The Pirates have traded reliever Clay Holmes to the New York Yankees for two infield prospects. The Yankees sent the Pirates 25-year old Hoy Jun Park and Diego Castillo. Park currently leads all players in Class Triple-A East with a .327 batting average and leads three other categories. The 25-year old was one of the most sought after international free agents in 2014, when the Yankees gave him a $1 million signing bonus at age 18. Castillo currently plays for Somerset of the Double-A Eastern League which includes the Altoona Curve. He is hitting .277 with 11 home runs in 58 games.
The Pirate organization has signed another top draft pick, when they agreed to a deal with Lonnie White, Jr. White was taken in the second compensatory round and was the 64th selection overall. The Pirates paid him a $1.5 million signing bonus to attract him away from attending Penn State.