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Pirates Transactions

BREAKING: Pirates Trade For Bat, Acquire Bryan De La Cruz From Marlins

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Bryan De La Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates have finally found an outfield bat that they have so desperately been coveting.



The Pirates are acquiring outfielder Bryan De La Cruz from the Miami Marlins, as first reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Miami will received a pair of prospects, right-handed pitcher Jun-Seok Shim and corner infielder Garret Forrester according to MLB.com.

De La Cruz is in his fourth season with the Marlins and established himself as a prominent member of their lineup. The 27-year-old has slugged a team-leading 18 home runs and drove in 51 runs through 105 games this season. Though he carries a fairly-respectable .245 batting average, the right-handed hitter has a lowly .289 on-base percentage.

But it’s the true raw power that is appealing to the Pirates, who have been looking to add some thump to their lineup. Bryan Reynolds leads the team with 18 home runs but is one of only three Pirates’ players with double-digit home runs this year.

Adding an outfielder alongside Reynolds was also paramount for general manager Ben Cherington leading up to the deadline. Even with Reynolds’ All-Star campaign taken into account, the Pirates have the fifth-lowest OPS in baseball (.652).

Though he has experience at all three outfield spots, De La Cruz profiles best as a corner outfielder and will likely man right field for the Pirates. He lacks elite speed and doesn’t have great range but possesses a very strong arm.

De La Cruz will play into the Pirates’ plans not only this year but for several years to come. He will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason and won’t hit free agency until after the 2027 season.

Heading to the Marlins, Shim is considered the Pirates’ No. 17 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. and No. 28 in Baseball America’s latest update. He hasn’t pitched this season due to a shoulder injury that has kept him on the injured list all season. The 20-year-old made his professional debut last season in the FCL and posted a 3.38 ERA in four starts.

Forrester was drafted by the Pirates in the third round of last year’s draft. He’s currently with Low-A Bradenton, where he’s hitting .273 with a .795 OPS, nine doubles, one home run and nine RBIs in 34 games. He’s ranked a the Pirates’ 18th-best prospect by Pipeline but fell out of Baseball America’s top 30.

The deal is still pending physicals.

It’s the Pirates second trade of the day. Earlier on Tuesday, Pittsburgh acquired left-handed pitcher Josh Walker from the New York Mets.

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