In a minor move late Saturday, the Pirates dealt pitcher Brett Lorin to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitcher Robby Rowland.
↵The Diamondbacks had selected Lorin from the Pirates in the Rule 5 Draft last winter. According to the draft rules, they had to keep Lorin on their 25-man roster, but with a crowded bullpen, there wasn't space for him. So instead, Arizona worked out a deal with the Pirates to keep him.
↵Lorin is a tall pitcher who has good control, but he doesn't have blistering stuff and he has had trouble staying healthy. The Pirates must have figured he didn't have much potential.
↵Rowland, 20, was a third-round pick in 2010. He's had terrible results so far in the minors, but his numbers so far last year (68 innings, 52 strikeouts, 17 walks, 15 home runs allowed and an 8.04 ERA) might suggest that his troubles are the result of correctable mechanical adjustments. (His control has been reasonable, but it's not easy to allow a home run every four innings in the minors, so he's probably leaving the ball up in the zone too much.) He'll be a project, but he probably does have a bit of upside.
↵For more analysis of the trade, head over to Bucs Dugout.