Pirates Trade for Delwyn Young

The Pirates today acquired outfielder Delwyn Young from the LA Dodgers for 2 players to be named later. Young is out of options and will need to be added to the Pirates' active roster, which means the Pirates will have to make room for him. Unless there is already another trade in the works, I could see the Bucs parting with Craig Monroe, via his unconditional release. Monroe has seen little playing time and has no upside. Another possibility would be to send Luis Cruz to AAA and have Young take over a utility infield spot. Though that is very unlikely since Young, who was drafted as a second baseman in 2002, has not played second base regularly since 2005, while in the Dodgers' minor league system, and his great number of errors there (102 errors at 2B from 2002-05) probably mean he's in the outfield to stay.

Hopefully the Pirates did not acquire Young hoping that he develops into a quality starter, because I don't think that's going to happen. Young thrived in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, the same league that propelled Andy LaRoche to top prospect status. Neither has done anything of note in parts of a few big league seasons, though Young hasn't even been given the consistent playing time that LaRoche has. I'm not trying to say that I have a problem with this trade, or that I think Young, or even LaRoche, will be a bust. I just hope he was acquired to be a complementary piece. At the very least, Young is a step up from Craig Monroe.

We may have to wait to see what kind of 25 man roster move is made, since Young may begin his Pirates' career on the disabled list. Young had off season elbow surgery and was on a rehab assignment in the LA system at the time of the trade. However, to put Young on the 15-day DL, a change to the 40 man roster must be made. And if it's gonna be Monroe once Young's healthy, might as well make it Monroe now too.

UPDATE: The PBC Blog reports that pitcher Dave Davidson was designated for assignment, clearing room on the 40 man roster, and that the 25 man roster move won't happen until Friday. They also speculate that Luis Cruz will be the one sent down, making Young more of a general utility man than a reserve outfielder. That move would hurt the team's defense and versatility but provide a better bat off the bench.