The Tampa Bay Rays have traded outfielder Corey Dickerson to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-handed pitcher Daniel Hudson, minor league infielder Tristan Gray and cash considerations.
Dickerson, 28, was designated for assignment by the Rays on February 17. He was elected by the fans as the starting designated hitter for the American League at the 2017 All-Star Game in Miami, his first career appearance. He became the fourth Ray to start an All-Star Game, with the previous three coming in 2010: third baseman Evan Longoria (won fan vote), left fielder Carl Crawford (won fan vote) and left-handed pitcher David Price (named starter by manager). In 2017, Dickerson established career highs with 150 games, 84 runs, 166 hits, 64 extra-base hits, 27 home runs, 288 total bases and 51 multi-hit games. He was the AL's outright leader in batting avg. through June 26 (.330), the latest into a season by date that a Ray led the AL batting race.
Dickerson was acquired by the Rays from the Colorado Rockies in January 2016. In two seasons with the club, he hit .265/.310/.480 (291-for-1,098) with 51 home runs and 132 RBI in 298 games. Over parts of five seasons in the majors with the Rockies (2013-15) and Rays, he has hit .280/.325/.504 (546-for-1,952) with 90 home runs and 256 RBI.
Hudson, 30, went 2-7 with a 4.38 ERA (61.2-IP, 30-ER) in a career-high 71 appearances in 2017, his only season with the Pirates. In 46 appearances from June 2 through the end of the season, he posted a 3.43 ERA (39.1-IP, 15-ER) and .211 opponents' average. Over parts of eight seasons in the majors with the Chicago White Sox (2009-10), Arizona Diamondbacks (2010-16) and Pirates (2017), he is 37-30 with a 3.98 ERA (573.2-IP, 254-ER) in 270 appearances (59 starts). He has been used almost exclusively as a reliever since returning from a second Tommy John surgery in 2015. Over that span, he is 9-12 with a 4.46 ERA (189.2-IP, 94-ER) and 195 strikeouts in 205 appearances (one start).
Gray, was selected by the Pirates in the 13th round of the 2017 June Draft out of Rice University. In his first professional season, he hit .269/.329/.486 (56-for-208) with 12 doubles, six triples, seven home runs and 37 RBI in 53 games with Short-A West Virginia. He appeared in the New York-Penn League All-Star Game and was named the game's Top Star after going 2-for-2 with a solo homer and RBI single. Following the season, he was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 19 prospect in the New York-Penn League. In three seasons at Rice, he hit .286 (139-for-486) with 27 doubles, 16 home runs and 82 RBI in 145 games (135 starts).