Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington was busy late Friday night, making a pair of deals prior to the August 31 waiver deadline to make players eligible for postseason rosters.
The first sent David Freese to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Bucs acquired infielder Jesus Valdez in the deal.
Freese, after being outspoken in the offseason and struggling for most of the first couple months of the season, ended up putting together a decent campaign, hitting .283/.337/.447 in 261 plate appearances.
It was potentially thought that once he got hot the Pirates may look to pick up his $6 million option for next season, but that is the Dodgers decision now.
Valdez is just 20 and has played all over the infield in the Dominican Summer League. He is hitting .230/.343/.412 with six home runs and 16 steals in 242 plate appearances.
Huntington also sent Adeiny Hechavarria and cash to the New York Yankees.
The Pirates will either receive a player to be named later or cash in return from New York.
Hechavarria gives the Yankeses an insurance policy for Didi Gregorius. He did some good things for the Pirates in his brief time in Pittsburgh, but ended up hitting just .233/.277/.395 in 47 plate appearances for the Bucs.
The trades cleared some salary and potentially opened the door for younger players to see more at bats the final month of the season.
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