Esmerlyn Valdez's first career homer had hilarious Pirates moment with fan negotiation

Watch out, Scott Boras. Baseball’s staunchest negotiator is… a kid in the stands in Toronto?

Esmerlyn Valdez’s first MLB home run (also his first hit) led to a hard bargain, but eventually both Valdez and the kid went home happy.

Valdez sliced the line-drive homer into the right-field stands of the Rogers Centre in the sixth inning against the Blue Jays exactly on week ago. The ball ended up in the hands of Adam, a youngster who immediately got on the phone with his dad to establish his plan.

Pirates reliever Justin Lawrence, who has since been designated for assignment to clear a roster space for Jared Jones, handled Pittsburgh’s side of the negotiations. After some back and forth, Lawrence signaled to the dugout to bring a signed bat and a hat to the kid, who relinquished the ball.

Esmerlyn Valdez’s first home run made a memorable day for a young fan

Surprisingly, Adam doesn’t appear to be a Pirates fan. He referred to his prize as a “Pelicans hat,” but the goodwill may be enough to sway him to the Bucs’ side. In fact, the Pirates’ sense of fun and energy has created more than a few new fans this season. What started as an absurd meme transformed into a host of bizarre traditions that created a strong clubhouse culture.

Then, Jake Mangum connected the player culture to the fans when he went viral for a sweet moment when he tossed a ball to a boy in the stands who promptly gave it to his grateful sister, who was wearing a Mangum jersey. The Pirates outfielder noted it was probably the first time he had seen his name on a Pittsburgh fan’s jersey. This time it was Valdez, in just his third big-league game, who took up the mantle of generosity.

Valdez and Co. brought the party back to Pittsburgh where they stomped the Cubs in the first two games of a four-game set. The young slugger collected his second big league hit — another homer — but unfortunately for hometown fans, no trade seems to be forthcoming.

Valdez was optioned back to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday to make room for utility man Tyler Callihan, but Pittsburgh almost certainly hasn't seen the last of him this season. In a way, the Valdez negotiation epitomizes what has defined the Pirates’ season: surprising (and welcome) contributions from prospects, a sense of whimsy and leadership from the bullpen vets, a touch of fun, and, of course, winning.

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