Marlon Byrd, John Buck and Cash Traded to the Pirates for 2B Prospect Dilson Herrera and a PTBNL

According to multiple reports, the Mets have traded Marlon Byrd and John Buck to the Pirates, with cash considerations, for 2B Prospect Dilson Herrera and a Player to be Named Later.

Several reports indicated that the Mets were working on a deal after Byrd had been claimed off waivers, and with Robert Carson, Anthony Recker and Matt den Dekker heading to the team, these are some of the Mets’ corresponding moves, with one more roster spot to cover.

The Mets have yet to announce the deal.

The move makes all the sense in the world, especially for the Pirates. Maybe the Mets would have held onto both players had David Wright not gotten injured, but now, they are all in with a very young lineup the rest of the way, though Wright should return at some point before the season is over.

Though listed as a SS, Herrera has played primarily 2B this year, including at the Futures Game this July in Citi Field. Jonathan Mayo had him ranked as Pittsburgh’s 11th best prospect, and prospect guru Keith Law loved the deal for the Mets.  Here’s a blurb on Herrera from Mayo:

"Some international prospects come to the United States and are, at least initially, overwhelmed. Not so for Herrera, who made his U.S. debut in 2012 and was among the Gulf Coast League leaders in a host of offensive categories. While he’s not the biggest guy in the world, he’s shown he can really hit and projects to be an above-average hitter in the future, with more power than you’d expect from a guy his size. A well-above-average runner, the Colombian infielder should be able steal bases consistently, and that speed should also help him with his range as he continues to get used to playing second base, having shifted from playing third in the Dominican Summer League in 2011 after signing."

Herrera is 19 years old, and will most likely finish the season with the Mets’ minor league affiliate in Savannah (he had been playing for the Pirates’ Low-A team).

Have to wish the best to both Marlon Byrd and John Buck with the Pirates. Byrd had been fantastic for the Metsies, as did Buck, even though he cooled off tremendously after his historic April.

Here’s a scouting video of Herrera:

Here are some reaction tweets from those in the know:

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