Pirates Trade For Red Sox Utility Player
The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded for another utility player from the Boston Red Sox.
The Pirates announced on X that they acquired utility player Enmanuel Valdéz for right-handed pitching prospect Joe Vogatsky. With the trade, Pittsburgh now has 37 players on its 40-man roster.
We have acquired INF/OF Enmanuel Valdez from the Red Sox in exchange for RHP Joe Vogatsky.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) December 15, 2024
There are now 37 players on our 40-man roster.
Ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, Pittsburgh made a similar trade with the Red Sox when it traded right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester for utility player Nick Yorke. Yorke spent the end of last season with the Pirates and is currently their No. 6 ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Valdéz was designated for assignment by Boston on Wednesday. The left-handed hitting utility player spent time with the Red Sox and their Triple-A affiliate, the Worcester Red Sox in 2024. In his 76 games in the big leagues last season, Valdéz, 25, hit 6 home runs and drove in 28 runs while posting a .214/.270/.363 slash line.
Across 50 games for Worcester, Valdéz hit 11 home runs, drove in 30 runs and slashed .233/.330/.446. Valdéz flashed intriguing power in 2021 and 2022 when he hit 26 home runs and 28 homers, respectively.
Defensively, Valdéz was primarily a second baseman for the Red Sox, playing 65 of his 76 games at the position. He also saw time at third base and left field for Boston.
For Triple-A Worcester, Valdéz played at the same three positions while also seeing time at first base and right field in 2024.
Vogatsky has yet to throw a pitch in the big leagues. The right-handed pitcher was drafted by the Pirates in the 19th round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of James Madison University. Vogatsky was 3-2 with a 3.49 ERA and nine saves across 27 appearances last season for JMU.
Vogatsky is tied for second all-time in saves at JMU with 14.
