Grading the Pittsburgh Pirates' performance at the MLB trade deadline

What the Pirates traded at the deadline

Quinn Priester was one of the notable names from the major league roster the Pirates dealt away. The 23-year-old was the Pirates' first-round pick in 2019 and has nearly 100 innings in the bigs under his belt. He has pitched 44.2 innings this season, but has a poor 5.04 ERA, 4.81 FIP, and 1.46 WHIP. He'd only struck out 15.4% of opponents with a 1.41 HR/9 prior to getting traded. On the plus side, he walked just 6.5% of opponents, has a 4.5% barrel rate, and has put up much more promising numbers under the hood, including a 4.08 xFIP and 4.15 SIERA. The Pirates traded Priester for Yorke.

Arguably the best prospect the Pirates dealt was RHP Jun Seok Shim. Shim was the Pirates' top international signee in the 2022-2023 offseason. Coming out of South Korea, Shim was sitting mid-90s and touching triple-digits during showcase events. He also displayed an above-average slider and promising curveball. But Shim's career has mostly been held back by injuries. Shim pitched just eight innings in the Florida Complex League last year and has been on the shelf for this entire campaign, but he's still only 20 years old. Shim was sent to the Marlins in a package deal for De La Cruz.

The second piece of the puzzle that is also going to Miami is Garret Forrester. The Pirates took Forrester in the third round of the 2023 draft. Coming out of Oregon State, Forrester was primarily a 1B/3B, but the Pirates were attempting to make him a catcher in their system. He possesses a strong arm, and has caught 23% of would-be base stealers. The learning curve was present, as he also allowed two passed balls in just 113 innings with the Pirates in the minors. Forrester had solid hitting numbers between Bradenton and the FCL. He combined to bat .250/.399/.344 with a .372 wOBA and 125 wRC+. Forrester struck out in 25.8% of his plate appearances but also drew a walk 14.7% of the time.

The best position player prospect they dealt was Charles McAdoo, who was sent to the Blue Jays for IKF. A 13th-round pick. McAdoo was doing great work in the Pirates' system, batting .315/.394/.538 between Greensboro and Altoona. He only struck out 22.6% of the time with a respectable 10.6% walk rate. McAdoo had an isolated slugging of .223 with 14 homers in just 376 plate appearances. Overall, McAdoo had a .415 wOBA and 158 wRC+. McAdoo has mostly lined up at the hot corner but has played both outfield corners, first base, and second base this season. The only position he never played throughout his college career was catcher.

Left-handed relief prospect Luis Peralta found himself heading to Colorado for Beeks. The southpaw finally figured something out after struggling in the minor leagues for years. Prior to getting traded, Peralta had an 0.91 ERA, 2.17 FIP, and 0.98 WHIP through 39.2 innings between High-A and Double-A. Peralta had struck out over 40% of opponents with a 41% K%, and allowed just a single home run all year. Peralta isn't known to be a huge control pitcher and has an 11.5% BB% this season. He throws mid-90s with good movement with his four-seamer. His slider also has the potential to be an above-average pitch. 

Peralta's former Greensboro teammate Patrick Reilly was also dealt. He will head to Baltimore in exchange for Cook. Another 2023 draft pick, the Bucs took Reilly out of Vanderbilt in the fifth round. Reilly posted some solid numbers at High-A with a 3.53 ERA, 4.65 FIP, and 1.16 WHIP in 88 innings of work. The right-hander struck out 30.2% of opponents with an 11.5% walk rate and 1.43 HR/9. Reilly throws mid-90s with a slider, cutter, and changeup. However, there have been some questions as to whether or not he can start in the long run. He struggles with command, and his fastball is his only offering that projects as plus. That said, he hasn't had any trouble starting games as a pro so far.

The Pirates traded one of their major league veterans off the roster, too, in Martín Pérez, who will go to San Diego. The Pirates signed Pérez to a one-year contract this offseason to help solidify the back of their starting rotation. In his 13th MLB season, Perez put up a 5.20 ERA, 4.94 FIP, and 1.65 WHIP. Although Perez certainly had his moments, he also struggled multiple times for the Bucs.

The pitcher they traded for Josh Walker was lefty Nicolas Carreno. The Pirates signed Carreno in 2022-2023 as one of their international signees. Carreno has pitched 33.2 innings in the Dominican Summer League, allowing more walks than IP (38 free passes), along with 23 earned runs. He has also struck out 53.

Final overview of the Pirates' trade deadline

The Pirates easily got better at the deadline. IKF and Bryan De La Cruz add two bats this lineup needs. They could call upon Nick Yorke later this year, and they've also added some decent LHRP depth. Billy Cook adds an outfield/first base prospect to the upper levels of the minor leagues as well, two positions the Pirates desperately need depth at for the long haul. Jimenez is an intriguing young arm as well.

But the best part of this deadline has been the Pirates' ability to improve the team without having to surrender any of their best prospects. They were able to hold onto all of Bubba Chandler, Termarr Johnson, Thomas Harrington, Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco, Mike Burrows, Jack Brannigan, and every one of their younger recent high school draft picks/international signees.

The one criticism, however (just to play Devil's advocate...), is that because they didn't deal any of their best prospects, the Pirates also didn't add a huge impact bat or arm in return. De La Cruz, IKF, Cook, and Yorke all have the potential to be solid hitters. Beeks might be a decent second lefty in the bullpen. But nobody stands out significantly -- at least, not right now.

But overall, it's tough to see how anyone can call this a bad deadline. The Pirates went out and improved their team, giving themselves some power and a contact hitter, along with bullpen depth. They also imported some prospects who could help out in the very near future.

Final grade: B