Detroit Tigers trade Andrew Oliver for Ramon Cabrera – MLB News
Pittsburgh Pirates acquired left hander relief pitcher Andrew Oliver, reports post-gazette.com. With Oliver in the rotation, the Pirates have certainly diversified their pitching options for the next season.
Oliver was acquired from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for catcher Ramon Cabrera, the source further claimed. The trade was finalised on the third day of the Winter Meetings in Nashville at the Gaylord Opryland Resort.
The final two spots on the Pirates’ starting rotation are still up for grabs considering Charlie Morton is also expected to miss the season with a Tommy John Ligament replacement surgery. A second round draft pick in 2009, the 25-year-old Oliver also walked
88 batters in 2012. It was the second consecutive season he walked at least 80.
Oliver was unable to make the most of opportunities in his tenure in Detroit, going 0-5 with a forgettable 7.11 ERA and 1.83 WHIP. After giving inconsistent results in 2010 and 2011, he was sent to the Class AAA Toledo in 2012 where he struck-out 112 batters
in 118 innings with a 4.88 ERA.
"We've talked to him about preparing to come to camp to compete as a starter," general manager Neal Huntington said in an interview with a leading sports website. "If not, we'll look into the bullpen."
It will be interesting to see if he can revive his Major League Baseball career at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Minor Leaguer Cabrera was reported to be one of the most promising prospects in the Pirates’ Minor League system.
"We like the arm, we like the fastball, we like the breaking ball, we like how he does things," Huntington said of Oliver while taking to the jounrnalists. "As tough as it is to give up a young switch-hitting catcher that we like a lot, we felt like Andrew
was a good addition to our club."
The 23-year-old .278 in 2012 in Class AA Altoona and in Class A, he hit .343 with an excellent .41- on base percentage. It will be interesting to see if he can impress Tigers’ skipper Jim Leyland to secure a permanent place on Tigers’ big league roster.
Tags: