The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired left fielder Bryce Brentz from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations. To make room on the 40-man roster, pitcher Nick Burdi was placed on the 60-day disabled list.
Brentz collected 31 homers in Triple-A last year for the Red Sox. He had extended stays on the disabled list in 2014, 2015 and 2016, with last year being the first time since 2013 that he was healthy all season. Brentz hit just four homers in 54 games at Pawtucket in 2016, then hit .279/.313/.377 in 25 games in the majors. The 29-year-old has just 34 games total in the majors, with the first nine coming during the 2014 season.
Coming up through the Red Sox system, he ranked among their top 21 prospects five times for Baseball America, topping out as their fifth best prospect in 2011. That year, he ranked as the best power prospect for both the Red Sox and the entire Carolina League. He has hit a total of 127 homers in eight seasons. He was also voted the best outfield arm in the Eastern League in 2012.
Brentz doesn’t have any options remaining and has already been sent outright to the minors once. The Red Sox added him back to the 40-man roster after the 2017 season.
Burdi is recovering from Tommy John surgery and was going to be placed on the 60-day disabled list anyway, so this doesn’t affect his status.
UPDATE 2:24 PM: Analysis from Tim Williams…
Brentz is another guy who hits home runs. A lot of home runs. He hit 31 last year in Triple-A, while posting decent K/BB ratios and a good average. He’s played briefly in the majors, but hasn’t carried the power over in that short time, with his biggest and final appearance coming in 2016.
The Pirates have been adding more power to the system, seemingly placing a new focus on that skill all throughout the organization. They have an opening in left field, and currently have Daniel Nava, Adam Frazier, and Jordan Luplow as the main candidates for playing time. Brentz enters that mix. He’s out of options, which means he would need to make the team or be placed on waivers. However, the Pirates got him for nothing, so it’s not like they’re locked in to him being on the roster.
At this point, I could see him making the team, especially since Nava and Luplow can be sent to the minors. Nava was held out today with back soreness, although I don’t think the addition of Brentz was related. He’s a good flier to take in the hopes that he can hit for power, but I wouldn’t go into this move with big expectations about his potential with the team.
