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.
Eh the Sox have many, what I’ll call redundant prospects. Their best ones are middle infielders. They need pitchers and or corner IF/OF guys – more guys with power hit tools.
That being said, I’m glad that Pittsburgh will ar least make trades unlike whatever Seattle is doing.
Kinda sad when Fisher makes Nutting and Castellini look even cheaper than they are. The Billionaire suck up the Luxury Tax money and run crew.
Nutting and Castellini would 100% spend as well if in same situation as Sacramento.
@dreamgm. A’s are forced to spend to get the revenue share plus are getting the picks penalized for not doing so. That’s why they did the severino deal hoping he’s good enough to opt out. He’s only 30 so it’s possible.
Yeah? Why? He just has it out for his home fan base here in Pittsburgh?
@rex yes.
@joe not ideal but at least he could play there if he had to. Could be a dwarf 1b.
Lol. They have best prospect in baseball who is an outfielder
Four of the red sox, top five prospects, our shortstops
Their number one prospect is Roman Anthony, a corner outfielder.
Seems to me they draft SS and then move because they seem to think SS ‘s are the best athletes.
Seemed to work for Pedroia and Betts.
Occam’s – Roman Anthony played 81 games at CF this year with 24 in RF or LF.
Can this guy even play 2b or they just throw him at 2b? He was awful in minors. Haven’t seen him in MLB.
Not when I was watching. Not a terrible bat, but I thought he had some range issues.
DreamGm- I have seen worse people play 2B, not many, but they do exist.
He’s a bat first guy. Glove distant second
Define “play”. He will make a majority of routine plays, but he’s more of a bat-without-a-glove kind of guy.
Lot of talent in 2nd base area ! You don’t know what your talking about!
Shhhh! Don’t spill our secret plans in the Burgh!
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.
They call Jhostynxon Garcia…’Password’……
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
Hansel Robles, Jr.
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
Mr Main Street – The White Sucks lost 120+ games last year. They are the most pathetic team in the MLB.
I get that
Now let’s compare the Sox to the Pirates during Nutting’s tenure as owner
And feel our pain
They both suck. I will give you that.
I certainly wouldn’t call this trade a fleece. It likely won’t affect either team positively or negatively whatsoever.
I have a feeling Gonzales is gonna end up being dealt this offseason.
In keeping with their award winning “let’s get rid of guys who show potential” methodology
If they get rid of any middle infield option, IKF and Peguero will be long gone before Gonzales is dealt, unless the Pirates get an offer they can’t refuse on Gonzales.
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.
It’s chronic. He’s missed time three years because of it. He has “no gel” in one of his discs. He also hates playing baseball and wishes he was a dancer.
He’s underperformed during his entire career here save for one half season and his attitude screams, “I couldn’t care less”
The cornerstone of the franchise
I’m sorry that he has a back problem but it doesn’t begin to excuse his play here
Agreed. I don’t mind to call him a bust.
Some people think Valdez can be a good ballplayer, and some people say Enmanuel can’t.
Well done.
Slow clap.
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
Really not a bad little move at all for the Bucs. Pittsburgh is chock full of Vogatsky type prospects. Valdez is a needed lefty infield bat who at worst has a shot at being a good bench piece.
What I don’t understand, agreeing with other commenters here, is why everyone seems ready to give up on Nick Gonzales already. Is he streaky? Yes. But he’s also a very good clutch hitter and solid defensively at 2B.
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
Hamilton coming soon he’s fast AF though
Hamilton coming soon he’s fast AF though
=======================
I was wondering if he’d interest Pitt. Hamilton had 8 HRs and 33 SBs in half a season, plus Abreu, plus one non-premium prospect for Jones or Bubba Chandler.
Don’t think Bubba is going anywhere, Jones maybe but would have to be a good haul. Would rather see Keller go before Jones. Move Horwitz to 2B & trade for Casas for 1B then get Kepler or Winker or Ward for OF. Bucs could field a nice lineup
To me, it’s all a cop out. If the idea is to bring in scrap, why get rid of blue chip pitchers? Jones? No way
Chandler? You must be joking
Even Mitch? No thanks
It was bad enough to see Cherington give away Ortiz for a question mark
Im confident Horwitz won’t move the needle. Why move him to 2nd, where Nick had a pretty nice season
They’re missing a shortstop, 1st baseman and right fielder. Their center fielder is learning the position. Their 3rd baseman has back issues but even when healthy, plays like he’d rather be in Siberia
This is the group the GM has assembled, with the support of a pathetic owner
Cherington only trades for guys from Boston and Toronto. He’s the laziest GM in the game. Can’t be bothered to look at other systems.
Bobby dalbec 🙂
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
A+ Got him for free. Solid platoon bat. At worst can dh if cutch goes down or if he doesn’t come back in 2026.
Charrington loves those sub 210 batters. Cheap and going nowhere.
I think there is a perfect match for Boston acquiring a pitcher
W. Abreu (gold glove) & Y. Cepedes
FOR
J. Jones (SP)
It could happen for the right prospect. Cepedes might not be. Probably not a ss. 2b likely. Doesn’t walk enough which pirates desire. Young so more power could come but not that exciting of a prospect.
you can play with the names, but that trade lines up for both teams,
something like:
Abreu, Kutter & cespedes
FOR
Jones and Davis, (prospect that may need a scene change)
Biggest Troll – Completely agree. Surprise!!! hahaha
Jones is worth more than Mayer so it would take Mayers and Abreu to even get the Pittsburgh execs to look up from their phone. Jones at 22 is an excellent strike out guy, has all of his control years left plus his Tommy John year left and he’s got good control and stuff for a kid his age. He is a step down from Skenes but not a huge step down.
Would Pittsburgh take an over rated outfielder and a supremely over rated SS for a stud pitcher? Maybe it’s Cherington and he’s done dumber things.
Low balling the Pittsburgh guys and over estimating the Red Sox guys is a common problem with trade suggestions on this site. Be real and suggest equal value and hopefully somebody in Breslow’s group realizes it would be a fair trade.
To put this in perspective. Jones is more valuable than a great pitcher like Springs who just went to Oakland. Guess which one would be easier to get in a trade if you have the prospects that the other team wants? Yep, OAKLAND.
I can no longer remember what it was like, back in the pre-internet days, before every insignificant team MLB transaction was analyzed in such magnificent detail.
Imagine the intense scrutiny the MLBTR group would have invested in the 1974 Red Sox’ draft of Eddie Ford, Jimmy Schankle, Ronnie Patrick, Charles Reilly and Craig Brooks, or the Billy McCool for Bill Landis trade, between the Cards and Red Sox in 1970.
I respect and appreciate the deep passion that all of our commenters have for their teams, but, geez, in the words of Sigmund Freud, “Sometimes a trade for a bag of warm tobacco spittle is a trade for a bag of warm tobacco spittle.”
He’ll Jack a few bombs, iffy glove, might hit .250
I’ll take the young arms RP over him from our loaded system though. Maybe the Breezy, Bailey & Co. Pitching Factory will start pumping out usable arms in 3 years or less? Wouldn’t that be foreign to Redsox Nation!
I’d platoon Yorke vs lefties and Valdez vs Righties and you might piece together one solid 2b stat line for the season
Gonzales starts at second! Unless he slides to SS. Yorke to rf.
This makes zero sense. Gonzales, Yorke, Triolo, Bae, Horwitz, IKF, Peguero, and Williams can all play 2B.
Another of the red sox, all in moves. hot digity
This.
Nothing tells you more about a team’s commitment to winning more accurately than the return they receive for an irrelevant third rate utility infielder that they have already waived off the roster.
This is proof that FSG has already thrown the white flag on this season.
Don’t take this personally, Alan, but you are an idiot.
you are better than that, Joe
Disagree without personal insults
I don’t think I need to be polite if the comment was intended to be stupid. Trying to ridicule a trade of a guy we just DFAd, for someone that is basically a late round draft pick, as an all-in move, is begging to be disrespected.
With all due respect.
Cherington stocking up on Red Sox minor league Second Basemen
It’s hilarious that Valdez is portrayed here as a super utility guy who can play all over the field. The reason why he has experience all over is that he was bad at every position he tried. He’s the classic bat-without-a-position guy. Sneaky pop and can hit anyone’s fastball though.
Well then he’ll fit in well here, as that describes most of the Pirates roster
I hear Josh Van Meter is available
He is a super utility player
I want to forget that name. Is a starter on my all time worse Pirates team along with his manager who penciled his name in the lineup almost every game.
And often batted him clean-up
Guy has not pitched in Single A yet and people are penning him in as a closer. Guy was a 19th round pick. Let’s get a little real here.
LOL!
There are 109 comments. 11 of the comments I have muted, so I cannot account for them.
But of the other 98 comments, a quick search on the word “closer” shows that you are the only one that used that term.
But if you want, please let me know who else thinks he is going to be a closer.
He has not pitched in the Minors yet. He is probably at least 3 years away if not more. The only reliever I saw come up quickly was Craig Hansen drafted out of St John’s University who threw at 98MPH. He did not last long.
But again, you are complaining about people referring to him as future close. No one did. And you are the only post out of the 98 I can see that even references “closer”.
I guess I am curious why you would bother to complain about people calling him a closer, if no one called him a closer?
I am waiting to see the complaining about trading Valdez and what they got back.
Is Breslow going to spend any money this off season? He has gone from wanting to spend 700 million for Soto to looking in the dumpsters for injured players. Breslow, stop the BS and pick up a pitcher and a hitter already! This is Chaim Bloom 2.0, all in, full throttle bs.