Braves Sign Fomer Pirates OF
Former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan De La Cruz has found his next team.
The Atlanta Braves announced on Sunday that they have signed De La Cruz to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract for the upcoming season. De La Cruz was non-tendered by the Pirates earlier in the offseason.
For De La Cruz, signing with the Braves is a return to the National League East after he began his career with the Miami Marlins in 2021. De La Cruz spent the first four-plus seasons of his career with the Marlins before he was traded to the Pirates ahead of the 2024 trade deadline in exchange for a pair of top-20 prospects, right-handed pitcher Jun-Seok Shim and infielder Garret Forrester.
Prior to being traded to Pittsburgh, De La Cruz hit 18 home runs, drove in 51 runs and slashed .245/.289/.417 in 105 games for Miami. The wheels fell off for the right-handed hitting outfielder, as he hit .200/.220/.294 with 3 home runs and 17 RBIs and posted a -1.2 Wins Above Replacement across 44 games for Pittsburgh. In total, De La Cruz, 27, amassed 21 home runs, 68 RBIs, slashed .233/.271/.384 and had a -1.5 WAR in 2024.
Who replaces De La Cruz remains a question mark for the Pirates. Pittsburgh could stay in-house and bank on Jack Suwinski getting back on track after he went from being the Pirates' best power hitter in 2023 to being sent down due to his struggles last season. Suwinski led the Pirates with 26 home runs in 2023 but hit .182 and had a -1.7 WAR across 88 games in the big leagues in 2024.
The Pirates could also give a young player like Nick Yorke a chance after he spent the end of the 2024 season in the big leagues. Yorke is currently the Pirates' No. 6 ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline.
A trade or signing a corner outfielder isn't out of the realm of possibility either. The Pirates leaned on their pitching depth throughout their organization to address their need at first base when they traded right-handed starting pitcher Luis Ortiz and top-20 left-handed pitching prospects Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle to the Cleveland Guardians for Spencer Horwitz.
If another situation arises where Pittsburgh could land a corner outfielder with some upside similar to Horwitz, another trade wouldn't be a surprise.
