The Pirates shocked their fans yesterday by trading away Gold Glove-winning catcher Jacob Stallings and designating for assignment veteran first baseman Colin Moran and pitcher Steven Brault.
Stallings goes to the Miami Marlins for three players, two of them minor league prospects. The Bucs will get right-handed pitcher Zach Thompson, minor league righty Kyle Nicolas, and minor league center fielder Connor Scott.
Thompson is 28, 6-feet-7-inches tall, and was 3-7 with a 3.24 ERA last season in 26 games with the Marlins, 14 of them starts.
The 22-year-old Nicolas was rated the Marlins’ 16th best prospect by MLB Pipeline. He pitched in High-A and Double-A last season and led their minor leaguers with 136 strikeouts.
Scott is 22 and was the 13th overall selection in the 2018 draft. He played High-A last season and hit .276 with 10 homers and 46 RBIs. He was rated the 23rd-best prospect in Miami’s system.Stallings’ departure means there are no catchers on the Pirates’ 40-man roster.
The fan-favorite lefty Brault was let go to open a roster spot for free agent left-hander Joe Quintana, whose one-year contract was officially announced yesterday.
Moran was let go to make room on the 40-man roster for Yoshi Tustsugo, whose signing became official yesterday as well. One of the centerpieces in the Gerrit Coletrade to Houston in 2018, Moran hit.269 with 45 home runs and 211 RBIs in his four seasons as a Buc.
The Pirates also avoided arbitration with outfielder Ben Gamel, signing him to a one-year deal for $1.8 million, with a chance for $200,000 in bonuses based on plate appearances. They signed free agents right-hander Jerad Eickhoff and catcher Jamie Ritchie to minor league contracts.
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