Statement from Coonelly on trade

Here is a statement from Pirates president Frank Coonelly on Saturday's Pirates-Yankees trade:

The trade of Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte today for four quality prospects from a deep New York Yankee organization was made for one and only one reason – to help us reach our objective of building a sustainable championship caliber organization. While our aggressive draft and international signing strategies are critical components of this effort, the trade market can present the opportunity to acquire multiple players who are Major League ready or much closer to contributing to the Major League Club. The value of Xavier and Damaso increased significantly this year and that increased value, along with the Yankees’ unexpected second half needs, presented us with a unique opportunity to acquire four quality young players who we coveted and who we believe can make significant contributions to the Pirates for many years to come.
The 2008 Pirate team has played hard every night for John Russell and his staff and has battled through injuries and inconsistent starting pitching. But the reality is that, despite an offense that is second in the National League in runs scored, we are 12 games out of first place in what is now the toughest division in the National League and 11 games out of the Wild Card lead and not likely to compete for a post-season berth this year. We have said from the beginning that we do not aspire to finish .500; we aspire instead to win championships again in Pittsburgh. The trade completed this morning demonstrates that we will not forgo the opportunity to continue to add the pieces that are necessary to build a championship caliber club because of the hope that we might win 82 this year.
Because they are quality individuals and were outstanding teammates, our players are understandably disappointed to see Xavier and Damaso move on to another organization. But the players on this Pirate team have demonstrated that they are true professionals and they will continue to work extremely hard to give this club a chance to win every game that it plays. This trade will also give some of our young players an opportunity to prove that they can be produce at the level necessary to contribute to a championship caliber club.
Today’s trade is not a sign that additional trades are imminent before the non-waiver trade deadline. The organization will, however, continue to evaluate aggressively any opportunity to make additions that will help build the foundation upon which we can again win championships in Pittsburgh.