The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired 22-year-old minor league catcher Elys Escobar from the Detroit Tigers on Friday afternoon. He has spent five seasons in the Detroit system after signing with them as a 16-year-old amateur free agent in 2013.
Escobar has played some High-A ball over the last two seasons, though it appears to be a situation similar to when the Pirates send GCL/Extended Spring Training players to Bradenton as short-term fillers. Escobar spent most of 2018 in the GCL, posting a .255/.356/.333 slash line in 23 games. In 2017, he served as the backup catcher for the New York-Penn League affiliate of the Tigers.
The Pirates were short on catchers going into Spring Training. They signed Nick Garland as a free agent recently, but then Justin Morris retired, putting them right back where they were at the start. Escobar appears to be a solid defensive catcher with a strong arm, who has also seen some time at first base and even played three games at third base last year. He could end up seeing time at almost any level below Double-A this year, depending on need.
There was no return in the trade, so it was likely one of those future considerations deals where it never comes up.