Report: Pirates Non-Tender Three Players
The Pittsburgh Pirates are cutting ties with three players ahead of the non-tender deadline.
MLB.com's Alex Stumpf and Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the Pirates are non-tendering outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, first baseman and outfielder Connor Joe and right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton. The deadline for teams to non-tender players was 8 p.m. ET on Friday.
Hiles also reported that Pittsburgh and Stratton are working on a minor league deal, though nothing has been agreed to yet.
The Pirates acquired De La Cruz via trade from the Miami Marlins at the 2024 trade deadline. The right-handed outfielder struggled to find his footing in Pittsburgh, hitting .200/.220/.294 with three home runs and 17 RBIs. Prior to being traded, De La Cruz, 27, hit .245/.289/.417 with 18 home runs and 51 RBIs for Miami.
Joe played two seasons in Pittsburgh but saw his numbers regress at the plate in 2024. He hit .228/.320/.368 with nine home runs and 36 RBIs in 123 games. Joe played in 79 games at first base, 44 in right field and six in left field.
Joe also played for the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies before trading for him before the 2023 season.
Stratton, 28, went 2-1 with a 3.58 ERA over 36 appearances and amassed 33 strikeouts in his 37.2 innings pitched. The right-handed pitching reliever ruptured his patella tendon in his left knee while covering home plate on Aug. 24 against the Cincinnati Reds. He also missed over a month of the 2024 season due to a strained triceps in his right arm.
Before suffering the injury, Stratton had pitched nine straight scoreless outings. Due to the severity of the injury, Stratton would likely miss the bulk of the 2025 season before stepping on a mound.
Stratton made his big league debut for the Pirates in 2023.
