Former Pirates trade bust lands another surprising major league opportunity

The 2026 MLB season has mercifully brought better times to Pittsburgh, particularly when it comes to the PIrates' offense. But for most of the past decade, the organization basically threw everything it could at the wall (besides money) in an attempt to find long-term contributors in the batter's box.

One of the more promising players that kitchen-sink approach brought to town was Bryan De La Cruz, a right-handed-hitting outfielder acquired at the 2024 trade deadline in exchange for pitcher Jun-Seok Shim and Garret Forrester. At the time, he was a 27-year-old slugger who had hit 18 home runs in 105 games with the Miami Marlins, making him a perfect fit in the middle of the Buccos' lineup.

We all know what happened next. De La Cruz hit just .200/.220/.294 while striking out at a 31% clip, providing negative value to the Pirates on both offense and defense. His tenure was so disappointing that the team non-tendered him after just half of a season, despite the fact that he still had three years of arbitration remaining.

Since then, he's spent the majority of his time in Triple-A with various organizations, plus a brief, strikeout-laden stint in Atlanta with the Braves. Now, it appears like he'll get another crack at playing in the big leagues, as the Phillies have signed De La Cruz to a major-league contract for the remainder of the 2026 season.

Bryan De La Cruz's return to a 40-man roster is a reminder of just how far Pirates have come in the outfield

De La Cruz has actually been with the Phillies all year long, playing exclusively for their Triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley. He put up pedestrian numbers at that level (.254/.345/.426, 102 wRC+) before triggering an opt-out clause in his contract.

In truth, Philly is bringing him back to the default out of necessity rather than merit. They lost Adolis García for the year in June and have been one of the worst teams in the league at hitting left-handed pitching this season. The outfielder — who is being optioned back to Triple-A despite now being on the 40-man roster — does have a career .267 average against southpaws, though he's actually been mostly split neutral in the majors.

Perhaps De La Cruz finds his footing in Philadelphia if he gets called up. But nothing he does, good or bad, will wash away the sour taste he left in the mouth of Pirates fans. By WAR, De La Cruz was literally the worst player that swapped teams at that 2024 deadline. He's one of the worst acquisitions of the Ben Cherington era, full stop.

If you'd like a silver lining, at least it seems like the Pirates learned their lesson. Their outfielders rank fifth in baseball this year with 6.1 fWAR, which is a huge improvement over the 2024 club (-0.4 outfielder fWAR, which ranked 28th).

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