Recently, several minor leaguers in the Pittsburgh Pirates system who were acquired in “prospect” trades have quietly declared free agency. In some cases, it closes the book on some of the trades made by general manager Ben Cherington. In other cases, there’s more clarity on the matter of whether these trades were successful.
Pirates Minor Leaguers Declare Free Agency
When Cherington took the job in 2019, he set about replenishing the minor league system by dealing players who would have approached free agency by the time the Pirates were ready to compete. Now with the benefit of hindsight, we’ll take a look at how these trades panned out in light of the recent departures.
Cherington’s First Trade
Cherington’s first move was to trade star outfielder Starling Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks for shortstop Liover Peguero and pitcher Brennan Malone. Both were 19-year-old ranked prospects in Arizona’s system at the time, Peguero at No. 18 and Malone at No. 9. It was thought that Peguero was the shortstop of the future. That never materialized, and he was recently placed on waivers, as previously reported here.
The Pirates had high hopes for Malone as well. He was a first-round draft pick (33rd overall) of the Diamondbacks in 2019. Cherington told Sam Dykstra of MLB.com, “[W]e’re excited about the ingredients he has that gives [sic] him the ability to be a starting pitcher.” Alas, due to a plethora of injuries, Malone had trouble staying on the field. He never appeared in more than 10 games in the Pirates system until this past season, never advancing above Single-A. For his career as Pittsburgh property, he had a 4.50 ERA and 1.714 WHIP. Last season, he posted a 4.45 ERA and 1.694 WHIP in 25 relief appearances before being placed on the 60-day injured list on August 6. According to his transaction page, he was activated on November 6 and declared free agency the same day.
Marte was an All-Star and two-time Gold Glove recipient as a Pirate. It made sense to trade him because he was two years from free agency and reportedly unhappy in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh was less than pleased with him, too, after his 80-game suspension for PED use in 2017. Even so, now that Malone and Peguero are no longer with the Pirates, Cherington’s first trade can be considered a disaster.
Eddy, We Hardly Knew Ye(an)
With Cherington’s second major trade, All-Star first baseman Josh Bell was traded to the Washington Nationals for pitchers Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean after the 2020 season. Crowe was major-league ready and pitched for the Pirates from 2021-23, first as a starter, then as a workhorse reliever. The Pirates released him after the 2023 season, and he went off to Korea to resume his pro career. No matter. It was Yean, 20 at the time of the trade, who was thought to be the key to the deal.
However, Yean mostly struggled in the Pirates system. Starting and relieving, he was 25-19 with 20 saves, a 4.53 ERA, and a 1.513 WHIP. The 3.06 ERA he registered with Triple-A Indianapolis in 2025 is deceiving. That came with a 1.599 WHIP and 5.7 walks per nine innings. With the Pirates system so deep in pitching, Yean was unlikely to get more than a cursory look, if that, in 2026, so he also declared free agency on November 6. He’s now back with Washington on a minor league deal.
The Washington Nationals signed Dominican right-hander Eddy Yean to a minor league contract, per sources.
Yean, 24, spent all of 2025 with Triple-A Indianapolis in the Pirates system, posting a 3.06 ERA over 70.2 innings.
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— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) November 15, 2025
Cherington must have felt that he was selling high on Bell, who followed up his 2019 37 HR, 116 RBI season with a .226 average during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when new manager Derek Shelton couldn’t seem to make up his mind between Bell and Colin Moran, of all people. In retrospect, if he was selling high, he didn’t get enough for Bell. The Pirates haven’t received consistent play from a first baseman since. That closes the ledger on this deal, too, and it was another abomination.
Drake Leaves, Too, and We’re Not Joshin’
Cherington’s third major trade involved the San Diego Padres and New York Mets. He sent pitcher Joe Musgrove to the Padres and received pitchers David Bednar, Omar Cruz, and Drake Fellows, outfielder Hudson Head, and catcher Endy Rodríguez. Fellows, a Vanderbilt product, was 13-13 with a 5.00 ERA and 1.481 WHIP in the Pirates system. Turning 28 during spring training, he’s old for a prospect. Fellows also declared minor league free agency on the sixth. With last July’s trade of Bednar, Rodríguez is the only remaining piece from this trade.
Malcom Not in the Middle of Infield Picture Any Longer
Finally, corner infielder Malcom Nuñez also elected free agency on November 6, the same day he was removed from the 60-day IL. Cherington acquired Nuñez and pitcher Johan Oviedo from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for veteran pitchers Jose Quintana and Chris Stratton at the 2022 trade deadline. Nuñez hit 23 home runs across two levels in 2022. As a result, Pirates fans hoped he’d be the answer at third base or first base, traditional power positions where the Pirates were bucking tradition.
However, his production rapidly declined. Nuñez wasn’t even invited to spring training in 2024. After an injury-plagued 2025 that limited him to 49 games, he’ll try his luck elsewhere. However, although the book isn’t closed on this trade, it looks like the only one on this page that will work out in the Pirates’ favor, as Oviedo looks to be a fixture in the Pirates’ rotation for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Nuñez, who turns 25 in spring training, should easily land a minor league contract with another organization.
Main Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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