The Pittsburgh Pirates made a trade splash on Tuesday night, pulling off a deal with the Houston Astros for starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez. The Bucs sent pitcher Rudy Owens, outfielder Robbie Grossman, and pitcher Colton Cain to Houston in return for the veteran lefty.
Rodriguez is a strikeout pitcher who has toiled away in anonymity on a poor Houston club, with only Clayton Kershaw and Cole Hamels fanning more hitters since 2009. He has a 3.79 ERA this season and will immediately become a fixture in the Bucs' rotation.
Pirates GM Neal Huntington issued a brief comment on the trade, via the Pirates Twitter account:
Wandy Rodriguez is a quality starting pitcher and we are pleased to add him to our club. We believe he will be a solid addition to our rotation for the remainder of this season and beyond.
Here's what SB Nation's Pirates blog, Bucs Dugout, had to say about the acquisition:
Lots of dollars are going to come back to the Pirates, but my initial reaction is favorable. The most important aspect of this deal is the Pirates potentially control him through 2014. The early pencil of the 2014 rotation is A.J. Burnett, Wandy Rodriguez, James McDonald, Jeff Karstens, +1--potentially Gerrit Cole later in the season.
For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout. For all your MLB trade news as the deadline approaches, check out Baseball Nation.