Morning Rundown: Pirates non-tender three, trade for reliever
The non-tender deadline has passed, with the Pirates tendering contracts with all but three players—Bryan De La Cruz, Hunter Stratton, and Connor Joe.
De La Cruz and Joe weren’t overly big surprises, but Stratton was to an extent. He was non-tendered last year, brought back on a minor-league contract, and made the team out of camp.
He ruptured his patella towards the end of the season and had surgery, with a timeline of up to 10 months, so this frees up a 40-man roster spot from a player that wasn’t going to be available any time soon.
De La Cruz’s tenure with the Pirates was short and underwhelming. In just 44 games after getting traded from the Marlins, De La Cruz hit .200/.220/.294 with just three home runs, putting up a -1.1 fWAR in 168 plate appearances.
There were times during his tenure with the Pirates that Joe was one of the better hitters on the roster. He was just better suited for a platoon role, and it was far too often he was forced into more than that.
Things gave in last year, as he hit .228/.320/.368 with nine home runs in 123 games played.
The Pirates also made a trade on Friday, acquiring right-handed pitcher Peter Strzelecki for cash considerations.
Strzelecki, 30, has a career 5-6 record with a 3.44 ERA in 83.2 innings pitched. He posted a 2.31 ERA in 11.2 innings this past season with Cleveland.
According to Statcast, he threw five different pitches: four-seam, change-up, slider, cutter, and sinker.
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I’m pleasantly surprised the team non tender Joe and DLC, it’s not often they do the right thing.
The loss of Joe just might open the door a little wider for Billy Cook. Cook is the real deal defensively, but hoping his bat will be a little more consistent.