The Pittsburgh Pirates traded outfielder Starling Marte and cash consideration to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a pair of 19-year-olds, infielder Liover Peguero and right-handed pitcher Brennan Malone, on Monday.
In addition, the Pirates get greater capacity in its 2019-2020 International Signing Bonus Pool, allowing them to spend an extra $250,000 in this year’s International Signing Period.
Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcement. It was the second major acquisition made by the Pirates since Cherington became General Manager on November 18, 2019. The first was the free agent signing of outfielder Guillermo Heredia earlier this month.
The Arizona minor league system is deep, and Peguero ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the organization, according to FanGraphs, and No. 7 by Baseball America. The right-handed hitting Peguero hit a combined .326 (74-for-227) with 11 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 38 RBI and an .866 OPS in 60 games with Hillsboro and Missoula.
Malone entered today ranked as Arizona’s 10th-best prospect, according to FanGraphs, and No. 9 by Baseball America. He finished his first pro season in 2019 with a combined 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in seven games, including three starts, between the Arizona League Diamondbacks and the short-season Hillsboro Hops of the Northwest League.
