SAN FRANCISCO -- The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't had a lot of success in recent years, but they have done well when targeting players who were once top prospects for the Giants. They'll now try to help another one break through.
Tyler Beede was claimed by the Pirates a week after he was designated for assignment by the Giants and will look to find a more consistent role with an organization that already has three former Giants draft picks playing big parts.
The Pirates' best player is Bryan Reynolds, who was dealt to Pittsburgh along with Kyle Crick in the Andrew McCutchen deal before the 2018 season. Like Beede, Reynolds is a Vanderbilt product, and he turned into an All-Star after the Giants traded him.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Crick had a pretty solid run as a reliever with the Pirates before signing with the Chicago White Sox. Chris Stratton, drafted in the first round two years before Beede, has been one of the Pirates' best relievers the last four seasons. Heath Hembree is also now in Pittsburgh's bullpen.
Beede will become the sixth former Giant on Pittsburgh's 40-man roster, joining Reynolds, Stratton, Hembree, Anthony Banda and Jose Quintana, who has a 2.70 ERA in six starts. It's unclear if Beede will get a chance to start in Pittsburgh, or if he will join other former Giants in the bullpen.
RELATED: Ramos, Hjelle are examples of Giants' new prospect approach
The Giants carried Beede through the first month of the season but DFA'd him last week. Beede had a 5.39 ERA in parts of four seasons with the Giants but was still hitting 98 mph this season. He said last week that he was sad to be moving on but hoped to find a good opportunity elsewhere.
San Francisco Giants
"I'm confident that if I do get an opportunity to either start or get thrown out there more consistently that I'll be a really, really good pitcher for a team and contribute in a good way," Beede said. "Anybody who puts on a uniform for a team, you've got to be confident in your abilities, and I certainly am."