Pirates announced today that they acquired infielder Erik Gonzalez and right-handers Dante Mendoza and Tahnaj Thomas in exchange for infielder Max Moroff and outfielder Jordan Luplow.
Going from the Pirates to the Indians are two players who were more or less reserve players for the Pirates. Moroff and Luplow showed some in their brief looks in the majors but neither had a spot on the Pirates as they were being heavily blocked. Both are probably bench players at the MLB level, but under the right circumstances, there may be more there.
However, Luplow had a shot this upcoming spring to earn a spot in right field while Polanco is out. That will no longer be the case.
Coming to the Pirates is another reserve player from the Indians in Erik Gonzalez. Gonzalez, 27, has played essentially every position, prominently 2nd base recently. He can move around the diamond and plays pretty good defense. His bat leaves a lot to be desired though as he has always been a light hitter with nothing to boast about in that area. He figures to be a bench player most days with the occasional start (though he could possibly see some additional starts while Polanco is out).
Also coming the Pirates way are two lottery pick prospects. Thomas and Mendoza are young and have some things to like, but also some bad qualities to go along with it. Both could be easy misses but could wind up being massive successes, similar to what we saw with the rise of Hearn. But they could just be lost to obscurity just as easily, if not more easily.
This move seems like it was just a setup. It looks like a move where the Pirates clean house (they empty out one 40-man roster spot in the deal) a bit in order to create space for something else to happen later. This time of year is a big time where we see 40-man maneuvering trades, and this is the Pirates version as they prepare to set the roster for 2019.
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