MLB Offseason Weekly Recap: Pirates Join in on Trade Action

This is a weekly update highlighting the notable news and transactions from the 2024-25 Major League Baseball offseason.

A flurry of trades took place this week as the offseason market begins to heat up.

The most notable of the trades that took place was a swap of big-leaguers between the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds. Kansas City acquired infielder Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Weimer in exchange for right-handed starter Brady Singer.

India projects to join the Royals’ starting lineup and adds a stable presence for a playoff team from this past season. The 2021 Rookie of the Year slashed .248/.357/.392 with 28 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs 58 RBIs and 15 steals in 2024.

Weimer spent the majority of the season in the minor leagues split between the Reds and Milwaukee Brewers but gives the Royals outfield depth.

Singer, meanwhile, joins a rotation headlined by flamethrowing right-hander Hunter Greene. The 28-year-old went 9-13 with a 3.71 ERA in a career-high 32 starts with the Royals this past season. In 179.2 innings, he allowed 175 hits, issued 54 walks and struck out 170 batters.

There were a couple of other notable trades too, including the Chicago Cubs landing reliever Eli Morgan from the Cleveland Guardians for an outfield prospect. Morgan, 28, posted a 1.93 ERA across 32 appearances for the Guardians this past season.

The Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets swapped outfielder Jose Siri for right-handed pitcher Eric Orze. Siri is an excellent defensive outfielder and Orze pitched well in Triple-A Syracuse in 2024 and provides Tampa with bullpen depth.

The Pirates jumped in on the action by acquiring some bullpen depth of their own. Pittsburgh acquired right-hander Peter Strzelecki from the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night. The 30-year-old has a career 3.44 ERA in 77 appearances out of the bullpen between time with three teams.

The Pirates now have four open spots on their 40-man roster, giving them plenty of wiggle room to make further additions.

New Free Agents Hit Market

There are a handful of new free agents on the market after Friday’s non-tender deadline.

The notable names who are now free to sign anywhere include outfielders Austin Hays and Dylan Carlson, infielder Brendan Rodgers, and pitchers Kyle Finnegan, Jordan Romano and Patrick Sandoval.

The Pirates non-tendered three players on Friday but are working to bring back one of them. More can be read about that, along with the Pirates’ first trade of the offseason, HERE.