Pittsburg, PA
New Houston Astros Trade Idea Buys Low On Embattled Pittsburgh Pirates Slugger
The Houston Astros need offensive help in the outfield and will need find a value-forward option in the trade market to do so.
One such player is Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Bryan De La Cruz.
He was a deadline addition last year for the Pirates and saw a sharp decline in play after the deal was made.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report now has De La Cruz as the most likely Pittsburgh player to be shipped out this winter.
That leaves the Astros open to swoop in and grab a player who still has a bit of potential for a low price. A possible deal between the two teams could see Houston send prospects Zach Cole and Jackson Nezuh to the Pirates in exchange for the struggling slugger.
De La Cruz posted a disappointing .200/220/.294 slash line over the final 44 games of the 2024 season. It may seem odd to trade for a guy coming off of such a cold stretch, but just a few months ago, he was on All-Star alert and on the verge of a potential 30-plus home run campaign.
Over the first 105 games of the year as a member of the Miami Marlins, he had a much better slash line of .245/.289/.417 with 18 home runs and 51 RBI.
He was one of the few players worth watching in the Marlins lineup this past season.
The 27-year-old debuted back in 2021 and still has a lot of room to grow. If The Astros can get his development turned back around into a positive direction, they could find a serious value with him.
Going back to Jake Meyers, Mauricio Dubon and Chas McCormick alongside Kye Tucker would simply not be acceptable for Houston next season, so they will need to be proactive in upgrading the lineup.
While they don’t have a ton of trade capital in their farm system, they could combine a couple of prospects to entice a team.
Cole is kind of the opposite of De La Cruz.
He’s an incredible defensive presence who can steal bases but doesn’t have much promise at the plate.
Even if the 24-year-old gets called up next year, that isn’t the type of player the Astros need right now.
Nezuh looksed solid in his first professional campaign with a 4.19 ERA and 11.3 K/9.
He is already looking more refined than he did in college, so Houston could do a quick flip of the prospect while the value is growing.
One of Pittsburgh’s biggest goals before hosting the NFL Draft was to modernize Market Square. It is just one of the spaces in the downtown area that is being transformed for the massive event.
Web Editor : Sydney Ross
Posted
2026 NFL Draft Pittsburgh regional transportation plan unveiled
With the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh quickly approaching, city officials and Pittsburgh Regional Transit unveiled its regional transportion plan.
Extensive road closures will be in place around Point State Park and Acrisure Stadium from April 22-25 as the 2026 NFL Draft brings three days of excitement and football fans into the city of Pittsburgh.
During NFL Draft events, the city’s Downtown and North Shore areas will convert to a walkable “Draft Campus,” with motorized traffic limited to Pittsburgh Regional Transit vehicles, the city’s light rail system (the “T”) and other official providers.
Therefore, many streets into and around the “Draft Campus” are closed to vehicle traffic starting April 22. Traffic patterns will be adjusted to allow Pirates fans to access PNC Park for baseball games held during the road closures, according to NFLDraftPittsburgh.com.
In addition to these streets, the Interstate 279 and Interstate 579 High Occupancy Vehicle lanes into the city are closed to vehicle traffic all week; only authorized bus traffic and emergency vehicles will be permitted to use those lanes.
People planning to use the Beaver County Transit Authority bus to reach downtown Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft events can find more information about the authority’s bus service plans on the BCTA website.
Here is the list of road closures in place from April 22-25, according to NFLDraftPittsburgh.com, which has a complete guide to getting into and around the city during NFL Draft events.
- Art Rooney Avenue
- West General Robinson Street to Tony Dorsett Drive
- Scotland Avenue
- Casino Drive, from Sproat Way
- North Shore Drive, from Chuck Noll Way
- Reedsdale Street to Tony Dorsett Drive
- Chuck Noll Way
- Tony Dorsett Drive
- Sproat Way
- Allegheny Avenue from Ridge Avenue
- North Shore Drive, from Chuck Noll Way to Mazeroski Way
- Mazeroski Way
- West General Robinson Street
- Lacock Street, from Federal Street
- Federal Street, from Lacock Street
- Merchant Street
- I-279 southbound exit 1B ramp
- I-279 northbound exit 1B ramp
- Route 65 southbound ramp to Fort Duquesne
- Route 65 northbound ramp from Fort Duquesne Bridge
- T1 ramp from Reedsdale Street and Ridge Avenue
- Sixth Street Bridge, aka the Roberto Clemente Bridge
- Seventh Street Bridge, aka the Andy Warhol Bridge
- Isabella Street
- Sixth Street
- Fort Pitt on ramp, from 10th Street Bypass and Fort Duquesne Boulevard
- Commonwealth Place
- Liberty Avenue extension
- Penn Avenue, from Stanwix Street to 9th Street
- Liberty Avenue/PPG Paints Arena exit off the Fort Pitt Bridge
- Smithfield Street Bridge
Pennsylvania’s 511PA.com online transportation website will feature a special NFL webpage providing real-time traffic information in and around the city during the NFL Draft.
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