According to reports out of Korea and confirmed by Marc Tompkins who covers the Tampa Bay Rays, the Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired veteran first baseman Ji-Man Choi.
Confirmed: #Rays have traded Ji-Man Choi to #Pirates https://t.co/lz36su6x9S
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) November 10, 2022
The Pirates have confirmed the deal and announced that they have sent minor league pitcher Jack Hartman to Tampa in the deal. The 31-year-old Choi has one year left before free agency. He batted .233/.341/.388 in 113 games in 2022, collecting 22 doubles and 11 homers. In seven seasons, he has a career .239/.345/.429 slash line. Baseball-Reference has him as a below average defender every season during his career, but the offense has carried him to 5.2 WAR in that time. His 1.2 WAR in 2022 is the second best mark of his career, only topped by the 2.1 he put up in 2019. Those are the only two seasons that he has played at least 100 games.
Hartman was a 2020 fourth round draft pick, who needed Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2021. At 24 years old, he made 22 appearances this season for Low-A Bradenton, where he had a 6.27 ERA in 18.2 innings, with 16 walks, 19 strikeouts and a 2.04 WHIP. He showed excellent velocity, so there is some potential.
