Pirates request release waivers for Nate McLouth

Nate McLouth's Pittsburgh homecoming is over, as the team has requested waivers for his unconditional release, the team announced. McLouth will become a free agent after he clears waivers. The team designated him for assignment last week, but he refused the assignment.

McLouth, 30, hit just .140/.210/.175 in 34 games for the Pirates this season after signing a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the this past offseason.

McLouth was drafted by the Pirates in 2000 and made the big leagues in 2005. In 2008, the center fielder was named an All-Star and won a Gold Glove. That year he hit a league-best 46 doubles in addition to 26 home runs and a .276/.356/.497 slash line.

The next season, he was sent to the Braves in early June for Charlie Morton, Gorkys Hernandez and Jeff Locke. McLouth paid immediate dividends for the Braves after the trade, but his production slipped the next few years even as his salary increased. In two-and-a-half seasons in Atlanta, he hit .229/.335/.364. He hit 11 home runs after joining the Braves in 2009, but hit just 10 over his next two seasons in Atlanta. He had none so far this season in Pittsburgh.

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