Musgrove heads to San Diego for prospects

The Pirates made another move to add prospects to the system Monday, sending Joe Musgrove to San Diego in a three-way deal that also involved the New York Mets.

Several media outlets reported the deal, including the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The top prospect in the deal would appear to be outfielder Hudson Head, ranked No. 7 in the Padres system according to MLB Pipeline and No. 8 according to Baseball America.

Also coming from San Diego are Omar Cruz, a left-handed pitcher ranked No. 17 by MLB Pipeline, and two right-handed pitchers – David Bednar, ranked No. 20 by MLB Pipeline, and Drake Fellows.

The Pirates also obtained the Mets’ No. 14 prospect, catcher Endy Rodriguez. The Mets received left-hander Joey Lucchesi from the Padres as part of the deal.

Head, 19, was the Padres’ third-round draft choice in 2019 out of San Antonio. San Diego signed the 6-1, 180-pound Head to a $3 million bonus – the largest ever given to a third-round pick.

Head, who bats left and throws left, batted .283 with a homer and 12 RBIs in 120 at-bats in the Arizona Rookie League in 2019. He turns 20 on April 8.

Cruz, 6-foot and 200 pounds, will turn 22 on Jan. 26. He last pitched in 2019 at Fort Wayne of the Midwest League and Tri-City of the Northwest League. He went 2-3 with a 2.73 ERA and a 1.161 WHIP in 56 innings combined.

Bednar, a 26-year-old Pittsburgh native who graduated from Mars High School, reached the big leagues in 2019 and appeared in 17 games overall in two seasons with the Padres. In 17 1/3 innings, the 6-1, 249-pounder surrendered 21 hits and 13 earned runs, striking out 19 and walking seven.

Fellows, a Vanderbilt product who turns 23 on March 6, stands 6-5 and weighs 216. He has yet to appear in a professional game after being drafted in the sixth round in the 2019 draft. He went 13-2 with a 4.09 ERA for Vanderbilt that season.

Rodriguez, who turns 21 in May, is a Dominican Republic native who signed with the Mets in 2018. The 6-foot, 170-pound right-handed hitter advanced to the Gulf Coast League in 2019, where he put together a .293/.393/.453 slash line in 89 plate appearances.

Musgrove was the Pirates most marketable commodity after putting together three respectable seasons in Black and Gold. The 28-year-old right-hander will be heading home to his native San Diego with a career record of 29-38, a 4.33 ERA and a WHIP of 1.232 in 108 appearances, 83 of which came as a starter.

Musgrove was part of the ill-fated Gerrit Cole trade, as he came to Pittsburgh with Colin Moran, Michael Feliz and Jason Martin. Only Moran and Feliz remain with the Pirates as Martin was released in November and signed with Texas in December.