Morning Rundown: Pirates trade for Enmanuel Valdez
Pirates make a trade with the Red Sox
For the second time this year, the Pittsburgh Pirates have made a trade with the Boston Red Sox.
At the deadline, they sent Quinn Priester to Boston in exchange for Nick Yorke. It was another pitcher-for-hitter trade, with Joe Vogatsky going to Boston for Enmanuel Valdez.
Vogatsky was the Pirates’ 19th-round pick in the 2024 draft, a college senior out of James Madison. He had a 3-2 record with nine saves as the JMU closer in 2024 before signing with the Pirates. He also posted a 3.49 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 23 walks in 49 innings pitched his senior year.
After signing, Vogatsky pitched a couple of times in the Bridge League but never made his official debut.
The Red Sox had designated Valdez for assignment on December 11, so he will land on the Pirates’ 40-man roster.
Valdez, 25, split time between the majors and Triple-A Worcester. While with the Red Sox, he hit .214/.270/.363 with six home runs and 28 RBI across 76 games (223 plate appearances).
He finished in a tie for the third-worst defender at second base in terms of Outs Above Average (OAA) on Baseball Savant. For his career, Valdez has hit .235/.286/.400 with a 84 wRC+.
The 40-man roster currently sits at 37 players.
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We really fleeced the Sox by trading Quinn Priester for himself 🤪
BC likes MI more than Santa likes cookies.