Bucs part ways with De La Cruz, Joe, Stratton ahead of non-tender deadline

The Pirates turned to Bryan De La Cruz at the Trade Deadline to help bolster the offense. Less than four months later, the team is parting ways with the outfielder.

De La Cruz is one of three players the Pirates non-tendered ahead of Friday’s deadline, alongside first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe and right-handed reliever Hunter Stratton. Additionally, the team acquired right-handed reliever Peter Strzelecki from the Guardians for cash considerations.

De La Cruz was viewed as a potential source of right-handed power after hitting 19 doubles and 18 home runs with the Marlins ahead of the deadline, but struggled mightily with Pittsburgh. The 27-year-old outfielder admitted in August that he put too much pressure on himself in his new environment, but did not improve from there. In 44 games with the Pirates, De La Cruz slashed .200/.220/.294 with three home runs and 17 RBIs.

The team traded prospects Jun-Seok Shim and Garret Forrester for De La Cruz, both of whom were ranked in the backend of MLB Pipeline’s rankings of the Pirates’ Top 30 prospects.

Joe was one of the Pirates’ go-to platoon options at first base and in the corner outfield spots the past two years, appearing in 123 games in 2024. While he got off to a hot start in April in both '23 and '24, Joe cooled off and finished with a .228/.320/.368 slash line with nine home runs and 36 RBIs this past season.

Moving on from Joe and De La Cruz will surely make the outfield a priority for the Pirates again this winter. The team is committed to Oneil Cruz playing center field and 2024 All-Star Bryan Reynolds is penciled into a corner spot, but there’s uncertainty of who the team’s third outfielder would be. The options currently on the roster are Joshua Palacios, Ji Hwan Bae, Jack Suwinski, Billy Cook, Nick Yorke and Trey Cabbage, who was recently claimed off waivers.

The team is also non-tendering Stratton, but it may not be goodbye. The team would like to reunite with the right-hander on a Minor League deal, similar to what happened last offseason.

Stratton was one of the few bright spots in the bullpen this year, posting a 3.58 ERA with 33 strikeouts over 37 2/3 innings while also picking up his first career save. He ruptured a patella tendon in his left knee at the end of August after colliding with the limestone behind home plate, an injury that required surgery with a 7-10 month recovery window. That could put him in position for a midseason return in 2025.

Strzelecki, 30, allowed three earned runs and struck out nine in 11 2/3 innings with the Guardians, his third team in two years. He has a five-pitch mix, leaning on his four-seamer, changeup and slider first, while also mixing in a cutter and sinker. His fastball averaged 92.3 mph last year, and his slider got nearly 3,000 RPM of spin. He is out of Minor League options.

The Pirates’ roster is currently at 36 players.