The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired power-hitting outfielder Bryan De La Cruz in a trade with the Miami Marlins. Jon Heyman of MLB.com was first with the story of this long-rumored deal.
Bryan De La Cruz goes to Pirates
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 30, 2024
Pirates Trade For Marlins Power Hitter De La Cruz
Entering Tuesday’s action, De La Cruz is hitting .245/.289/.417, 18 HR, 51 RBI, and 93 OPS+. As far as right-handed-hitting outfielders are concerned, these are numbers similar to Connor Joe’s, except with more power. The 27-year-old De La Cruz is sure to surpass his career-high 19 homers this season. On MLB Network, analyst Harold Reynolds stated his belief that De La Cruz has a higher ceiling. The Pirates’ right-handed hitting outfielders have the second-worst slugging percentage in the majors, so the move is more significant than it might appear on the surface.
De La Cruz grades as a poor outfielder. The Pirates should be able to hide him in PNC Park’s short right field. Another possibility is to use De La Cruz as a designated hitter and use Andrew McCutchen in the outfield. De La Cruz is controllable through 2027, another factor that likely made him attractive to the Pirates.
After reportedly being in on Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Yandy Díaz, De La Cruz may have been a backup plan. The Pirates’ switchboard likely isn’t lighting up with World Series ticket orders with this deal. Even so, adding one home-run hitter is better than adding none. De La Cruz may only move the needle a little bit, but in a tight Wild Card race, a little bit can be important.
The rebuilding Marlins will be getting right-handed pitcher Jun-Seok Shim (the Pirates’ No. 17 prospect) and corner infielder/catcher Garret Forrester (No. 18). Shim is currently in the Rookie league, while Forrester is in Single-A. Their projected arrival in the big time is 2026, which is in line with the type of prospect Miami was interested in.
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