Jeremy Hefner, Brian Jeroloman Claimed By Pirates

The Pirates have claimed pitcher Jeremy Hefner from the Padres and catcher Brian Jeroloman from the Blue Jays. They have dropped catcher Matt Pagnozzi from their 40-man roster.

I discuss these moves in some depth at Bucs Dugout, but basically, I don't really understand why the Pirates would want either of these guys on their roster, particularly Jeroloman. My guess is that, now that these players have been dropped from the 40-man rosters of other teams, the Pirates will try the same trick themselves and hope they can sneak them into their minor-league system.

Jeroloman was an effective offensive player in the low minors, but mostly because he drew tons of walks; his career stalled in the high minors, where pitchers don't give up free passes as readily. Hefner was a starting pitcher at Class AAA Tucson last year, where he was passable, but that's about it. I'm sure the Pirates would love to have him in Indianapolis, but if he breaks camp in the Pirates' rotation, the Bucs are in big trouble.