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Pirates Prospects Daily: Recapping the Pirates Trade Deadline Moves

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The days of veteran leadership are over. The Pirates traded Rich Hill, Ji Man Choi, Austin Hedges, and Rodolfo Castro prior to the trade deadline. They had previously traded Carlos Santana.

The returns to these deals were a mix of upper level guys who could win some of the final spots on the team in 2024; two teenage hitters with plus power, and more international space.

Without the veteran presence, the young Bucs still managed a win against the Tigers after the deadline. Here’s a look at the players from the deals who could eventually join them in Pittsburgh.

UPPER LEVELS: MAJOR LEAGUERS WITH LIMITS

Bailey Falter, LHP – The Pirates added Falter for Castro, getting a lefty who could enter the rotation mix down the stretch. Falter creates deception with a long extension and angle to his pitches. His fastball/slider combo gives him the chance for two above-average to plus pitches. He’s got a chance for three average or better pitches.

Jackson Wolf, LHP – Wolf looks like a guy who could enter the development mix in the upper levels, hoping to claim one of the final rotation spots in the future. He’s 6′ 7″, but throws upper 80s/low 90s. His secondary stuff is ahead of the fastball. He could take a step forward if they could unlock his fastball velocity.

Alfonso Rivas, 1B – I feel like Rivas is the replacement candidate for first base this year. At the least, he will join the mix in Indianapolis, vying for that spot in the majors. He turns 27 in September, and he’s been hitting .332/.462/.582 with nine homers in Triple-A. This seems like a Miguel Andujar situation, where an older player is starting to hit, with the difference being Rivas is a first baseman and fills a Pirates need. He’ll get to show if this year’s offense is real.

ANALYSIS – It’s easy to compare the players returned to the players who were traded, though that’s not always an accurate approach. In this case, the Pirates traded a pending free agent first baseman and left-handed pitcher. They received a first baseman who might be able to develop into Choi-status, and two craft lefties that might be able to develop into Hill-status.

LOWEST LEVELS: ALL ABOUT DEVELOPMENT

Jhonny Severino, SS – The Pirates got Severino as the lone return for Santana, after the Brewers paid the infielder $1.23 million last January. Severino already homered in his debut with the FCL Pirates, showing off the plus power that makes the 18-year-old infielder one to follow.

Estuar Suero, OF – Suero was added as part of the Hill/Choi deal, and has a chance for plus power and plus speed. The 17-year-old needs work on his hit tool, though the power has been showing up for the 6′ 5″ switch-hitter. San Diego signed him last year for $325,000.

ANALYSIS – The Pirates landed two very young players with plus tools who would have cost them almost $1.6 million in bonuses about a year and a half ago. Nothing has changed with either player to reduce their value. At this point, the Pirates have two young players with power to develop.

INTERNATIONAL MONEY: THE CHANCE TO DEVELOP

Aside from adding two players who would have cost about $1.6 million last year, the Pirates traded Austin Hedges for international bonus pool space. There’s no word on the amount, but this will give the Pirates a chance to sign additional players prior to next January.

ANALYSIS – This is the same level of return the Pirates received for Jarrod Dyson two years ago.

OTHER ROSTER MOVES

  • Ke’Bryan Hayes was activated from the injured list prior to the game, but did not start.
  • Jason Delay was called up to replace Austin Hedges as the backup.
  • Vinny Capra was added from Indianapolis. The shortstop was acquired from Toronto earlier this season for Tyler Heineman.
  • Termarr Johnson, Nick Cimillo, and Will Matthiessen were promoted in the minors. Read more about the Pirates 2022 first rounder and all of the daily minor league moves.

QUICK PIRATES RECAP

The Pirates beat the Tigers 4-1.

Liover Peguero hit a two run homer to right, after Endy Rodriguez hit an RBI triple to deep center. There wasn’t much else that Johan Oviedo needed, with the right-hander throwing seven innings of one run ball.

David Bednar got the save for the Pirates, which is a nice thing to type after the trade deadline.

New leaders will emerge from this team over the final two months.

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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