The Pirates have reportedly agreed to a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks for center fielder Starling Marte, according to Jon Heyman:
Dbacks in agreement on Starling Marte trade
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 27, 2020
More to come.
Ken Rosenthal says it’s two prospects
Source confirms: #DBacks acquiring Starling Marte from #Pirates. Return is two prospects, names to come. On this: @JonHeyman, @JeffPassan, @ByRobertMurray.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 27, 2020
Robert Murray is saying the Pirates are getting back shortstop Liover Peguero, who turned 19 less than a month ago.
Sources: #DBacks in agreement to acquire Starling Marte from #Pirates for Liover Peguero and another prospect.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) January 27, 2020
Here’s an excerpt from the scouting report from Baseball America, with the last part obviously added by us:
Peguero was a skinny, 5-foot-10 amateur who managed to hit the ball as hard as any of the bigger players around him. Peguero is still lean, but he’s grown at least four inches and added at least 30 pounds since the club invested $475,000 in him. He starred at Rookie-level Missoula in his U.S. debut and finished at short-season Hillsboro.
Regarded as a premium athlete, Peguero has a strong, wiry build and above-average speed. He has a feel for finding the barrel and regularly generates loud contact. With a body that still has room to fill out, his average power projection could continue to grow. Peguero’s approach is aggressive, but he showed signs last year of being more selective. He improved his defense last season, leading many to change their minds about his ability to stick at shortstop. If he does have to move, he could easily fit elsewhere on the infield or even in center field, where his long strides would cover a lot of ground. He should be at Greensboro in 2020.
Jon Heyman has the second player:
Hearing Brennan Malone is going to Pirates in Marte deal. First round pick last year (33rd overall).
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 27, 2020
Full deal here reportedly, Pirates sending money, getting back int’l money
Dbacks get Starling Marte and $1.5m. Pirates get Peugero and Malone plus $250k of international $$$.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) January 27, 2020
Here’s an excerpt from the scouting report courtesy of Baseball America on Malone, who turned 19 in September and stands 6’4″, 205 pounds:
The D-backs took Malone 33rd overall and signed him for $2.2 million. Malone featured perhaps the best combination of present stuff and future projection of any high school pitcher in his class. He has a strong, durable frame and an athletic delivery with a loose, easy arm action. He showed plus fastball velocity consistently throughout the spring, sitting 93 mph while touching the upper 90s. His slider is his best secondary offering, a potential plus pitch with sharp, late break that he throws at the back foot of left-handed hitters. His curveball and changeup both project average. At times, his command deserts him and he can look more like a thrower than a pitcher. Malone has the ingredients to become a power starter, with his upside to be determined by how his command and stuff progress.
If you followed our draft coverage this year, you should already know something about Malone.
Pirates make it official:
OFFICIAL: We have acquired infielder Liover Peguero and right-handed pitcher Brennan Malone from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for outfielder Starling Marte and cash considerations. pic.twitter.com/AtF4ffgYL3
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) January 27, 2020
Here’s a quote from GM Ben Cherington
“We’re excited about adding two young players of this caliber and the opportunity we’ll have to help them continue to grow.” said Cherington. “In addition, we now have a greater ability to acquire impact type talent in this year’s international free agent market.
“We have a foundation of talent in Pittsburgh and in our system that we feel will be a key part of our success. We also know that we need more of it if we are going to realistically be able to compete deep into September and October,” added Cherington.