Pirates add offensive help in trades with Marlins and Blue Jays

Two games out of a wild-card spot, the Pittsburgh Pirates made a move to bolster their lineup as they look to fight their way into the playoffs by adding outfielder Bryan De La Cruz in a trade with the Miami Marlins.

But they weren't done there, they also made a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays to acquire utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Tied for the third-fewest runs scored in the National League, the Pirates have been carried by their rotation that features rookie phenoms Paul Skenes and Jared Jones along with veteran ace Mitch Keller.

Now they have some reinforcements in De La Cruz and Kiner-Falefa to ease the burden on the pitching staff and to help out outfielder Bryan Reynolds and shortstop Oneil Cruz, who have been carrying the offense.

De La Cruz is slashing .245/.289/.417 with 18 home runs and 51 RBI in 105 games for the Marlins. Now he will slot right into the heart of the Pirates lineup that is in desperate need of offensive production.

In return for the 27-year-old outfielder, the Pirates traded their 17th-ranked prospect in 20-year-old pitcher Jun-Seok Shim and 18th-ranked prospect utilityman Garrett Forrester. With De La Cruz under team control for three more years, he should be a mainstay in Pittsburgh for years to come.

Kiner-Falefa is having his best season at the plate in his seven-year MLB career, slashing .292/.338/.420 with seven home runs and 33 RBI in 82 games while spending time at multiple infield positions.

The 29-year-old gave Pirates manager Derek Shelton a versatile weapon who can play all across the diamond and one who offers a tough at-bat at the plate.

In return for Kiner-Falefa, the Blue Jays acquired breakout outfielder Charles McAdoo. The 22-year-old outfielder was a 13th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and has done nothing but hit since making his professional debut.

The young outfielder is slashing .315/.394/.538 with 14 home runs, 63 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 78 games played across two minor league levels and was primed to jump up the Pirates' prospect rankings.

The Pirates will hope that these much-needed additions will prove to be worth it as they look to make the postseason for the first time since 2015.