In what many observers deemed as a bold move, the previously woebegone, now surging Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired Left-Handed Starting Pitcher Wandy Rodriguez from Central Division rival Houston Astros in exchange for AAA All-Star pitcher Rudy Owen and Colton Cain, both left-handers, and outfielder Robbie Grossman to Houston.
The Pirates, who have set a Major League Baseball (MLB) record for consecutive losing seasons (19), are in the middle of a pennant race, both in the Central Division and as well as in the MLB Wild Card race.
In short, they’re going for it.
In acquiring Rodriguez, the Pirates obtained a veteran left-hander who’s under contract past the end of this season while having the Astros assume a significant chunk of his remaining contract.
“The pitching market is much more plentiful than the position player market,” general manager Neal Huntington said after Tuesday’s loss to the Chicago Cubs. “We had an opportunity to make a move for a player that we liked at an acquisition cost that we felt was appropriate.”
Rodriguez’s contract pays him $10 million this season and $13 million next year as part of a three-year, $34 million contract he signed before the 2011 season. He has a $13 million club option for 2014 that becomes a player option because he was traded.
According to an industry source, the Pirates are responsible for $1.7 million of Rodriguez’s remaining salary in 2012, $8.5 million in 2013 and $7.5 million in 2014. The Pirates only receive cash from the Astros in 2014 if Rodriguez exercises his option.
Rodriguez, 33, was 7-9 with a 3.79 ERA for the Astros this season. He has 89 strikeouts in 1302/3 innings.
“We like the innings, we like the strikeouts, we like the ERA, we like the competitor,” Huntington said.
“While we’ve given up a significant amount in prospect value, we recognize that we do still feel like we have enough to have a very deep system and potentially to make another move or two,” Huntington said.
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, “I’ve had my eyes on him for a while,” m “He competes. He’s been tough to hit any team that I’ve had.”