Today the Pirates obtained Marlon Byrd and John Buck from the Mets for Dilson Herrera and a Player to be Named Later. Rumors are that the PTBNL is on the 40 man roster and both sides want to wait until September so he doesn't have to go through waivers.
I guess Neil Huntington was inspired by the Furry Convention last month and wanted to corner the market on animal players. Apparently Jake Fox was unavailable and the Angels weren't willing to part with Mike Trout just yet.
Byrd is having a resurgent year. At age 36. With a prior suspension for PED's. But whatever. I'd walk through Hades wearing a napalm-laced suit to get to the playoffs at this point. Even if he turns into a pumpkin, he'll at least strengthen the bench as a 4th OF.
Buck....he's a catcher. He's been ice cold since May 1st, batting .206/.290/.302 (592 OPS). He hit 10 of his 15 HR in the first 25 games. But he's a "veteran presence" and may allow Hurdle to unglue Tony Sanchez from the bench and use him as a pinch hitter periodically.
As for Dilson Herrera, I had him currently as the 11th best prospect in the system. This is his age-19 season and he's showing nice power for a 2B. He's not a shortstop, despite what you may have read about the trade. He doesn't have the arm to play SS long-term. Herrera is not in the echelon of prospect to make me regret this trade, even though I have reservations about Byrd and Buck.
If Byrd can solidify RF and the 5th spot in the batting order, plus help the Bucs win some games down the stretch, then trading Herrera is no big deal. The Pirates are on the verge of doing great things in 2013. If everything breaks right, Herrera is still 3-4 years away.
Flags Fly Forever. Good, not great, move by Huntington and the Pirates today.
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