PITTSBURGH– The Pirates are moving on from a longtime outfielder.
The team has traded OF Starling Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks for prospects P Brennan Malone and OF Liover Peguero.
Marte, 31, had spent his entire eight year career in Pittsburgh.
A career .287 hitter, Marte has found himself at the top of the Pirates’ order for a majority of his tenure with the team.
Last season, Marte remained plenty productive, hitting .295 with 23 HR’s and 83 RBI’s along with 25 stolen bases.
He will now take over center field in Arizona.
In return, the Pirates acquired two prized prospects.
Malone, 19, was selected in the first round of last year’s MLB Draft by the Diamondbacks.
So far, he has only thrown eight professional innings, but his potential is believed to be sky high.
Peguero, 19, played at two low levels of the minor leagues last season, hitting a combined .326 with 5 HR’s and 38 RBI’s. He also had 11 stolen bases.
While both players are years away from production at the Major League level, they both are believed to have the talent to be solid contributors.
Only time will tell.
