Yankees trade catcher Francisco Cervelli to Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates appear to be bracing for the loss of free-agent catcher Russell Martin.
Pittsburgh added depth behind the plate Wednesday, trading for New York Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli in exchange for left-handed pitcher Justin Wilson.
Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said bringing back Martin remains a top priority.
“This (trade) doesn't change our approach to aggressively pursue Martin,” Huntington told the Pittsburgh Tribune. “But if we don't re-sign Russ, we feel this gives us a quality alternative.”
The 31-year-old Martin is rumored to be seeking a contract similar to Yankees catcher Brian McCann's five-year, $85-million deal.
Cervelli, now the third catcher on the Pirates' depth chart, was limited to 49 games this season as a result of headaches and hamstring problems.
The 28-year-old veteran hit .301/.370/.432 with a pair of homers across 162 plate appearances in 2014. Cervelli has mostly served as a backup catcher during his seven-year career with the Yankees, having never appeared in more than 93 games in a season. He joins a list of Pirates catchers that include former Yankees backstop Chris Stewart and Tony Sanchez.
Wilson struck out 61 batters in 60 innings of relief this year, crafting a 4.20 ERA and 1.32 WHIP across 70 appearances. The southpaw pitched to strong results on both sides of the plate, limiting left- and right-handed hitters to a sub-.700 OPS in 2014.
The 27-year-old hard-throwing reliever was much tougher on lefties in 2013, holding batters to a .501 OPS and authoring a 2.08 ERA overall.