{"id":90863,"date":"2024-12-01T18:16:12","date_gmt":"2024-12-01T23:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=90863"},"modified":"2024-12-01T18:16:12","modified_gmt":"2024-12-01T23:16:12","slug":"de-la-cruz-hits-open-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/12\/01\/de-la-cruz-hits-open-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Power Hitter Hits Market After Failing During 2024 Wild Card Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After being non-tendered by the Pittsburgh Pirates, outfielder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/delacbr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bryan De La Cruz<\/a> finds himself on the free agent market. The right-handed batter is an intriguing power hitter who may have hurt his marketability after largely failing once the Pirates picked him up to help boost their chances in the 2024 National League Wild Card race.<\/p>\n<h2>Bryan De La Cruz Free Agent Profile<\/h2>\n<h3>Highlights and Statistics<\/h3>\n<p>De La Cruz, who turns 28 in December, was signed by the Houston Astros as an amateur free agent in 2013. Oddly, he never showed himself to be much of a power-hitting prospect in the minor leagues, hitting just 32 home runs in parts of eight seasons. However, in 2021, he\u2019d hit 12 homers at Triple-A Sugar Land by the trade deadline. That was good timing for De La Cruz. The Astros then shipped him off to the Miami Marlins for pitcher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/garciyi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Yimi Garcia<\/a>. De La Cruz finally began to develop as a power hitter. For his career, in parts of four major league seasons, he\u2019s hit .253\/.297\/.407, 58 HR, 208 RBI, and 90 OPS+.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Bryan De La Cruz knew this one was gone \ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/CktVegxSmh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/CktVegxSmh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Pirates\/status\/1836194354282758611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 18, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In 2023, De La Cruz reached a then-career-high of 19 home runs. By the 2024 trade deadline, he had 18 home runs, ahead of the previous year\u2019s pace. Thus, when the Pirates <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/30\/pirates-trade-de-la-cruz\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">acquired<\/a> him to help them in the Wild Card race, it seemed like a reasonable gamble, especially with a sputtering offense and having <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/26\/pirates-scouting-bryan-de-la-cruz\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">failed<\/a> to land <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/chishja01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jazz Chisholm Jr.<\/a> in a bigger trade. Alas, while Chisholm thrived on the big stage as a New York Yankee, De La Cruz was nearly invisible. With Pittsburgh, De La Cruz hit .200\/.220\/.294, 3 HR, 17 RBI, and a pitiable 42 OPS+ in two months. Overall, he hit .233\/.271\/.384, 21 HR, 68 RBI, and 77 OPS+ in 2024.<\/p>\n<h3>Non-Tendered by Pirates, De La Cruz Becomes Free Agent<\/h3>\n<p>Now arbitration-eligible and <a href=\"https:\/\/triblive.com\/sports\/bryan-de-la-cruz-projected-for-biggest-raise-among-pirates-9-arbitration-eligible-players\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">due a raise<\/a> that probably won\u2019t be commensurate with performance, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/11\/22\/pirates-non-tender-outfielders-pitcher\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">the Pirates let De La Cruz go<\/a>. Had the Marlins been unable to trade him, they probably wouldn\u2019t have tendered him a contract either. Simply put, the Marlins analytics department didn\u2019t hold De La Cruz in high regard.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, there\u2019s plenty to send off alarms for any potential suitor. For his career, he\u2019s struck out in 25 percent of his plate appearances and walked in just 5.8 percent. De La Cruz is not a fast runner and is a poor defender. In the outfield, he\u2019s been \u201cworth\u201d -24 Fielding Runs Above Average and -14 Defensive Runs Saved. It appears that 21 home runs may be his ceiling, and it comes with plenty of swing-and-miss and bad defense.<\/p>\n<h3>Possible Landing Spots<\/h3>\n<h4>Kansas City Royals<\/h4>\n<p>Excluding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/phamth01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tommy Pham<\/a>, who isn\u2019t likely to be back, five players who saw significant time in the outfield for Kansas City last year \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=blancda02,blanco001dai&amp;search=Dairon+Blanco&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dairon Blanco<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hampsga01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Garrett Hampson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/i\/isbelky01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Isbel<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/melenmj01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MJ Melendez<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/renfrhu01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hunter Renfroe<\/a> \u2013 combined to hit .205\/.286\/.375, 44 HR, and 167 RBI. They recently <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/11\/22\/royals-acquire-leadoff-man\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">acquired<\/a> second baseman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/i\/indiajo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonathan India<\/a> and outfielder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wiemejo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joey Wiemer<\/a> from the Cincinnati Reds. India will help their offense, but he\u2019s not an outfielder, and Wiemer is a .201\/.259\/.349 hitter in the majors.<\/p>\n<p>So why would the Royals have any interest in another outfielder struggling to hit better than .200? For one, De La Cruz\u2019s 21 home runs would have led their outfielders last year. Also, with Renfroe having exercised his $7.5 million player option, the Royals may not have room in their budget for a high-priced free-agent outfielder. They just might decide to take a flyer on De La Cruz.<\/p>\n<h4>Minnesota Twins<\/h4>\n<p>With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/keplema01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Max Kepler<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/margoma01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Manuel Margot<\/a> set to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/11\/05\/twins-outfielder-max-kepler-free-agency\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">test the free-agent market<\/a>, the Twins have vacancies in the outfield. They\u2019ve been able to fill holes from their system in the past. However, this time they may need to go outside the organization for help. Rightly or wrongly, general manager Thad Levine and manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/managers\/baldero01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rocco Baldelli<\/a> have had an affinity for accumulating hitters with double digits in home runs, batting average be damned. De La Cruz fits that free agent profile.<\/p>\n<h4>Washington Nationals<\/h4>\n<p>The Nats are a dark horse Wild Card contender for 2025, but more realistically are a year or two away from being a team to be reckoned with. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/crewsdy01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dylan Crews<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/woodja03.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-12-01_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Wood<\/a> give them two-thirds of a young outfield that should be the envy of most teams. It wouldn\u2019t hurt to have a veteran outfielder to bring them along, especially one who adds power to the lineup. De La Cruz could be an inexpensive, short-term solution there. Washington could also flip him for prospects at the trade deadline.<\/p>\n<h3>Market Value and Projections<\/h3>\n<p>De La Cruz was expected to get around $4 million in arbitration, which surely was a factor in the Pirates moving on. His statistical trends suggest that his negatives are getting worse rather than improving. The team that gets him will hope that a change of scenery will help him. Then again, Pittsburgh was a change of scenery. Thus, what you see is what you get from De La Cruz. We\u2019ll see whether that\u2019s enough for his next team.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Photo Credit: \u00a9 Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After being non-tendered by the Pittsburgh Pirates, outfielder Bryan De La Cruz finds himself on the free agent market. The right-handed batter is an intriguing power hitter who may have hurt his marketability after largely failing once the Pirates picked him up to help boost their chances in the 2024 National League Wild Card race. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5010,"featured_media":90899,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1071,26],"tags":[5150,6349,1025,5149,2005,1026,511,2528,1087,3494],"class_list":["post-90863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","category-pirates","tag-bryan-de-la-cruz","tag-dylan-crews","tag-hunter-renfroe","tag-jazz-chisholm-jr","tag-jonathan-india","tag-manuel-margot","tag-max-kepler","tag-rocco-baldelli","tag-tommy-pham","tag-yimi-garcia"],"modified_by":"Lewis Masella, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5010"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}