#17 Pirates* Prospect Brock Holt

The #17 Pirates Prospect Brock Holt is no longer a Pirate, making it difficult for him to remain on the list.  When the current top 30 list is finished, complete with every player profile, I will bump Holt off the list, add in Andrew Oliver, Stolmy Pimentel, and Ivan De Jesus and reevaluate from there, adding  player profiles if necessary.

As almost every Pirates fan knows by now, Holt went with closer Joel Hanrahan to Boston.  Back came Mark Melancon, Jerry Sands, Stolmy Pimentel, and Ivan De Jesus.  The latter three players I nicknamed Thing 1, Thing 2, and Thing 3 respectively.  Clicking on the links in the previous sentence will open a profile for each player that was written immediately after the trade.  Enjoy!

Thing 3

Here, I profiled Thing 1 - Jerry Sands - who came to Pittsburgh via the Joel Hanrahan trade.  Sands was one of four players - three that have largely played their careers in at the minor league level thus far.  Thing 2 is Stolmy Pimentel, profiled here.  Thing 3 is Ivan DeJesus.  This article profiles him.

Thing 2

Here, I profiled Thing 1 - Jerry Sands - who came to Pittsburgh via the Joel Hanrahan trade.  Sands was one of four players - three that have largely played their careers in at the minor league level thus far.  Thing 2 is Stolmy Pimentel.  Thing 3 is Ivan DeJesus.  This article profiles Thing 2, pitcher Stolmy Pimentel.

Joel Hanrahan Traded To The Red Sox

The Joel Hanrahan deal is finally complete, with the closer and Brock Holt heading to the Red Sox in exchange for Jerry Sands, Stolmy Pimentel, Ivan De Jesus Jr and Mark Melancon. Chad Beck has  been designated for assignment in a corresponding roster move to make room on the 40-man roster for Sands, Pimentel and Melancon. 

Southpaw Special

Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, and Luis Heredia have several notable commonalities.  They are the top three pitching prospects in the Pirates farm system.  All three have ace upside.  In addition, all three are right handed.  Earlier this off season, the Pirates added a lefty with upside to compliment the Cole-Taillon-Heredia trio.  They shipped minor-league catcher Ramon Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for former top prospect and southpaw pitcher Andy Oliver.

Reaction: Pirates trade two prospects for A.J. Burnett

This article fits under my Reaction heading of my blog.  Read more of my Reactions here.

The Pirates finally made a splash.  Actually, it might be better characterized as a small swell.  A splash was last year when we acquired Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick.  The Pirates haven't yet created a tropical storm, but the times they are a-changin'.  No longer is Pittsburgh just a triple-A club for other baseball teams around the league.  This time, the Pirates gave up the prospects and took on money in order to help facilitate a salary dump for another team.  This time, in a very strange turn of events, that team was the New York Yankees.

From the Yankees, the Pirates received talented but oft-maligned starting pitcher A.J. Burnett.  In exchange, the Pirates sent prospects Diego Moreno and Exicardo Cayones to the Yankees. In addition, the Yankees will provide the Pirates 20 million dollars to cover over half of the 33 million Burnett is owed over the next two years (some sources indicate that it's 18.1 million instead of 20 - stay tuned). Details on all three players after the jump and my opinion.

Reaction: Reds get Mat Latos

The National League Central landscape has changed drastically over the last few weeks.  Albert Pujols traded leagues and headed west to become an Angel.  Prince Fielder still hasn't made a decision, and while he still could return to the NL Central with either the Cubs or Brewers, it's possible he winds up elsewhere.  Ryan Braun faces a 50 game suspension.  All those factors have left the NL Central door open for a team to step in.  Today, the Reds, who already had a talented core who led them to a playoff birth tow seasons ago, seized that opportunity, trading for Mat Latos.