The Pirates have added to their outfield by trading for Bryan De La Cruz from the Miami Marlins. The Marlins add Pittsburgh’s number 17 prospect, RHP Jun-Seok Shim, and number 18 prospect, catcher/corner infielder Garrett Forrester. De La Cruz will add power to the Pirates’ outfield, as the 27-year-old from Santo Domingo Este, Dominican Republic, led the Marlins with 18 home runs.
Miami continues to move players after trading away Tanner Scott, J.T. Chargois, and Bryan Hoeing. De La Cruz has 96 weighted runs created plus this season and a .707 OPS. The fourth-year player has experience in all three outfield positions. He will join Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds as the only Pirates outfielders with more than a .700 OPS.
The Marlins get a young pitcher in the South Korean native Shim, though he is currently on the 60-day injured list. Shim did have a very good season in the little rookie ball he played for the Pirates in the Florida Complex League last year, pitching to a 3.38 ERA. At six-foot-four inches, Shim and his four-pitch mix could become a contributing player for the Marlins in the next few years. Forrester also heads to Miami, and he brings experience and production.
As a three-year starter at Oregon State, Forrester projects himself as an infielder as he climbs the ranks. He has enjoyed a solid season in Single-A for the Greensboro Grasshoppers and could be a potential September call-up now in Miami.
Pittsburgh is 54-52, only two games back of the third Wild Card spot. This trade marks their fourth of the past two days, as they also acquired utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Blue Jays, left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks from the Rockies, and minor league infielder Nick Yorke from the Red Sox. They have shown that they are willing to part with some of their higher-end prospects at this deadline to try and qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2015.
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Photo Credit: Bryan De La Cruz #14 of the Miami Marlins reacts after hitting a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on July 26, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
