Pirates Trade with Padres for New Catcher Option

The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded outfielder Bryce Johnson to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Brett Sullivan, a catcher and center fielder, in the hopes of improving their catching capability.

The transaction was first reported by MadFriars on Twitter.

With the Padres short on options in CF, they've traded C/OF/3B Brett Sullivan to the Pirates in exchange for #OldFriend Bryce Johnson.
Neither player was on their club's respective 40-player roster and presumably, Johnson is headed to El Paso.
— MadFriars - The source for Padres Prospects news (@madfriars) April 16, 2025

Sullivan was designated for assignment by the Padres on March 23 after just seven games with the club, during which the 31-year-old went 3-for-16 (.188). He has played a total of only 40 games in the major leagues.

The move is much-needed, though not an exciting one, as both teams attempt to make up for recent injury losses. Neither Sullivan nor Johnson occupied a spot on their respective teams' 40-man roster, but with mounting gaps on both teams, they may be looking ahead to more action following this trade.

Johnson played for the Padres in 47 games in 2024 before entering a free agent period beginning in late November. He signed a minor league contract with the Pirates in January of this year, and will be returning to the Padres after only a few months away. Johnson will hopefully improve the Padres' center field depth after both Jackson Merrill and Brandon Lockridge were added to the team's Injured List in the wake of hamstring injuries.

Last week, the Pirates added yet another name to their IL when Endy Rodríguez was hit in his throwing hand earlier this week, leading to a laceration of his right index finger. The Pirates began eyeing options to pick up the slack with only two catchers remaining on the roster in Joey Bart and Henry Davis.

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