Pirates trade catcher Austin Hedges to Texas Rangers for international bonus space

The Pittsburgh Pirates traded catcher Austin Hedges to the Texas Rangers on Tuesday for additional capacity in their 2023-24 international signing bonus pool, marking their third deal involving a veteran rental player before the MLB trade deadline.

The Pirates also traded first baseman Carlos Santana to the Milwaukee Brewers last Thursday and sent left-handed starting pitcher Rich Hill and first baseman/designated Ji-Man Choi to the San Diego Padres earlier Monday.

The Pirates signed the 30-year-old Hedges to a one-year, $5 million contract in December in an effort to improve their defense behind the plate. His eight defensive runs saved ranked in the top five in baseball, and Pirates pitchers credited Hedges for his game-calling and pitch framing as they had 18 quality starts in the first 28 games.

Hedges’ bat was a problem, however, as he hit only .180 (29 for 161) with five doubles, one home run and 14 RBIs in 65 games. The Pirates replaced him as the starter late last month when they promoted top prospect Endy Rodriguez.

“He did exactly what he hoped he would do,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “Obviously, he would tell you that, of course, everyone wants to get more hits and I’m sure he was frustrated by that at times. We signed him because we thought he would make an impact on our team, on or pitching staff. He did a great job behind the dish defensively.”

The Rangers entered Tuesday in first place in the AL West, with a half-game lead over the Houston Astros, so Cherington touted the opportunity for Hedges to play in a pennant race. Cherington also said he understood the fans’ frustrations with Hedges batting below the Mendoza Line.

“I’ve always felt like if anybody in Pittsburgh who cares about the team knew Austin, you can’t possibly not root for him,” Cherington said. “He is sort of, for a Southern California kid, he’s very Pittsburgh. We understand. When you have young catchers who are performing in Triple-A and the team’s trying to get better, we’re all rooting for that. I understand where the questions are coming from, but he did exactly what he hoped he would do.”

The Pirates recalled Jason Delay from Triple-A Indianapolis, joining Rodriguez and Henry Davis to give them three catchers on the active roster. Davis is starting in right field but Cherington said he expects Davis to see time behind the plate now that the trade deadline has passed.

“Given where we are as a team, we felt like that was a really important thing for 2023, to have that layer,” Cherington said. “We got to a point in the season with Endy and Henry here that it’s time to meet those guys.”