PIRATES TRADE: Bucs Acquire Edward Olivares From Royals For Prospect

For the second time in as many days, the Pittsburgh Pirates have traded for an outfielder. The Pirates are acquiring outfielder/designated hitter Edward Olivares from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor league infielder Deivis Nadal, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com.

Olivares has spent parts of the last four seasons in Kansas City after he was acquired from the San Diego Padres in Aug. 2020. The 2023 season was his first extended look in the majors.

Last season with the Royals, the 27-year-old posted a respectable .263/.317/.452 slash line (105 wRC+) in 107 games. On the year, Olivares hit 23 doubles, four triples, 12 home runs and drove in 36 runs to go along with 11 stolen bases.

The right-handed hitting Olivares does a good job of putting the ball in play. Last season, he struck out in only 16.6% of his plate appearances.

Olivares was a subpar defender last year, with most of his defensive time coming in left field. In 54 games in left, Olivares recorded minus-14 defensive runs saved and minus-five outs above average. The defensive woes cause the Royals to use Olivares as a designated hitter last season in 42 games.

MLB Trade Rumors projects Olivares to earn $1.8 million in his first shot at arbitration this winter. The Pirates will have club control over him through the 2026 season.

Unlike the Pirates trade for Billy McKinney on Thursday, Olivares will be on the club’s 40-man roster. He joins an outfield mix of Bryan Reynolds, Jack Suwinski, Joshua Palacios and Canaan Smith-Njigba.

Heading back to the Royals is Nadal, an infield prospect who turns 22 in February. Nadal spent all of last season with the Bradenton Marauders in the Pirates’ minor league system. He finished the year with a .212/.344/.377 slash line with 15 doubles, eight homers, 39 RBIs and 33 walks.

The Royals needed space on their 40-man roster to make room for the newly-signed Chris Stratton, who pitched for the Pirates from 2019-22.

This is the third Pirates trade of this month as left-handed starter Marco Gonzales was acquired form the Atlanta Braves at the Winter Meetings.