A week after shocking baseball by acquiring Chris Archer, the Pittsburgh Pirates have made another trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. This time, adding shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria (and cash) in exchange for minor-league right-hander Matt Seelinger, the teams announced.
Hechavarria was designated for assignment last week by the Rays. Never known for his offensive prowess, he hit .258/.289/.332 in 61 games while providing above-average defense at shortstop. A free agent at season's end, Hechavarria figures to slot in on Pittsburgh's bench as a utility infielder. He hasn't played a position other than shortstop since 2012. Sean Rodriguez, who has an inferior glove and who has struggled at the dish, figures to be the odd man out.
Seelinger is a 6-foot tall reliever who the Pirates picked in the 13th round in the 2017 draft. He's spent the season in A-ball, striking out 14.33 batters per nine across 32 2/3 innings. Unfortunately for Seelinger, he's also allowed 1.65 home runs per nine, resulting in a 3.03 ERA. He was not ranked in the Pirates top 30 prospects per MLB.com.
