It didn’t work out for De La Cruz in Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a series of roster moves on Friday, non-tendering outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, utility man Connor Joe and right-handed relief pitcher Hunter Stratton, while also acquiring right-handed reliever Peter Strzelecki from the Cleveland Guardians for cash considerations.
The Pirates acquired De La Cruz in a deadline deal for prospects Jun-Seok Shim and Garret Forrester, and he was thought to be some much-needed pop, coming in with 18 homers. But he hit just .200 with 3 homeruns and an OPS of just .294 across 44 games with Pittsburgh.
Joe got off to a great start last season, filling in multiple places in both the outfield and infield, but trailed off throughout the season and finished with just a .228 average.
Stratton was injured in August after appearing in 37 bullpen games for the Bucs. He finished with a respectable 3.58 ERA but will be out to start 2025 still recovering from a patella tendon rupture. He may come back on a Minor League deal.
The 30-year-old Strzelecki appeared in just 11 innings last season, but will likely be in the mix for possible bullpen work. He’s also pitched for Arizona and Milwaukee and holds 86 strikeouts in 83 career innings. The four-seam fastball is his go to, but he also has a nice slider that uses often in his five-pitch mix.
The Bucs now need to find a serious contender for the third outfield spot, with both Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds every day starters. Right now, we’re looking at Joshua Palacios, Ji Hwan Bae, or Jack Suwinski. Not exactly enticing. Billy Cook, Nick Yorke and Trey Cabbage are also on the roster, but it’s going to be imperative to find another outfielder with both De La Cruz and Joe gone. We’ll be taking a look at potential options in the coming days.