The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they have acquired catcher Joey Bart from the Giants in exchange for minor league RHP Austin Strickland. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Pirates DFA'd pitcher Colin Selby.
Joey Bart was a top 15 prospect in all of baseball at one point. He was supposed to be the replacement for Giants legendary catcher Buster Posey. The past few seasons it hasn't gone that way for Joey Bart and the Giants. Now, Bart will get a change of scenery.
The Giants drafted Joey Bart in the 2018 draft with the second pick in the first round. Unfortunately, Bart has never lived up to what everyone really thought he was going to be. In 162 career games at the MLB level, Joey Bart has slashed .219/.288/.335, with 11 HR's, 38 RBI's, and a .623 OPS.
Not many people may know who the Giants are getting in return for Joey Bart. They are getting 21-year-old pitcher, Austin Strickland. The Pirates drafted Austin Strickland in the eighth round of the 2023 MLB draft. Like Joey Bart, Austin Strickland will be able to have a change of scenery by joining the Giants.
Austin Strickland has yet to pitch in the minor leagues. He's only pitched in college baseball. As mentioned above, Strickland was just drafted last year. In 3 college seasons, Strickland has appeared in 54 games, he has a 7-7 record, 5.28 ERA, 124 K's, and a 1.358 WHIP.
The biggest part of this trade between the Giants and the Pirates is obviously Joey Bart. He has a ton of potential. Although, Austin Strickland is still very young and has a lot of potential. It'll be interesting to see how this trade ends up for both sides.