The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a deal to acquire Starling Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for a pair of prospects in right-handed pitcher Brennan Malone and infielder Liover Peguero. Arizona is also sending international spending money to Pittsburgh. Both teams have confirmed the trade.
A Marte trade has been one of the most speculated moves this offseason as the Pirates have finally traded the most-veteran player on their roster.
Pittsburgh’s new general manager, Ben Cherington, has pulled the trigger on his first high-profile move in Pennsylvania as he parts way with Marte, who had been with the Pirates since making his Major League debut in 2012. His first game was against the Houston Astros and he hit a leadoff homer off of Astros starter, Dallas Keuchel, on the first pitch he ever saw.
Last season, Marte had a career-high 23 home runs and 82 runs batted in while posting a .295 batting average. He is a two-time Gold Glove award winner who has been a top-notch defensive player since he debuted.
Malone was the 33rd overall by the Diamondbacks in last year’s draft. According to scouts, he has a mid-90s fastball and an excellent slider.
Peguero is a shortstop who was signed out of the Dominican Republic; he only turned 19 last month. He batted .326 between Rookie league and Single-A last season. Scouts have listed Peguero as having an above-average bat (although he lacks power), glove, arm, and speed.
