The Pirates dealt their starting left-fielder, their most relied-upon reliever and a utilityman for a former top prospect, a power bullpen arm and a couple low-level prospects in a pair of deals today. Here's a recap of who the Pirates obtained:
- Casey Erickson – one of the players obtained in the Hinske deal, Erickson was pitching in A ball. He'll turn 24 in August, so he hasn't moved through the minors particularly quickly, but he struck out 37 in 44 innings without allowing many runs.
- Eric Fryer – this catcher/outfielder was also playing in A ball for the Yanks, though for a different team. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus says neither player is anything special; they're just "bodies."
- Lastings Milledge – the 12th overall pick in the 2003 draft, Milledge shot through the minors, but has put up a pedestrian .261/.326/.400 line in the major leagues. He's just 24 and the Pirates should have him under team control through 2013.
- Joel Hanrahan – the 27-year-old reliever has been hit hard this year, but his strikeout rate remains high and he's actually lowered his walk rate from last year. Like Milledge, Hanrahan should be under team control through 2013.
And a look at what they gave up to get it:
- Eric Hinske – ostensibly he can play at any corner infield or outfield position and he hits righties well. The 31-year-old makes $1.6MM this year and the Pirates will send $400k to the Yankees to cover part of the cost.
- Nyjer Morgan – the former hockey player will turn 29 later in the week. So far he has 18 steals and an OBP of .351. He won't even be arbitration-eligible until after 2011.
- Sean Burnett – the Pirates have relied on the 26-year-old over and over this year and it's worked. He's allowed 37 baserunners in just over 32 innings, striking out 23. He won't hit free agency until 2012 at the earliest.
So how did Neal Huntington do today? We won't know for a while, but he got talented players without giving away major pieces of the franchise's future.
