Notes: 3-3 Week; DLC, Beeks, IKF, Yorke, Walker Landed; Quinn, Perez & Prospects Go; Griffin Signs

Well, that deadline was busy...

Monday started a three-game set with the Padres and more left coast drama. The 'Stros, with make-do pitching due to a late afternoon trade, served up five perfect innings against the Bucs. But the Pirates kept chooglin' to tie it in the eighth before Michael Taylor, a sub for Josh Palacios, banged a two-out, three-run, ninth-inning dinger and the Renegade, tho tagged for a tally, closed out a 5-3 final. Game two went the Buccos way, 6-2. Bailey Falter was solid in his return from the IL and Houston was in giveaway mode in the field, thank u kindly. Pittsburgh quickly returned the favor, booting five balls (three by Oneil Cruz, allowing three runs to score) in a 5-4 finale loss that cost them a sweep.

e're hopin' - 2024 photo/Pirates

Then they came home for a rematch with Arizona, starting Friday for three games. In round one, the first four Snakes banged a triple and three homers, and the Bucs were down, 5-0, before there was an out. But the Bucs kept a comin', and hey - they were up, 7-6, going into the eighth when the wheels wobbled again, and ended up losing a great battle, 9-8. Oneil Cruz, breaking out of a slump (hopefully) went 5-for-5. The Pirates were bit by an ol' matey, the Snakes recently-acquired Josh Bell homered twice. Kells left game #2 up 1-0 in a four frame outing after sitting through a 70-minute rain delay. No prob; Bryan Reynolds and Joey Bart homered, the pen did well enough, and it ended as a 4-2 win, followed by an overhead drone show. The Bucs had a 4-0 lead over the D-backs, but the pen has been working OT and got smacked again, losing the lead and the game, 6-5

Trades:

• The Pirates sent RHP Quinn Priester, 23, to Boston for UT prospect Nick Yorke, 22. Quinn was a first-rounder in 2019 but his MLB work hasn't been very inspiring, with a line of 5-9/6.46 in 20 games (14 starts). A change of scenery should suit him. Yorke has spent most of his time at second with work in left field, too. He was a 2020 first prep round pick who had an up-and-down minor league record, though he was hitting .310 in AAA and short term is a contender for the spot of the injured Nick Gonzales. He was blocked in Boston, so he’s looking for an opp here after he gets a test drive at Indy. 
• The Rockies dealt reliever Jalen Beeks to the Pirates for Altoona pitcher Luis Peralta in a lefty-for-lefty deal. The six-year man Beeks has a 6-4/4.74 line, and his addition likely means Ryan Borucki has a long way to go before he pitches in Pittsburgh again. Beeks contract ends this season so he seems to be on audition. Peralta is 4-0-5/0.91 in 26 outings with Hi-A Greensboro (19 GP) and AA Altoona (7 GP), averaging 15 K/nine innings. He was a Top 25 prospect for the Pirates.

Bryan De La Cruz - photo/Pirates

• The Bucs landed OF Bryan De La Cruz (.245/18/51) from Miami; the Marlins received UT Garrett Forrester and RHP Jun-Seok Shim. DLC has power and is under control through 2027. So far he's been a .250 BA/20 HR guy and a little below par with the mitt as a corner OF'er. He reported the next day and was slotted into right field and batted cleanup. Forrester was a '23 third round pick and was hitting .273 at Bradenton while Shim, a 2023 Korean recruit, only tossed eight innings since signing. He hadn't pitched this year due to shoulder problems.
• Toronto IF Isiah Kiner-Falefa is a Bucco now, with the Corsairs sending Altoona OF Charles McAdoo to the Jays for IKF and cash. Kiner-Falefa has hit .292/.338/.420 with seven home runs in a breakout year for a guy who had been noted for his glove rather than stick. He's been out of action since June 30 (knee), but was rehabbing and was assigned to the Curve to continue. Isiah looked OK there and quickly reported to Pittsburgh on Saturday. McAdoo was among the top Pirates prospects and one of the few pure hitters in the system.
• San Diego sent minor league LHP Ronaldys Jimenez to the Bucs for LHP Martín Pérez (2-5/5.20) and cash. Jimenez is a DSL lottery ticket addition.
• LHP Josh Walker was taken by the Pirates after being DFA'ed by the Mets and assigned to Indy. The 29-year-old has a line of 1-0/6.45 with a K per inning in 24 NY outings between 2023-24. Like a lot of the guys floating around on waivers, he's a wild child, walking five per nine innings. The Pirates sent LHP Nicolas Carreno to New York. He's an 18-year-old working in the DSL (1-0/3.74/8 starts) who posted 15 K & 7 BBs per nine innings with five beaned batters in 22 IP.
• Hey, a minor-league deal: 2B/OF Billy Cook was sent here by Baltimore for RHP Patrick Reilly. Cook hit .275 with 12 HR in time split between AA/AAA; he was assigned to Indy. Greensboro's Reilly had stepped it up this year with a 5-4/3.38/11 K per 9 IP line. BA placed them both in their new team's Top 30 prospects ranking.

Moves/Injuries:

• IF Isiah Kiner-Falefa was called up Saturday after a quick rehab stop at Altoona. IF Alika Williams was optioned back to Indy.

IKF - photo/Pirates

• The Pirates called up RHP Jake Woodford, who they had claimed back in June from the White Sox after they DFA'ed him. He has parts of five MLB seasons under his belt, mostly with the Cards, with a MLB line of 10-9/4.57 as a long man/starter.
• RHP Jared Jones pitched live BP over the weekend as he nears rehab.
• RHP Daulton Jefferies (elbow) was switched from the 15-day to 60-day IL.
• RHP Ryder Ryan was DFA'ed, cleared the wire and sent to Indy.
• LF Bryan Reynolds returned from the Bereavement List for the Houston series. Rowdy Tellez also started v the 'Stros, so his back issue only cost two starts. LHP Bailey Falter was activated off the IL, too. OF Jack Suwinski was sent to Indy to clear active roster space.
• RHP Carmen Mlodzinski went on the 15 day IL with a right shoulder strain.
• OF Josh Palacios was taken out of Monday's game after tweaking his leg running out a grounder and ended up on the 10-day IL with a strained hammy. 
• RHP Bubba Chandler, the Pirates top prospect and a top-50 MLB Pipeline Prospect, was promoted to Indy from Altoona. Ditto for RHP Thomas Harrington, the Pirates #6 prospect and a 2022 comp round (#36) draft pick.
• Altoona prospect LHP Hunter Barco is on the 7-day IL with a left leg injury.

Draft Signees: 

• CF Konnor Griffin (1st round/Jackson Prep MS). $6,532,025/slot $6,216,600. Konnor was the Gatorade High School Player of the Year.

Konnor Griffin signing - Sportsnet Pittsburgh

• SS Wyatt Sanford (2nd round/Independence HS TX). $2.5M/slot $1,984,800. His dad, IF Chance, was also drafted by the Pirates and made his MLB debut with Pittsburgh in 1988.
• LHP Jacob Bimbi (11th round/Western Kentucky).
• CF Andrew Patrick (17th round/Wright State).

Two draftees didn't sign - soph RHP Brian Curley (round 16), who's switching from VCU to Georgia and prep RHP Taylor Penn (round 19), who's committed to Western Kentucky. 

Stuff:

• LF Bryan Reynolds won this year's Pirates Heart & Hustle Award. The league-wide winner will be announced in November.
• It took Paul Skenes 76-1/3 IP to post 100 strikeouts.
• Greensboro IF Mitch Jebb was picked as the Sally League Player of the Week after going 12-for-24. His teammate, LHP Dominic Perachi, won the league's Pitcher of the Week honors after spinning a one-hit, 11 K outing last week.
• Miami sold 1B Josh Bell's contract to Arizona.
• LHP Austin Davis, who was in the Bucs 2021 bullpen, was DFA'ed by San Diego. Another ol' Bucco (2022) lefty, Chasen Shreve, was released by the Yankees, who also removed RH reliever Nick Burdi (Pirate from 2018-20) from the IL and assigned him to AAA. Shreve was signed  by the Rockies.
• RHP Yohan Ramirez, who was with the Pirates last year, has been on five other rosters since the Pirates let him go in September of '23. It looks like it will soon be an even half-dozen; Boston DFA'ed him this week.