Pirates Trade Deadline Recap

A very busy MLB Trade Deadline is complete after many trades over the last few days. The Pirates made a total of four trades this deadline which included trading their veterans on expiring contracts and a surprising young middle infielder. As expected, the Pirates were sellers once again and acquired multiple young players and prospects. Days before the trade deadline the Pirates sent Carlos Santana to the Brewers for young prospect Jhonny Severino. Who did the Pirates trade and acquire at the trade deadline?

Rich Hill and Ji Man Choi to Padres

The Pirates started their busy Tuesday by sending LHP Rich Hill and 1B/DH Ji Man Choi to the San Diego Padres for LHP Jackson Wolf, 1B Alfonso Rivas, and OF Estuar Suero. 

Hill and Choi were both on expiring contracts after acquiring them last offseason. Hill is the oldest player in the MLB at 43 years old and Choi is 32 years old. Choi missed a lot of the 2023 with an injury, but when he returned, he brought a lot of power to the struggling offense. Hill ate up a lot of innings this season as he threw 119 innings in 22 games. He was not great this season as he allowed a lot of baserunners, but he managed to get wins and limit runs. It was great to trade both of these guys because they are both going to be free agents after the season ends.

Jackson Wolf was the headline return for the Pirates. Wolf was the number 16 rated prospect in the Padres organization. He recently made his major league debut with the Padres against the Tigers and picked up his first major league win in five innings of work. He has spent the majority of 2023 in AA. So far in AA this season, Wolf has a 4.09 earned run average in 88.1 innings with 105 strikeouts. Wolf has four pitches. His fastball ranges from 88-92 miles per hour and is a sinker, his curveball and slider are both graded a 55 according to MLB Pipeline, and his changeup is effective, but not consistent. Wolf should make his Pirates debut this season, but he will join our AA affiliate in Altoona soon.

Alfonso Rivas is a 26 year old first baseman. Rivas is a very good defensive first baseman with a solid bat. He has had a very good season in AAA this season with a .332 batting average with 9 home runs and 40 runs batted in. Throughout his career, he has had a great eye and draws a lot of walks. Ben Cherington said that Rivas will join the team when we travel to Miluwakee so that should be when he makes his Pirate debut.

Estuar Suero is a 17 year old outfielder. Getting Suero is the definition of a lottery pick. He has not played much professionally, but he has a lot of upside with his bat. Through two seasons of playing he already has 7 home runs and 44 runs batted in. Not a lot of stats to look at for Suero, but nonetheless he is a new young guy in the organization.

Austin Hedges to the Rangers

The Pirates traded catcher Austin Hedges to the Texas Rangers for international signing bonus pool.

After a very horrible offensive season, Austin Hedges is finally traded away from the Pirates. During his time in Pittsburgh, Hedges struggled offensively, but was a very good defender behind the plate. Hedges batted .180 with 14 runs batted in and a 28 wRC+. The league average wRC+ is 100 so that means Hedges was 72% below league average in that statistic. The Pirates got bonus money in the 2023-2024 international signing period. 

Rodolfo Castro to the Phillies

The Pirates traded infielder Rodolfo Castro to the Philadelphia Phillies for left handed pitcher Bailey Falter.

Rodolfo Castro is a 24 year old infielder that was in a very crowded infield with the Pirates. Castro struggled a lot at the plate and on defense. He led the team in errors and consistently had a high strikeout percentage. He had 22 home runs and 57 runs batted in, in his three seasons with the Pirates. It was hard to find a spot in the future for Castro with how many middle infielders there are in the Pirates organization. In my opinion, it was just a matter of time until he got traded and we were fortunate to get a decent starting pitcher with major league experience. 

Bailey Falter is the return in the Castro trade and he is a left handed pitcher. Falter struggled in 2023 with the Phillies, but was very good in 2022. Falter features a low 90s sinker, curveball, slider, and changeup. The lefty does not walk a lot of batters and does not strike out a lot of batters. A pitch to contact type of pitcher and Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin has a solid resume with pitchers like that. In 2023, Falter is 0-7 with a 5.13 ERA in 40.1 innings pitched. That does not look great, but in 2022, he went 6-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 84 innings pitched. There is definitely potential in the 26 year old left handed pitcher.

In conclusion, I think the Pirates had a very solid trade deadline. They removed veterans on expiring contracts and added young players that have an opportunity to join the roster. Bailey Falter and Alfonso Rivas will be added to the roster soon and Jackson Wolf, Estaur Suero, and Jhonny Severino will all be in the minor leagues. I think the Pirates got significantly better by getting rid of Rich Hill and Austin Hedges, but will lack first base depth after losing Carlos Santana and Ji Man Choi.