Pirates non-tender Connor Joe, Bryan De La Cruz, acquire reliever from Guardians
In a series of roster moves Friday, the Pittsburgh Pirates non-tendered outfielders Bryan De La Cruz and Connor Joe and righty reliever Hunter Stratton and acquired 30-year-old righty reliever Peter Strzelecki from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for cash considerations.
De La Cruz, 28, was a major trade acquisition for the Pirates over the summer before their season imploded.
Arriving in Pittsburgh with 18 home runs and 51 RBIs in 105 games with the Miami Marlins, De La Cruz largely underwhelmed at the plate in a Pirates uniform, batting .200 with three homers, 17 RBIs and 52 strikeouts in 44 games.
Joe led the Pirates with 31 doubles in 2023, his first year with the club.
While versatile defensively, playing 79 games at first base, 44 in right field and six in left field last season, Joe struggled to maintain momentum after a hot early offensive start.
Overall, his batting average dipped to .228, while just about every major statistical category (including homers, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS) dropped off from 2023.
As for Stratton, his campaign came to an end Aug. 2 when he ruptured his left patella tendon.
In 36 games out of the bullpen, he was 2-1 with a 3.58 ERA, striking out 33 with seven walks in 372⁄3 innings.
A Pirates spokesperson said the organization was hoping to bring Stratton back.
Strzelecki spent 10 games with the Guardians last year, posting a 2.31 ERA in 1 2⁄3 innings with nine strikeouts and three walks.
He spent the majority of the season with Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers, going 3-1 with a 5.01 ERA in 44 appearances.
Originally an undrafted free agent signing by the Brewers in 2018, Strzelecki broke into the big leagues in 2022 and was solid for Milwaukee as a rookie, going 2-1 with a 2.83 ERA in 30 relief outings.
The 2023 campaign was less successful, and Milwaukee traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks that summer.
Strzelecki throws five pitches: a four-seam fastball, cutter, slider, changeup and sinker.
Friday marked the MLB tender deadline. The Pirates announced 32 players to whom they tendered contracts.
By position group, the list is as follows:
Pitchers: Braxton Ashcraft, David Bednar, Mike Burrows, Bailey Falter, Colin Holderman, Jared Jones, Carmen Mlodzinski, Dauri Moreta, Kyle Nicolas, Luis Ortiz, Johan Oviedo, Dennis Santana, Paul Skenes, Strzelecki, Joey Wentz
Infielders: Tsung-Che Cheng, Billy Cook, Oneil Cruz, Nick Gonzales, Tristan Gray, Liover Peguero, Jared Triolo, Alika Williams, Nick Yorke
Outfielders: Ji Hwan Bae, Trey Cabbage, Joshua Palacios, Jack Suwinski
Catchers: Joey Bart, Henry Davis, Jason Delay, Endy Rodriguez
Justin Guerriero is a TribLive reporter covering the Penguins, Pirates and college sports. A Pittsburgh native, he is a Central Catholic and University of Colorado graduate. He joined the Trib in 2022 after covering the Colorado Buffaloes for Rivals and freelancing for the Denver Post. He can be reached at jguerriero@triblive.com.
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