The Pittsburgh Pirates traded for Minnesota Twins slugger Justin Morneau Saturday afternoon, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. The Pirates will send 28-year-old outfielder Alex Presley to Minnesota in return.
Pirates acquire Justin Morneau for Alex Presley, per report
The Pirates added a former MVP to their lineup Saturday to gear up for the pennant race.
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The 32-year-old Morneau is hitting .259/.315/.426 with 17 home runs and 59 RBI in 495 at-bats for the Twins this season. His contract expires at the end of the season, however, and his name came up in frequent trade rumors during the trade deadline.
Morneau cleared waivers and will be shipped off to try to help the Pirates sew up a playoff berth as the Buccos are currently tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the NL Central.
Morneau has struggled to stay on the field the past few years while suffering the after-effects of multiple concussions and has yet to sniff his production level since he won the AL MVP in 2006. He should still be able to provide an additional bat to spell -- or potentially replace -- Gaby Sanchez in the Pirates’ lineup, however.
Presley hasn’t played for the Pirates since he was demoted Aug. 11. He has a career OBP of .299, but is hitting a solid .298/.372/.427 in Triple-A this season.
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