does have the potential to be a solid depth option at the big league level for years to come.
Moving on from Patrick Reilly stings a bit, seeing as Reilly has a 3.38 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 88 innings in High-A Greensboro, but with the slew of pitching prospects the Pirates have, its a move that feels ok, especially when it brings in a bat with some upside, something that isn’t as prominent in the Pirates system.
Overall, a trade that doesn’t benefit nor hurt the prospect capital much, but could payoff down the line. Cook will move to #18 prospect in the system, per MLB Pipeline.
Pirates add left-hander Josh Walker from Mets
Like Beeks, Josh Walker isn’t supposed to be a slam dunk move.
Walker had a 2.83 ERA in 28.2 IP with AAA Syracuse, striking out 25-percent of the batters he faced in 14 appearances.
He was drafted in 2017, posting a career 3.85 ERA in 109 career appearances and the team announced he will report to AAA Indianapolis.
Walker brings another left-handed depth option for the bullpen.
Synopsis
As the deadline approached, the Pirates remained in the wild card conversation and it was an expectation for the front office to go out and buy pieces to fill needs, and honestly, that’s exactly what general manager Ben Cherington and the front office did.
Bryan De La Cruz is the headliner here, bringing power and offensive production to an outfield as a unit that desperately needed a strong, second offensive option.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa brings not only defensive versatility but also a prominent contact bat and low strikeout rate, something the Pirates can utilize in a lineup that has had issues getting on-base and hitting at an average level all season.
Jalen Beeks and Josh Walker enter as depth options in the bullpen as southpaws, nothing more, nothing less.
Nick Yorke has high upside, and it did cost Quinn Priester, but its a cost I am ok with the Pirates paying.
Moving on from Perez made sense, get something rather than nothing.
The most important part of all of this I think is that the Pirates didn’t become reactionary. Jazz Chisholm Jr, Jesse Winker, Lane Thomas, and many other options the Pirates were linked to were traded elsewhere or not traded at all, like Yandy Diaz and Brent Rooker, and instead of panicking, the Pirates held to their guns and made moves that improved the team and didn’t gut the farm.
It is hard for me not to walk away from this deadline without feeling like the Pirates are a better team than they were prior to the deadline, and that’s an amazing feeling to have, especially with the Pirates right in the middle of the NL Wild Card race.
Competitive baseball is back in Pittsburgh, quite frankly its already been here, but this deadline proved the Pirates feel like they have the horses to go for the postseason in 2024, all we can do now is sit back and watch the dominos fall into place how they may.
Steel City Pirates 