The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired All-Star outfielder Corey Dickerson from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for pitcher Daniel Hudson, minor league infielder Tristan Gray and cash considerations, it was announced Thursday.
"Corey Dickerson adds a quality power threat to our lineup as evidenced by his 60-plus extra-base hits and 20-plus home runs each of the past two seasons," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement. "Corey is a driven player who will also add a quality presence to our clubhouse."
Dickerson, 28, hit .282 with a career-high 27 home runs, 33 doubles and 62 RBIs for the Rays in 2017. He broke into the majors in 2013 with the Colorado Rockies and has 90 career home runs.
He had been designated for assignment Saturday, causing former Rays teammate Evan Longoria, who was traded to the San Francisco Giants this offseason, to question his former team.
"It's kind of a shame,'' Longoria said Sunday. "I don't understand it. The guy was an All-Star last year. He's in his early prime. He's still controllable. It just doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't make sense to a lot of people. Corey will end up somewhere and continue to be the player that he is. But I kind of just feel bad for the Rays' fan base.
"And I feel bad for the guys this year who were probably counting on Corey to put up numbers to help the team win. I'm not going to take too many shots. But I think it's pretty obvious that the guy is a valuable player and didn't deserve to be DFA'd.''
The Rays are obligated to pay about $1 million of Dickerson's $5.95 million salary for 2018.
He tailed off in the second half last season after making his first All-Star team. He has a .280/.325/.504 slash line in 2,102 MLB plate appearances, and he ranked fourth on the Tampa Bay roster with 2.6 WAR in 2017.
Hudson is a 30-year-old right-hander who went 2-7 with a 4.38 ERA in a career-high 71 appearances in 2017. He's 37-30 with a 3.98 career ERA over eight seasons with the Pirates, Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks.
He has 59 career starts, but primarily as a reliever since returning from a second Tommy John surgery in 2015.
Gray was a 13th-round pick of the Pirates in 2017. He spent his first pro season with Short-A West Virginia in the New York-Penn League, batting .269 with seven homers and 37 RBI in 53 games.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.