Kansas City Royals fans might be interested to learn that a former player favorite might be headed to the National League in the frenzy of the Major League Baseball trade deadline. In this instance, David DeJesus is apparently drawing the interest from the surprise team of the National League: the Pittsburgh Pirates. That is, if Buster Olney is to be believed.
Olney writes via Twitter, “The Pirates have talked internally about pursuing David DeJesus, but it’s unclear whether they will follow up aggressively with Oakland.” DeJesus has been a definite disappointment all season long for Oakland after the trade involving Vin Mazzaro this off-season. DeJesus ended last season on a frustrating note to injury right when it seemed like he was putting together his best season as a pro. After hitting .318 in the season’s first half, he was suddenly out. In 2011, he’s been completely abysmal.
Certainly, the A’s weren’t thinking they’d end up with a .229 hitter when trading for DeJesus. In 85 games, the right fielder has a .660 OPS, although he has been heating up as the summer wears on — hitting .290 over the last two weeks. Perhaps that’s drawn the interest of the Pirates who see a potential buy low situation. The Pirates could certainly use another decent bat in the line-up since they’re ripe with several swing-first sluggers like Garrett Jones and Pedro Alvarez. Either way, it’ll be interesting for Royals fans to follow a former player on a surprising first place team like the Pirates.