Hanrahan shipped to Red Sox for prospects

Hanrahan trade analysis: Came down to Bucs' bucks

By John Perrotto 

Beaver County Times Sports Correspondeny | Posted: Sunday, December 23, 2012 12:08 am

After shouting from the mountaintops for weeks that he was willing to trade his All-Star closer, Neal Huntington finally pulled the trigger on a Joel Hanrahan deal Saturday.

It wasn’t surprising that Hanrahan was dealt to the Red Sox in what will be a six-player trade once all the players pass their physical examinations. The Pirates had all but publicly announced that Hanrahan was going to be traded.

But the wisest thing the Pirates could have done with Hanrahan was take him to spring training.

That Hanrahan’s days in a Pirates’ uniform were numbered became obvious earlier this month when set-up man Jason Grilli was re-singed to a two-year, $6.75-million contract as a free agent. It may seem like tip money for a quality reliever in baseball’s recession-proof economy but it was a big investment for a club that doesn’t believe in spending heavily on bullpen help.

The chances of Hanrahan leaving increased Friday when the Pirates agreed to contract terms with free agent left-handed starter Francisco Liriano for two years and $12.75 million. Money had to come out of the payroll somewhere after that move, and Hanrahan was the obvious choice to go because he is expected to have a $7-million salary next season through the arbitration process.

The only surprise is that it appears the two primary players coming back to the Pirates as part of a four-player package are outfielder Jerry Sands and left-handed pitching prospect Stolmy Pimentel.

The Red Sox wouldn’t give up left-hander Felix Doubront or slick-fielding shortstop prospect Jose Iglesias. The Pirates settled for Sands, 25, who played in a combined 70 major-league games with the Dodgers in 2011 and 2012, and the 22-year-old Pimentel, who had a 5.96 ERA with Class AA Portland over the last two years.

The Pirates found out there wasn’t much of a market for Hanrahan, even though Huntington also engaged Detroit, Kansas City, Texas and the Dodgers in trade talks. Many teams had concerns that Hanrahan had an arm injury after he struggled late last season and others questioned his conditioning.

Pirates reliever Jared Hughes has spent the offseason working out with Hanrahan in Dallas and says he is in “excellent” shape and “looks great.”

With that in mind, it would have been a better idea to let the scouts watch him pitch in spring exhibition games to alleviate any health concerns. The Pirates surely would have a better return by following that course of action.

Instead, it always comes down to the money for the Pirates.

Owner Bob Nutting is so cost-conscious that you would think he lives in a one-room apartment above a storefront in Follansbee, W.Va., than a house in Wheeling worth seven figures. He wouldn’t allow the Pirates to go over their $70-million bidget for even a few months in order to allow Huntington to create a better market for Hanrahan.

Thus, the Pirates used their best trade chip for a bunch of Red Sox spare parts.

Merry Christmas, Pirates fans.