Pirates Acquire Enmanuel Valdez – MLB Trade Rumors

The Pirates and Red Sox have announced a trade involving an infielder Enmanuel Valdez Go to Pittsburgh in exchange for the right-hander Joe Vogatsky. Valdez was designated for assignment by Boston earlier this week.

Valdez has appeared in 125 big league games since making his MLB debut with the Sox in the 2023 season. A solid .266/.311/.453 slash line in 149 plate appearances left Valdez with a good first impression in his rookie year, but he didn’t fare well with more playing time last year, hitting just .214/.270 / .363 in 223 plate appearances.

Of the whopping 11 players who were part of Boston’s revolving door at second base in 2024, Valdez had the most playing time with 56 starts and 65 total plate appearances. Pittsburgh’s second base situation is also far from resolved Nick Gonzales set to a starting role for now, and Nick Yorke And Jared Triolo also struggling for at-bats. Valdez is the only left-handed hitter among these other right-handed options, which could give him an opportunity for a platoon role.

Valdez appears to be part of that mix, although he has some MLB experience at third base, shortstop and left field and has played all over the diamond in the minors. That versatility increases Valdez’s chances of winning a job in Spring Training, and his ability to handle third base could be particularly useful in this case Ke’Bryan Hayes continues to suffer from back injuries. Valdez still has one minor league option year left, giving the Pirates the opportunity to use him as a minor league defenseman if the 26-man roster is full.

Vogatsky (who turns 23 later this month) was selected by the Pirates in the 19th round of last summer’s amateur draft, and the right-hander has yet to begin his pro career. Vogatsky, a James Madison University product, worked exclusively as a reserve player in his final two years of college, producing much better results than in his first two NCAA seasons. This role change likely led to Vogatsky being drafted, and it’s likely he will remain in the bullpen going forward.