The Pittsburgh Pirates made a series of roster moves on Friday, non-tendering outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, utility man Connor Joe and right-handed relief pitcher Hunter Stratton, while also acquiring right-handed reliever Peter Strzelecki from the Cleveland Guardians for cash considerations.
The Pirates acquired De La Cruz in a deadline deal for prospects Jun-Seok Shim and Garret Forrester, and he was thought to be some much-needed pop, coming in with 18 homers. But he hit just .200 with 3 homeruns and an OPS of just .294 across 44 games with Pittsburgh.
Joe got off to a great start last season, filling in multiple places in both the outfield and infield, but trailed off throughout the season and finished with just a .