Sunday, the San Francisco Giants finally decided they could no longer carry former top prospect Joey Bart, who has never established himself in the big leagues and is out of minor league options. Once a top-30 prospect in the game and a former number two overall draft pick, Bart is now a 27-year-old .219/.288/.335/78 wRC+ hitter in the big leagues (he actually never even really hit at Triple-A), with average defense behind the plate. It was just time for the Giants to move on.
But that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be interest out there in trying to be the change of scenery for a guy with so much pedigree, and indeed there was enough interest that the Pittsburgh Pirates jumped the waiver wire to make a trade to acquire him:
The Pirates are likely in a good spot to incorporate Joey Bart right away, as they have multiple injuries behind the plate, and I really don’t know how much they want Henry Davis actually starting back there. It could be a timeshare between Bart and Jason Delay.
It’s also possible the Pirates will themselves try at some point to get Bart through waivers so they can outright him – it’s the only way to take him off the 26-man roster – but given that they actually traded for him, I doubt it. I think they’ll really try to make a go of it, and hope that with a new staff around him, he can finally break out. Seems unlikely, but worth the risk for the Pirates.
Austin Strickland was the Pirates’ 8th rounder last year, and he has yet to make his professional debut. Not a significant return, but the Giants were offering to give up Bart for nothing at all.