Pirates answer fans' trade deadline wishes with 2 impact additions

Ben Cherington got fans a bit nervous when the Pittsburgh Pirates were quiet the last few days on the trade front outside of a couple of low-impact moves. But he came through at the 11th hour for a team surging in the playoff picture.

For starters, the Pirates are acquiring outfielder Bryan De La Cruz from the Miami Marlins, per a report from Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The Marlins will reportedly receive utility man Garrett Forrester and right-handed pitcher Jun-Seok Shim from the Pirates in the deal.

Additionally, the Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays are in the final stages of a deal that will send utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa to Pittsburgh, according to MLB insider Jeff Passan. Toronto will receive outfield prospect Charles McAdoo in the deal, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported last week that the outfield-hungry Pirates had expressed interest in De La Cruz, but Kiner-Falefa was more of a surprise. The 29-year-old hasn’t played a major league game since June 30 due to a left knee sprain, but he is two games into a minor league rehab assignment and is expected to be activated within the next few days. It also helps that he's in the midst of a career year, slashing .292/.338/.420 through 82 games with the Blue Jays.

De La Cruz and Kiner-Falefa will join a Pirates club in the midst of a playoff race and two games back of a National League wild card slot. De La Cruz has slashed .245/.289/.417 through 453 plate appearances with Miami and figures to slot into an everyday outfield role with the Pirates. Once healthy, Kiner-Falefa will be able to slot in at second base with Nick Gonzales facing a lengthy stint on the IL.

Pirates acquire more pitching depth from Padres in exchange for Martin Pérez

The Pirates also dealt from the back of their starting rotation in the final minutes before the deadline, trading left-hander Martin Pérez to the San Diego Padres. According to a report from Francys Romero, the Pirates will receive left-handed pitching prospect Ronaldys Jimenez in return.

Pérez, who is set to become a free agent after this season, compiled a 2-5 record and a 5.20 ERA in 16 starts with Pittsburgh. His presence on the Pirates' starting rotation had become somewhat redundant alongside fellow soft-tossing southpaws Marco Gonzales and Bailey Falter, but Pittsburgh will now need to designate a new starter for Wednesday's game against the Houston Astros.

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