Big Dan Vogelbach is on the move once again, this time being dealt from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the New York Mets in exchange for a relief pitcher.
Baseball’s most majestic, handsome man has once again found himself on the move via trade as the New York Mets have acquired 1B/DH Daniel Vogelbach from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
As per Jon Heyman, Colin Holderman is the return going from New York to Pittsburgh as the deal is just a one-for-one with pieces going from big league roster to big league roster.
While this move will no doubt pale in comparison to some of the bigger ones coming in the near future as we get closer and closer to this year’s trade deadline, it still is an exciting one as it is one of the first true trades we’ve seen this season.
Typically the first move comes earlier in the year (see Rowdy Tellez and Willy Adames trades to Milwaukee last year), but this one comes two weeks away from the deadline.
MLB trade news: New York Mets acquire Daniel Vogelbach from the Pittsburgh Pirates
In the 29-year-old Vogelbach, the Mets are set to shore up a designated hitter spot that has by far been the weakest link in their everyday lineup. They will become the latest team to try and bring out the best in Big Dan after he came up as a top prospect in the Cubs and Mariners systems.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets have gotten just six home runs (third-fewest in the majors) and a .208/.288/.317 slash-line out of the designated hitter spot this season. While Vogelbach hasn’t necessarily been lighting the world on fire at the plate this year, he will represent an immediate upgrade in the power department.
Sherman goes on to point out that the Mets have a team .692 OPS against right-handed pitching on the year. Vogelbach alone has an .896 OPS against righties and has an insane amount of pop in his left-handed swing.
Through 75 games on the season, “Vogey” has 12 home runs and 34 RBI, drawing 40 walks and striking out 67 times in over 270 plate appearances. His OPS+ of 117 would be the highest he’s put up in a single season in his career if the season ended today. His strong start to the year has largely flown under the radar since he plays for the Pirates who aren’t necessarily the media’s sexiest team.
Oh, and he also hit his first career triple earlier this season and it’s a beauty.
In Holderman, the Pirates are landing a 26-year-old right-handed pitcher who made his big league debut earlier this season and has looked very strong so far. After functioning as a starting pitcher for the first handful of seasons in his professional career, he has exclusively pitched out of the big league bullpen for the Mets to great results.
On the year, Holderman has 15 appearances under his belt to go along with a perfect 4-0 record, a 2.04 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 17.2 innings. He also has yet to surrender a single home run in the first 67 batters he has faced at the major league level.
The odds are very high that Holderman immediately slots into the Pirates bullpen that has seen a number of players underperforming this year.