Pirates Designate Three For Assignment
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that the Pirates designated three players for assignment today: righthanders Virgil Vasquez and Eric Hacker, and catcher Steve Lerud. All three were sent to Double-A Altoona.
Vasquez, 27, had two stints with the Pirates in 2009, pitching to a 5.84 ERA in 44.2 IP. The 26-year-old Hacker was acquired from the Yankees in May, and allowed two runs in three innings this year, his Major League debut. Lerud, 24, hit just .240/.339/.336 in Double-A this season, though Baseball America ranked him the club's 21st best prospect coming into 2009.
Pirates Acquire Hacker For Sanchez
2:21pm: According to MLB.com's Noah Coslov, the Yankees will receive right-handed reliever Romulo Sanchez. The 25-year-old was one of the Pirates' first cuts this spring. As of Friday, he had a 4.38 ERA and 15/5 K/BB ratio in 12 1/3 innings for Triple-A Indianapolis.
1:17pm: According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic, the Pirates have acquired minor league right-hander Eric Hacker from the Yankees. It's not yet clear who, or what, the Yanks were given in return.
Hacker, 26, was designated for assignment by the Yankees last Saturday. He posted a 2.43 ERA and a 115/37 K/BB ratio in 144 1/3 innings last season between Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton. He was tried at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season and had a disappointing 7.88 ERA in three starts, prompting his departure.
Yankees DFA Eric Hacker
Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger reports that the Yankees have designated right-hander Eric Hacker for assignment. The 25-year-old was 1-1 with a 4.11 ERA this season in three starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees needed his 40-man roster spot for Brett Tomko, who was added to the bullpen mix this afternoon.
Hacker posted a 2.43 ERA and a 115/37 K/BB ratio in 144 1/3 innings last season between Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton. He’s likely to latch on with another organization.