After Thursday's game with San Francisco, the Pirates acquired outfielder Jason Michaels and cash considerations from the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later.
Michaels was designated for assignment by Cleveland earlier this week. He is batting .207 with no home runs and nine RBI this season.
"We had a chance to get an established major-league player, albeit one that's struggling a little bit this year," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. "He's a guy that brings a quality, veteran presence to the clubhouse. He can play right (field), he can play left (field) and he can spell Nate (McLouth) in center. He's a guy that (bench coach) Gary Varsho and (manager) John Russell have a lot of familiarity with and he's an established major-league player."
Though Michaels has a $2.2 million salary, Cleveland is taking part of the salary. Though Pirates general manager Neal Huntington wouldn't say how much, he did say it was enough that "made it a very easy decision to bring Jason aboard."
This was Michaels' third season in Cleveland. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1998 draft by Philadelphia and played parts of five seasons with the Phillies. In 632 major-league games Michaels has a .277 average with 37 home runs and 203 RBI. He is expected to join the club in time for Friday's game at home against Atlanta.
To make room on the roster, the Pirates optioned outfielder Nyjer Morgan to Class AAA Indianapolis.
Morgan wasn't getting much playing time due to the hot starts of McLouth and Xavier Nady. In 22 games, Morgan batted .161 (5-for-31) with no home runs or RBI and one stolen base. Huntington said the move was made in part so that Morgan can play every day instead of sitting on the bench.
"I'm not hurt, it's just part of the process," Morgan said. "I just get to work on my game a little more. I'll be back. This isn't the end of Nyjer."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment