Notes on new Pirates OF Edward Olivares

Last week, the Pirates showed some activity in the trade market by boosting their lineup for next season. The Pirates have acquired outfielder Edward Olivares from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor-league outfielder Deivis Nadal.

Olivares, 27, is a primary corner outfielder who has hit the ball very well in the recent two years with the Royals. 2023 was a solid year for him as he had a batting average of .263 with 12 home runs and 36 runs batted in. He also had a .4 WAR, .769 OPS, and 105 wRC+. Those are some substantial numbers at the plate, but on defense, he struggled very much with -11 defensive runs saved and -7 outs above average. Those numbers range from every outfield position.

Olivares will find himself a spot on the field in right field. Henry Davis is now the starting catcher with Endy Rodriguez out for the season. Rodriguez recently received surgery to repair a torn tendon in his elbow, with Davis out of right field, that opened a spot for Olivares. The outfield room has a lot of options at the moment, but the starting three look to be locks. Left field will obviously be Bryan Reynolds, center field will be Jack Suwinski, and right field will be Edward Olivares with Josh Palacios behind him as outfielder number four. 

Deivis Nadal is the minor league player we sent back to Kansas City in exchange for Olivares. The 21-year-old outfielder played for our low A affiliate in Bradenton for the entire 2023 season. He batted .212 with 5 home runs and 39 runs batted in. He also had a 101 wRC+ and a huge 33.3% strikeout rate. Not a big-time prospect in the organization, but was able to get the deal done.

Overall, this is a really good deal for the Pirates. Similarly, to Marco Gonzales, they bought low on a player that has the talent to do well with the team and help them compete. They got Edward Olivares for close to nothing which helps them complete the offense for next season. 

Great work Ben Cherington and welcome to Pittsburgh, Edward!