The Pittsburgh Pirates made a move to bolster their pitching rotation on Tuesday as they cling to their fading postseason hopes.
The team announced it acquired left-handed pitcher Wade LeBlanc in a trade with the Seattle Mariners. Seattle received cash considerations or a player to be named later in exchange for the southpaw.
This comes after the Pirates announced they placed 2015 All-Star pitcher Gerrit Cole on the 60-day disabled list because of right elbow posterior inflammation. Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune confirmed the team shut down the ace for the remainder of the 2016 campaign.
LeBlanc appeared in 11 games with eight starts this year for the Mariners and at least provides some more rotational depth for Pittsburgh after losing Cole. The lefty sports a 4.50 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 41 strikeouts in 50 innings of work this year.
He has also played for the San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees since he reached the major league level in 2008.
LeBlanc is likely accustomed to switching teams during the season. According to Sam Robinson of Today’s Knuckleball, he was outrighted earlier this year so the Mariners could bring Nori Aoki back to the majors. What’s more, he pitched for the Marlins and Astros in 2013, the Yankees and Angels in 2014 and in Japan in 2015.
The 32-year-old posted a 3.94 ERA in 2014 for New York and Los Angeles and a career-best 3.67 ERA in 2012 for Miami.
The Pirates are running out of time to make a move in the National League wild-card race. They are six games behind the New York Mets for the second and final spot in that battle and in the middle of a season-crushing slump. Pittsburgh is just 2-12 since it finished off a four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers on Aug. 28.
Part of the reason for the struggles is the starting rotation, which ranks a disappointing 22nd in the league with a 4.65 ERA, per ESPN.com. While LeBlanc doesn’t have the track record to suggest he will be a season-saver, he provides another experienced arm for manager Clint Hurdle to use down the stretch.
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