Day 3 of Winter Meetings, Pittsburgh Pirates acquire pitcher Andrew Oliver - MLB News
The Pittsburgh Pirates finally made the move the fans were eagerly awaiting.
On Wednesday, December 5, the Bucs acquired Andrew Oliver from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for catcher Ramon Cabrera. The left-handed pitcher can be used in rotation and bullpen, depending on his performance.
"We've talked to Oliver about starting or relieving," said Pirates' general manager Neal Huntington. "We'll have him come to camp to compete as a starter; if [that is] not [going to happen], we'll look into the bullpen, and then, if not that, have a conversation about going to Triple-A."
Oliver might have not delivered as the Tigers starter when he was brought in. At the time of trade, ranking Number five in the Tigers’ Top 20 Prospects list, Oliver was being touted as a valuable addition to the rotation.
However, that which was found conspicuously missing was consistency. Add to it his struggles when it came to command, nothing seemed to go his way.
Having appeared in a total of seven MLB games, he has a record of 0-for-5 with 7.11 ERA. Surrendering 37 hits with 29 runs and only 23 strike-outs, Oliver’s appearance in MLB had barely been resounding.
While his performance has been subject to critical scrutiny, the Bucs did not let it become a hurdle in making the move. What the Pirates are envisioning is the pitcher’s role as one of the big league starters. Speed can go to the pitcher’s favour.
With the profile available to the Pirates, Clint Hurdle believes the pitcher can fill a lot of roles for the Pirates as a whole.
"He seems capable of filling a lot of roles for us," Huntington said. "We like the arm, like the fastball, like the breaking ball, like how he does things, and as tough as it is to give up a young switch-hitting catcher that we like, a lot, we felt Andrew was a good addition to our club."
Like Huntington said, Oliver’s role will be crucial in both rotation and bullpen. If his was not a case of success in the Tigers, Pirates offer him a different venue and a fresh opportunity to prove his brilliance.
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