The Pirates and Blue Jays have agreed to a trade that will send utilityman to Pittsburgh. The Bucs will also get some cash considerations as part of the deal, while the Jays will receive outfield prospect in return. The trade has been officially announced by both clubs. Toronto is reportedly paying down $1MM of the approximate $ Jaden McDaniels Jersey 2.5MM remaining on Kiner-Falefas deal this season; theyll also pick up roughly $1.22MM of the $7.5MM on his contract for next season. Kiner-Falefa hasnt played a big league game since June 30 due to a left knee sprain, but he is two games into a minor league rehab a signment and is expected to be activated within the next few days, a suming no setbacks. The 29-year-old now looks to be making his return in a new uniform, and joining a playoff race, with the Pirates two games back of an NL wild card slot. Toronto signed Kiner-Falefa to a two-year, $15MM free agent deal this winter, and both the size of the contract and IKFs landing spot surprised many pundits at the time. Kiner-Falefa has a history as a glove-first player and was coming off a rough year at the plate with the 2023 Yankees, and the Jays seemingly had little need for a utility infielder given their number of infield options already on hand. As it turned out, however, Kiner-Falefa ended up being an all-around bright spot in an otherwise disappointing Blue Jays season. Over 281 plate appearances, Kiner-Falefa has hit .292/.338/.420 with seven home runs in a Jays uniform. His 116 wRC+ far outcla ses the 81 wRC+ he posted in his first six MLB seasons, even if a fair amount of good fortune has been involved. Kiner-Falefas .331 wOBA is well above his .291 xwOBA, he has a .316 BABIP, and he ranks in the bottom tenth percentile of all hitters in walk rate, hard-hit ball rate, and barrel rate. While the hard contact hasnt been there, Kiner-Falefa has made a lot of contact in general, with an excellent 13.2% strikeout rate. This unexpected offense has been paired with IKFs customary strong defense, as he has helped the Jays at second base, third base, and shortstop this year. Pittsburgh already has an elite defensive third baseman in and is locked into the shortstop role, so with now facing on the 10-day IL, Kiner-Falefa figures to slide right into the Pirates second base role once he himself returns to good health. After five straight losing seasons, the Pirates appear eager to mark the end of their rebuild with a postseason berth. Kiner-Falefa, , , and have all been added in trades in the last few days, and another deal or two might be squeezed in before the deadline. While none of these moves are exactly blockbusters, the sum total is a set of modest but needed upgrades to bolster some weaker links on the roster. The financial element of the IKF deal shouldnt be overlooked, as Kiner-Falefa is owed roughly $2.5MM for the rest of this season and then $7.5MM in 2025. The Jays included cash in a few of their deadline deals. McAdoo ranked 12th in Baseball Americas most recent evaluation of the Pirates minor league system, and the 22-year-old has hit .315/.394/.538 with 14 home runs over 376 total PA at high-A and Double-A this season. A 13th-round pick out of San Jose State in the 2023 draft, McAdoo has done nothing but hit in his brief pro career, and has already shown a lot of polish in his approach at the plate. BA notes that McAdoo has shown elite bat speed and exit velocities to back up his impre sive bottom-line numbers. Defensively, McAdoo has played mostly third base in the minors, but with a good chunk of time at first base, second base, and in both corner outfield spots. BA hasnt been wowed by his defense and feels the corner outfield might ultimately be his defensive home, though for now, McAdoo looks like the kind of versatile multi-position type the Blue Jays have prioritized in recent years. ESPNs Jeff Pa san ( ) was the first to report that IKF was headed to the Pirates, while MLB.coms Mark Feinsand wrote ( ) about McAdoos inclusion. reported the specifics of the cash considerations. Ricky Rubio Jersey