Busy Bucs complete two trades

July 1, 12:50 PMMLB ExaminerAlex Brown

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AP Photo/David Zalubowski

It was "cannons ablaze" Tuesday afternoon as the Pittsburgh Pirates struck two separate deals and acquired four players.  First they shipped third baseman Eric Hinske to the New York Yankees for minor leaguers Casey Erickson and Eric Fryer.   Later on in the day they sent outfielder Nyjer Morgan and reliever Sean Burnett to the Washington Nationals for outfielder Lastings Milledge and reliever Joel Hanrahan. 

The Pirates are obviously in “selling” mode early this year, as evidenced by their trade of young outfielder Nate McLouth to the Atlanta Braves earlier this month.  Selling players off is a familiar practice in Pittsburgh, but I think they did fairly well in both of these deals.  First, getting anything for Hinske is nice – he was part of a good Pittsburgh bench, but if you don’t have good regulars then a good bench is not really important.  Add that to the fact that he recently cleared waivers and could have been had for the remainder of his salary, and Pittsburgh looks even better for acquiring two players for him.

The Morgan/Milledge deal is a bit more curious.  It isn’t an obvious sell, as neither Morgan nor Burnett fit the mold of a high-priced, talented player being shipped to a contending team.  Pittsburgh certainly wins this deal on potential, as Milledge and Hanrahan have the ability to both become excellent players at their respective positions, while the upside for Washington’s haul of Morgan and Burnett is a bit less. 

It’s tough to be a fan in Pittsburgh these days – core players like Adam LaRoche, Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson, John Grabow, and Ian Snell could be the next to be shipped out of town for the next batch of barely recognizable players.  There is an upside, however – Pirate pitching has been much improved in 2009, and a core of young hitters led by Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, and Robbie Grossman will soon be arriving in Pittsburgh.  A few good trades could bring in some nice complimentary pieces, so have patience, Pirate fans – I mean, it’s not like the current cast is winning anyways.