Pirates Trade Marlins for Outfielder Bryan De La Cruz
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates made a big move prior to the MLB trade deadline at 6:00 p.m., landing Miami Marlins outfielder Bryan De La Cruz.
Jon Heyman of the NY Post first reported the trade, while Mark Fiensand of MLB.com reported that the Pirates sent minor leaguers in right-handed pitcher Jun-Seok Shim and first baseman Garrett Forester to the Marlins.
The Pirates will send No. 18 prospect 1B Garret Forrester to the Marlins along with Shim for De La Cruz, per source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 30, 2024
De La Cruz hit .245 with 104 hits in 424 at-bats, plus 19 doubles, 18 home runs, 51 RBI and 25 walks to 118 strikeouts in a 105 games with Miami. He also has a .289 on-base percentage, a .417 slugging percentage and an OPS of .707.
The Houston Astros signed De La Cruz in 2013 as an international signing from the Dominican Republic and he would spend from 2014-21 in their minor league system. They eventually traded him to the Marlins on July 28, 2021, along with right-handed pitcher Austin Pruitt for right-handed pitcher Yimi García.
De La Cruz came up to the Marlins shortly after on July 30 and spent close to four seasons with the franchise. He played in 431 games, slashed .258/.305/..419 and had 395 hits in 1,531 at-bats, 78 doubles, 55 home runs, 191 RBI, 102 walks to 403 strikeouts and an OPS of .724.
Shim and Forrester were the Pirates No. 17 and No. 18 overall prospects, respectively, according to MLB Pipeline. Shim was pitching for the Florida Complex League Pirates, while Forrester was with the Greensboro Grasshoppers of High Single-A.
The Pirates get a much needed bat for the team, as they are hitting .231 as a team on the season, tied for fourth worst in the MLB.
This is the fourth trade the Pirates have made prior to the deadline, with most of them involving pitchers.
Pittsburgh sent right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester going to the Boston Red Sox for minor league infielder Nick Yorke, sending minor league left-handed pitcher Luis Peralta to the Colorado Rockies for left-handed pitcher Jalen Beeks and acquiring left-handed pitcher Josh Walker from the New York Mets for minor league left-handed pitcher Nicolas Carreno.
