Pirates Pull Off Major Trade For Marlins Outfielder Prior To Trade Deadline

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in a great position to fight for playoffs as they sit only a game and a half back from the third Wild Card playoff spot. The Pirates are 55-52, winning eleven of their last fifteen.

The Pirates pitching staff has been on fire this season, with Mitch Keller and rookies Paul Skenes and Jared Jones leading the way. Pittsburgh ranks in the top twelve in ERA on the season. The only downside is that the Pirates’ offense ranks near the bottom of the league this season.

Luckily, Pittsburgh’s hot streak could not have come at a better time, with the July 30th Major League Baseball trade deadline providing a perfect opportunity for the Pirates to upgrade their roster as they push for the playoffs.

Pittsburgh has been very active before the July 30th trade deadline, making deals for . Their most recent and arguably biggest deal they made was for Miami Marlins outfielder Bryan De La Cruz. According to Tyler Kepner of The Athletic, the Pirates got De La Cruz in exchange for prospects Jun-Seok Shim, and Garret Forrester.

“Only five teams have hit fewer homers this season than the Pirates, and they’re all sellers: the (Tampa Bay Rays), (Toronto Blue Jays), (Chicago White Sox), (Miami Marlins), and (Washington Nationals),” Kepner wrote. “The Pirates are buying, because their pitching has them only two games out of a wild-card spot. In Bryan De La Cruz, they get an outfielder who can hit the ball over the fence. He’s a bat that other teams have to respect, and that’s an upgrade for Pittsburgh.”

De La Cruz has slashed .245/.289/.417 this season with 18 home runs and 51 RBIs in 105 games for the Marlins. Last season he had 19 home runs and 78 RBIs in 153 games. This is exactly what the Pirates have needed, an outfield slugger to help round out the lineup and provide some much-needed offensive support. The cherry on top – De La Cruz is under team control through 2027.

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