Police: Bucs prospect Tabata not linked in wife's abduction case

Tabata was considered one of the New York Yankees' top prospects last year, only to walk out of a game involving their Double-A Trenton farm club early last season. Tabata apparently was frustrated by his slow start.

The incident partly led to the Yankees including Tabata in the July trade in which the Pirates dealt outfielder Xavier Nady and left-hander Damaso Marte to New York for Tabata and right-handers Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens and Daniel McCutchen.

After the trade, Tabata hit .348 in 22 games with Altoona -- or 100 points higher than he hit in 79 games for Trenton -- and had three homers and 13 RBI in 89 at-bats. Tabata, a native of Venezuela, also impressed the Pirates this spring with his line-drive power, throwing arm and ability to learn quickly.

Upon making the trade, the Pirates apparently were unaware that Tabata was married to a woman more than twice his age who, according to the St. Petersburg Times, spent more than two years in a state prison about 10 years ago for an arson case. Family members told the newspaper that Pereira, a native of Puerto Rico, has four children of her own, all of them teenagers or older.

The woman apparently has used at least four names in the past, and the name given to police does not match the one -- Mayita -- in the Pirates' media guide.

Tabata and the woman were married in January 2008 in Hillsborough County.