Assessing the Bryan De La Cruz Deal
Following much speculation of obtaining outfield help at the trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Pirates got their guy in Bryan De La Cruz from the Miami Marlins. In return, the Fish acquired pitcher Jun-Seok Shim and infielder Garret Forrester.
De La Cruz entered 2024 in his fourth season with the Marlins. In 454 plate appearances, he’s slashing .245/.289/.417, along with 18 home runs. To this point, De La Cruz is just under league average offensively, with a 96 wRC+.
The defense for De La Cruz has its pros & cons, as his range is below average, but possesses an outstanding, throwing arm.
For De La Cruz, he’ll be arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, and won’t become a free agent after the 2027 season.
Shim was signed by the Pirates out of South Korea in January of 2023. He put pen to paper, for a signing bonus of $750,000.
The fastball for Shim can go mid-to-upper-90’s. The secondary offerings include a plus curveball, a good slider, and a decent enough changeup.
MLB Pipeline had Shim as the 17th ranked prospect in the Pirates’ organization. Unfortunately, for the 20-year-old right-hander, he hasn’t pitched this year, due to a shoulder injury.
Forrester was a third round draft selection of the Pirates in 2023 out of Oregon State.
This season in Low A, with the Bradenton Marauders, Forrester posted a .413 on base, in 138 plate appearances.
On MLB Pipeline’s Pirates prospect rankings, Forrester was right behind Shim at 18.
Assessment: De La Cruz will provide the Pirates with a power bat that help balance the lineup. While the overall production may not be strong, he can at the very least be a better outfield option than who the Pirates have on the active roster currently. Pittsburgh will have a few years of control with De La Cruz, which will be his prime years, as he’s 27.
The Marlins were able to land a pair of prospects within the Top 20, in exchange for De La Cruz.
Shim is a pitcher, who has plenty of upside, but has already had a difficult time staying healthy, in the early part of his pro career.
Meanwhile, Forrester provides Miami with a prospect that does a terrific, job getting on base. However, the lack of power from Forrester makes him more of a utility infielder in the future.
In terms of what the Pirates gave up for De La Cruz, I feel it’s a fair return.