North Shore Nine

In a trade the screams we had talks on other deals, Ben Cherington adds prospect Billy Cook from the Baltimore Orioles for Pirates prospect Patrick Reilly. Cook was ranked as the O’s 29th best prospect by Pipeline, he was not in the Top 45 at FanGraphs. He has spent 70 games in AAA this year, he is currently hitting .279/.372/.485 with a .857 OPS while hitting 15 doubles 11 homeruns and stealing 12 bases. Scouts still state he could end up a 20-20 guy in the Majors, but who knows. Depending on the health of Joshua Palacios and Ji-Hwan Bae he might end up in Pittsburgh sooner rather than later.

In return the Pirates sent SP Patrick Reilly a 22 year old (Soon to be 23) who has pitched in high A Greensboro this year. He has pitched well, owning a 5-4 record with a 3.38 ERA he threw 88 innings over 19 starts striking out 108 walking 41 and giving up 14 home runs. He has been a very fun prospect to watch this year, but at 23 heading into next season he is a bit behind on development and very much blocked by the players above him.

This will be one of the more divisive trades this deadline for the Pirates. However giving up some pitching for some hitting considering the depth in the Pirate system, this could work well. If Cook turns into a 20-20 guy or even a 15-15 guy even as a super utility player then you will be happy enough.