North Shore Nine

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a total of 7 trades leading up to and through the 2024 MLB trade deadline. Most of the deals, as expected, were for players with little to no prior linkage to the Pirates. Of the seven trades three were made to help the 2024 club, two for the 2025 club, one for depth and one to dump a contract. Each trade appears to be made with foresight and purpose, something not all fans might recognize. Each major league player added have multiple years of control left. Also, the two prospects they added are AAA bound and knocking on the door of the Majors, either could be seen this fall though more than likely next season. Even in their dump of Martin Perez they got back an interesting young prospect from the DSL. Each trade will be evaluated and graded both on immediate impact as well as future impact starting with the first trade announced and ending with the last.

Pittsburgh Pirates acquire 2B/OF Nick Yorke from the Boston Red Sox for Quinn Priester.
Current Grade: B-
Future Grade: B+
Priester was just not getting the job done, plain and simple. He would show glimpses of what he could do here and there but was mostly frustrating. Now, he is only 23 years old. It wasn’t that long ago the Pirates had another young pitcher who didn’t appear to be putting it together, Mitch Keller. Now that isn’t to say Priester will have the same rise that Keller had, though it isn’t to say he couldn’t either. However, with his struggles and the emergence of Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Bailey Falter he was expendable.
In return the Pirates got a player recently selected in the 1st round of the draft. Nick Yorke was taken 17th overall I’m the 2020 draft. He has diminished a little as a prospect over the last few year but still was ranked high by Pipeline and currently slots 5th in the Pirates system there. It has been written he has the potential to be a 20-20 guy in the majors based on his power and speed. He has also been described as fringy or average if not clandestine. However, he is having a very good year in AAA after being promoted there. This could be due to dumb luck, or because something has clicked and he has been able to tap into that previously noted potential. Regardless, he is a good looking young player who could potentially see time this year at the big league club. Worse comes to worse he is able next season to maybe play for a spot on the Pirates squad coming out of spring training. The one thing is that he will need to be added to the 40 man this year or you could see him taken via the Rule 5 draft.
Again this was a smart move for the Pirates dealing from a position of strength to being in a long term option for multiple positions. If the hitting can continue with Yorke he could end up playing for the Pirates sooner rather than later.

Pittsburgh Pirates acquire RP Jalen Beeks from the Colorado Rockies for Luis Peralta.
Current Grade: C
Future Grade: D+
Luis Peralta is a 22 year old Relief pitcher that was in AA Altoona. Peralta was 4-0 with 5 saves and a 0.91 ERA so far this season. Tears should not be shed over a 22 year old RP in AA, but based on the his stats and age he might have been worth keeping.
Beeks on the other hand is a lefty reliever who fills the need for a 2nd lefty in the bullpen. In 45 games for the Rockies this year Beeks is 6-4 with a 4.74 ERA, he has struck out 38 and walked 18. The issues, small as it is, is that Beeks will be a FA at years end.
On the surface this deal is fine, the issue many have is that the Pirates just got rid of Josh Fleming who was similar enough. However in the end Beeks is/should be a better pitcher than Fleming was. Again, an untangled reliever from AA is more than fair for a RP rental, regardless of how they were pitching.

Pittsburgh Pirates acquire RP Josh Walker from the New York Mets for Nicolas Carreno.
Current Grade: D+
Future Grade: C-
Carreno was a starting pitcher in the DSL. In 8 starts in the DSL this year Carreno was 0-1 with a 3.74 ERA over 8 starts, he struck out 36 and walked 17 over 21.2 innings. He was a 18 year old player who was not on any prospect list nor any radar. There are plenty of prospects like this in every system so it really isn’t any loss.
Josh Walker was a recent DFA by the Mets who has not had a good run in the Majors this year. In AAA he was 2-2 with a 2.83 ERA with 39 SO and 21 BB. He won’t be a Free agent until 2030, but he is more organizational depth than anything else.
On the surface this is an easy add of lefty depth for the AAA bullpen. While he has pitched well in AAA his MLB data has been terrible. While nothing of note was given away was the juice worth the squeeze? Possibly, again nothing of note was lost. But, the chance of a 18 year old improving is higher than a 29 year old improving.

Pittsburgh Pirates acquire OF Bryan De La Cruz from the Miami Marlins for SP Jun-Seok Shim and INF Garret Forrester.
Current Grade: A-
Future Grade: B+
The Pirates traded their 17th and 18th best prospects, according to Pipeline for the Outfielder they have been looking for. Shim was a huge signing out of South Korea last year. He came over and made 4 starts in the FCL looking good in those starts. He was then shut down with an injury and hasn’t pitched since. Not a lot of news as to what the injury was or why he hasn’t thrown this year. He drew some Gerrit Cole comps when he signed and has a great build. However, the injuries and lack of playing has made many fans forget about him and the hype that came with him when he signed. Forrester is a 22 year old infielder who has spent some time at catcher this year. He was taken in the 3rd round in 2023 and has made it as far as low A Bradenton in his professional career. He has been hitting well but nothing exciting and has shown little to no power so far. While both players have shown promise at one time or another, neither has been able to show it in the Pirates system.
Bryan De La Cruz is the piece the Pirates got back in the trade. In 2024 he is hitting .245/.289/.417 with a .707 OPS 18 home runs and 19 doubles. This would make him on of the better hitters on the Pirates roster. He is not the best defender in the outfield owning a negative runs saves statistics, however his RF data is the best. Regardless, his bat and team control are the big pluses here and he should gel well with the Pirate core.
The Pirates did very well with this trade. They get a power hitting outfielder with years of control and they lose two easily replaceable prospects. Even if you don’t think add La Cruz is an upgrade, you’re wrong, he is a good young player. If Pirates fans had gotten this level of production out of Jack Suwinski they would be over the moon. The other factor is there are people, Harold Raines, who think he hasn’t tapped into his full potential yet. If that is true and he can get better Pirates could look back at this deal as the one that turned things around.

Pittsburgh Pirates acquire INF/OF Isaiah Kiner-Falefa and 2.2 million dollars from the Toronto Blue Jays for 3B Charles McAdoo.
Current Grade: A
Future Grade: A
The Pirates did something potentially smart, selling high on a surprise rising prospect. McAdoo has been a brilliant story this year, coming out of nowhere to become a nearly household name in the Pirate fanbase. He tore up high A pitching and was quickly pushed to to AA Altoona where he continued to rake. It is very possible he continues to rise and ends up being a good Major League player. He did after all have a good start last year when he joined the Pirates. However the player that was the return for McAdoo is an exciting piece.
Kiner-Falefa is a Gold Glove winning defender who can play every position in the field and behind the plate. He is currently in year one of a two year $15 million dollar contract. The money that came with him turns his salary next year to roughly 5 million. So far this season he is hitting .292/.338/.420 with a .758 OPS he has also struck 8 doubles and 7 home runs in 281 plate appearances. He fills a multitude of needs for the Pirates with his versatility and his hitting. He is a great fit for the Pirates and he gave maybe the best response as an incoming player.

This was a great trade for the Pirates, dealing a fast rising prospect for a piece that helps the squad this year and next year. Also, it’s possible if the team does well and Kiner-Falefa does well that maybe he decides to stay with the team even a bit longer. It’s sad to watch McAdoo leave, but the way this helps the team eases that sting down to nearly nothing.

Pittsburgh Pirates acquire SP Ronaldys Niminez from the San Diego Padres for SP Martin Perez and 1.13 million dollars.
Current Grade: B-
Future Grade: B
The Pirates were able to move Perez right before the deadline dumping him to the Padres. Perez had joined the Pirates this past offseason in Free Agency from Texas. On the year Perez was 2-5 with a 5.20 ERA in 16 starts, he had struck out 63 and walked 32. With the way that the rest of the pitching has played he became unnecessary for the Pirates to keep. His role in San Diego could be dependent on the injuries that have struck their pitching staff this year.
In return the Pirates get a young pitcher Ronaldys Jimenez a 18 year old pitcher from the DSL league. He made 3 starts there this year pitching 6 innings giving up 1 earned run striking out 8 and walking 2. Reports came out after the fact that the Pirates scouts were very high on Jiminez. True or not only time may tell.
The Pirates did well to get a young prospect with upside for an aging SP having a down year who wouldn’t be back next season. While it wasn’t the return that Toronto got for their aging FA to be SP it was still better than what happened with Francisco Liriano. So all in all it’s a win.

Pittsburgh Pirates acquire OF/2B Billy Cook from the Baltimore Orioles for SP Patrick Reilly.
Current Grade: B-
Future Grade: B
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. There were a lot of fans and local pundits alike who were high on Reilly. So losing him caused some feelings in certain corners of the fandom.
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. His ability to play multiple positions is a big bonus and his bat appears to be legit.
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. Also depending on the health of Joshua Palacios and Ji-Hwan Bae he might end up in Pittsburgh sooner rather than later. This deal could end up working well adding another near ready bat for a SP very much buried in the depth chart.

After the dust settles then pirates had an active trade deadline. They added two great pieces to their Major League squad and two nearly ready good prospects to their system. They did a good bit adding to the current roster and the very near future roster. They also dumped some salary and added a pair of RP that could be of use now and in the future. Overall Pirates should be given a A- for this years grade and a A for the future. Many are not as high in these trades but considering they made good adds without losing a Top 15 prospect from a deep system, even adding a pair that slot in the Top 18. All in all a job well done by Ben Cherington!