The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired outfielder Corey Dickerson from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for pitcher Daniel Hudson, infielder Tristan Gray, and cash considerations. Dickerson was designated for assignment after the Rays bevy of moves that included acquiring C.J. Cron, making Dickerson expendable. The Pirates have a hole at left field after the trade of Andrew McCutchen earlier in the offseason, and Dickerson certainly figures to fit into that slot in the lineup quite well.
Pittsburgh Pirates Trade for Corey Dickerson
Last season, Corey Dickerson bounced back after a rough first run with the Rays, slashing .282/.325/.490 and hitting 27 home runs, while scoring 84 runs and batting in 62. After being let go by Tampa Bay after their flurry of moves, it was certain that he would find a home; Pittsburgh’s obvious hole in left field made it all but inevitable that the Pirates to try to acquire him.
Hudson, a reliever for the Pirates, pitched 61.2 innings and gave up a 4.38 ERA with 71 strikeouts and 33 walks. He’ll figure to be a part of Tampa’s bullpen right away. Meanwhile, Gray is an interesting Low-A prospect who played mostly second base for the Pirates. He was drafted in the 13th round of the 2017 MLB Draft and was ranked by Baseball America as the #19 prospect in the New York-Penn League. He slashed .269/.329/.486, while hitting seven home runs and stealing five bases in just 235 plate appearances. More than likely, Gray figures to go to Low-A Hudson Valley to start the season.
Overall, this looks like a good deal for the Pirates. With a glut of low-end talent fighting for the left field spot in Pittsburgh, there wasn’t any one standout who seemed to be running away with the position. Dickerson gives them an established, above-average bat that can cover left field for them almost every day. Dickerson is set to earn just $5.95 million this year and will have his third year of arbitration next year, before becoming a free agent in 2020.
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