The Pittsburgh Pirates started shoring up their outfield depth Thursday — and perhaps preparing for a trade of center fielder Starling Marte — when they signed light-hitting Guillermo Heredia to a one-year contract.
General manager Ben Cherington announced the signing Thursday evening.
Heredia, a four-year veteran who will turn 29 on Jan. 31, could be a fourth outfielder for the Pirates after playing all three outfield positions in three seasons with the Seattle Mariners and last year with the Tampa Bay Rays.
A native of Cuba, he has spent most of his career in center field — 194 of 359 games — but he manned left field 143 times and right field 45, with 13 assists and six errors.
Heredia (5-foot-10, 195 pounds) has a lifetime slash line of .240/.317/.342 with 17 home runs, 75 RBIs and six stolen bases. Last season with the Rays, he slashed .225/.306/.363 with five home runs, 13 doubles and 20 RBIs in 89 games. He earned a pre-arbitration salary of $782,000.
The right-handed hitter was a two-time Gold Glove center fielder while playing with Matanzas from 2009-14 and started in center field for Cuba in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Heredia was named the Mariners’ recipient of the Heart and Hustle Award by the Major League Baseball Players Association in 2018. That season, he was one of five qualified MLB outfielders to record a 1.000 fielding percentage.
The Pirates could open the season with a starting outfield, left to right, of Bryan Reynolds, Marte and Gregory Polanco, who missed most of last season after having shoulder surgery in 2018.
Marte has attracted interest on the trade market, and the Pirates might seriously consider offers before or during spring training or at the deadline in July. In that case, Heredia would provide depth while Reynolds could move to center field.
The Pirates also can use young players Kevin Kramer and Jason Martin in the outfield. Martin is rehabbing a dislocated shoulder suffered late last season. He had surgery Oct. 18, and his rehab period is estimated at four to six months.
Outfielder Pablo Reyes was designated for assignment to make room for Heredia on the 40-man roster.
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