The Pirates and Red Sox announced a trade that will see infielder Enmanuel Valdez head to Pittsburgh in exchange for right-hander Joe Vogatsky. Valdez was designated for assignment by Boston earlier this week.
Valdez has appeared in 125 big league games since making his MLB debut with the Sox during the 2023 season. A solid .266/.311/.453 slash in 149 plate appearances made a good first impression for Valdez in his rookie year, but he didn’t fare well with more playing time this past year, hitting only .214/.270/.363 in 223 plate appearances.
Of the whopping 11 players who were part of Boston’s revolving door at second base in 2024, Valdez had the most playing time, with 56 starts and 65 total appearances at the keystone. Pittsburgh’s second-base situation is also far from settled, with Nick Gonzales penciled into a starting role for now, and Nick Yorke and Jared Triolo also fighting for at-bats. Valdez is the only left-handed hitter among these other righty options, which could give him an opening for a platoon role.
Valdez figures to be part of this mix, though he has a smattering of MLB experience at third base, shortstop, and left field, and he has played all over the diamond in the minors. This versatility will help Valdez’s chances of winning a job out of Spring Training, and his ability to handle third base might be particularly useful if Ke’Bryan Hayes continues to be bothered by back injuries. Valdez has a minor league option year remaining, giving the Pirates the ability to use him as minor league depth if the 26-man roster is full.
Vogatsky (who turns 23 later this month) was a 19th-round pick for the Pirates in last summer’s amateur draft, and the right-hander has yet to begin his pro career. A product of James Madison University, Vogatsky worked exclusively as a reliever in his last two college years, with much better results than his first two NCAA seasons. This role change likely got Vogatsky drafted, and it seems likely that he’ll stick in the bullpen going forward.
Pirates are going to fill an entire lineup of underperforming 2B types by the end of the season.
The Red Sox have a ton of middle infield minor leagues if they want to swap for pitchers.
Pirates are building a dynasty here now. Look out. How does Breslow move a stud like that? Whew
@unclemike. Atleast they have prospects that can play in the mlb, and not in the kbo.
That guy’s name looks like a typo
Lol true
Wow that’s wild, I have seen his name several times before and my mind immediately goes to “Emmanuel”.
Jesse – Except Valdez is a foot and a half taller than Lewis.
Rhand – It’s a Dominican thing, there’s several Dominican prospects with the same first name.
Wait until Jhostynxon Garcia starts appearing in feeds..
And he will.
Who is the guy the Red Sox are getting
Joey
Fenway – The future closer for the Red Sox.
I thought that was Aroldis Chapman 🙂
Fenway – If the Sox don’t acquire anyone else, I think Slaten gets first crack at closer.
I would hope so. Do you have any idea which level will Vogatsky start at. I would say Greenville based on age and other factors
meh – Pirates win this trade from what I can gather. Sunday fun!
Joey V – Doubt he makes it out of minors…stats do not look good. Dropped in draft as well.
Good luck to all!
jmusports.com/sports/baseball/roster/joe-vogatsky/…
baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=vog…
He hasn’t pitched in the minors yet. He was just drafted out of James Madison. He had a 3.49 ERA at JMU and a 1.42 ERA in the Cape Cod League.
.309 xwOBA, .407 xSLG%, above average barrel rate and exit velo, but he doesn’t look too good in the field based on defensive metrics. Certaintly worse Triple-A depth infielders to stash on the 40-man.
he is pretty fast, babip was well below average last year even while contact quality and plate discipline numbers got better. maybe he could be a good scrappy utility guy
He was in the 26th percentile of sprint speed last season, so he doesn’t seem too quick. I’m okay if this is the emergency “we just suffered multiple injuries in the same day” sort of player.
His defense is very poor but if he connects he connected hard.
As an every day 2B, not great. But a better fit as a depth piece.
Mlb – They call him Mini Soto because of his striking resemblance to Juan Soto.
Not kidding.
His lack of a real defensive position limits him, but he’s got a solid bat against RHP and can hit the ball hard. Could be a good platoon bat for you.
Good for him.
Nothing against Enman, but every time I saw his name in the starting lineup last year, I said to myself “How does Boston find itself in these situations all the time?!?”
Sox take a flyer on a cheap lotto ticket. They got to stock the minors somehow.
So many infielders. Why another with no outstanding skills.
fleecing the Bucs in trades is becoming a thing of beauty for the other teams
These are the big moves of a Nutting franchise. I need Goku here to tell me what a winner this move was
He hired Cherington and in his time here, his moves have become more pathetic each year
But never fear. When February comes, we’ll be treated to Nutting’s annual “losing is not acceptable” speech.
The A’s have proven that The Nutting Pirates are the most laughable franchise in MLB
How come I keep reading that second base is unsettled when Nick G. hit .270 on a bad hitting team?
He deserves to be penciled in every day.
Yeah, and he was great defensively at the keystone. I doubt anyone is moving him off of 2B, unless they see him as a potential option at shortstop. Either way, he’ll likely get regular playing time in 2025.
Pan – Don’t sleep on Yorke, he’s got great potential.
I like Yorke, but I think Gonzales should get everyday reps at 2B unless he doesn’t perform. or Yorke outperforms him.
When Nick Yorke uses the whole field and goes with that line drive approach he’s legit. His defense at 2nd is better than he’s given credit for should be at least average defensively at second. Yorke gets himself in trouble when he gets pull happy and thinks he’s a home run hitter. If he stays away from trying to lift the ball he should be a solid every day second baseman in the big leagues.
Ke’Bryan Hayes has been underwhelming and approaching bust status
Yorke a former Redsox was supposed to fill that 2B void but again pitch redsox for another.
Hayes was injured last year due to a back problem so by claiming he underperformed would be a mistake
How well would you perform your chosen role in life with recurring back problems?
It depends on whether it’s chronic or not, but as a RS fan, I’d love to take a shot at Hayes.
Some people think Valdez can be a good ballplayer, and some people say Enmanuel can’t.
Valdez needed a change of scenery. I think he has some offensive talent it just wasn’t going to happen in Boston. The Red Sox just have two many second base type guys who are better. He designated on the 11th so good job by Breslow to bring in arm see what the lab can do with.
Good move – Bucs need a left-handed infield bat.
The Bucs need a power hitting outfielder
Hahahahaha. Thanks Dock. Needed a good lsugh
Just dumb they haven’t signed one of the Kims but I’m sure both Bae and Kang make them hesitant to sign an Asian
Decent get for the pirates. 29% chase rate, 87% zone contact and a 110 mph Max ev is solid. The downside is that he has an extreme fly ball approach with a lot of Pop ups too, his GB rate is low but sweet Spot percentage still below average because he hits so many pop ups and weak high fly balls.
Probably more of a depth piece rather than an everyday player but still a decent option in case of injury.
For a small trade it is a decent on. Valdez isn’t a bad little player. Not a superstar but a good bench and 2nd division starter. The Red Sox are trying to add young arms because they have position players but are not having success developing a lot of arms.
Chavis, Yorke, Valdez, who’s next? Pittsburgh’s the land of misfit toys for Sox infielders
It’s ok. They stop here for a year and then head for Asia. The Pirates are the scouting grounds for the Hiroshima Carp
Not sure on the return for the Sox but Valdez was going to be gone anyway.
I liked when we picked him up, but he was weak in the field.
Good times good times
Pirates got Valdez! Pirates got Valdez! Oh wait …. wrong one
Got 3 shorts in minors on the 40 man. Can the pirates quit doing this type of thing and give the fanbase some hope