Pirates trade Kevin Newman to Reds for Dauri Moreta

Sorry for the delay on this one, guys. I was working the PA Silver Gloves tournament this weekend and I’m just now getting caught up on everything that’s happened across the sports world these last few days.

Anyway, the Pittsburgh Pirates continue to make offseason moves, as they traded infielder Kevin Newman to their division rival Cincinnati Reds for right-handed pitcher Dauri Moreta.

Newman is coming off of a pretty good season at the plate in which he hit .274 across 309 plate appearances with 2 homeruns and 24 RBIs in what was his best season at the plate since 2019.

He was decent in the field this year, playing most of his time at second base following the arrival of Oneil Cruz, and though he was Gold Glove finalist in 2021, he’s been typically around avergae in the infield for his career. With Pittsburgh going youth, the 29-year-old utility infielder became expendable.

As for Moreta, he saw 35 appearances this season for the Reds with one start, finishing with an 0-2 record and 5.40 ERA, a 1.174 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 38 innings.

He’s a hard thrower, with a fastball in the upper 90s and pretty good sinker as well. He also throws a slider and a changeup.

The 26-year-old does have some potential to continue to develop, so the Pirates snagged a mid-to-late-inning arm in exchange a light-hitting utility infielder who will be hitting 30 next season. It’s a pretty good gamble, in my opinion, but it all depends on if Moreta continues to develop.