Trade: Pirates, Giants Swing Deal for Former No. 2 Overall Pick

He was supposed to be the heir apparent to the great Buster Posey in San Francisco. The 2nd overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, a catcher who could do it all at the plate. But things never quite panned out for Joey Bart in San Franciso, and now they've given up on the 27-year-old, dealing him to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Giants have traded catcher Joey Bart to the Pirates pic.twitter.com/iqATQdojNK

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 3, 2024

In exchange, Pittsburgh sends minor league right-handed pitcher Austin Strickland to The Bay. He was a 8th-round pick by the Pirates in last year's MLB Draft.

The Giants had DFA'd Bart on Sunday, after a four-year struggle in the big leagues that saw him put up a disappointing slash line of .219/.288/.335 across 162 games exactly. He had 11 homers and 38 RBIs over that time, with an OPS+ of just 75. In 30 games this season, he batted just .207 with an OPS+ of 47.

Bart's minor league numbers have always been strong, however, compiling a .279 average and .835 OPS across five seasons on the farm.

For the Pirates, they're obviously hoping that the once Top-30 prospect in baseball can still recapture some of the promise that landed him the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. As the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2018, he's obviously shown some skills, and the Buccos will hope that a change of scenery can spark him.

At the very least, he'll give the Pirates depth behind the dish as starter Yasmani Grandal has been out for a month with plantar fasciitis and still appears weeks away from returning. In addition, catcher Jason Delay is also headed to the injured list.

Photo: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports