The Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres have agreed to a minor trade. The Pirates catching depth has been tested of late, as Endy Rodriguez and Joey Bart are injured. Rodriguez has been placed on the injured list, while Bart remains active – albeit in a limited capacity.
The Pirates have struggled to land on one singular catching group, as they traded Jason Delay to the Braves and injuries to Bart and Rodriguez have tested their depth. Rodriguez suffered a finger laceration and was placed on the injured list as a result. Bart is dealing with a back problem, and this could be a sign an IL stint is in his future as well.
Pittsburgh was left with little option but to look externally for catching depth. The Pirates called up former No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis, and have now acquired former Padres catcher Brett Sullivan.
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MLB trade grades: Who won the Padres-Pirates deal?
The Pirates acquired Sullivan in exchange for 22-year-old outfielder Bryce Johnson and cash considerations.
To be frank, this trade is so minor it's tough to grade in the moment. Both Sullivan and Johnson were on the outs with their respective teams, so this gives both players a fresh start. Sullivan has a .206/.243/.299 line in 103 plate appearances. He's performed slightly better at the dish in the minors. Perhaps most concerning for the Pirates is that Sullivan isn't even all that solid defensively. He's received negative grades for pitch framing in the minor leagues via Baseball Prospectus.
The Pirates pulled Johnson from his Triple-A game in preparation for said trade. He is not a big-name prospect by any means, but he does provide organizational depth at a position of need. And while it may sound cliché, the money is valuable in this sense, too. The Padres can use that capital in any number of ways, including player development or the big-league roster.
Declaring a winner in this move would require one of the players involved to be anything more than filler or depth. That seems unlikely, but at the very least the Padres were able to flip a minor-league catcher for two assets. That's not nothing.