Verified reports have former Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield scouting Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians, today. Sources who once visited the state of Indiana believe that the only logical conclusion involves the Pirates and Littlefield’s current club, the Chicago Cubs, consummating a deadline deal.
Littlefield was sent by Cubs GM Jim Hendry to Indianapolis to scout players he’d formerly acquired, namely outfielder Alex Presley and left-handed reliever Daniel Moskos. Presley, drafted in the eighth round in 2006, had proven to be an organizational role player prior to 2010. Now, the diminutive prospect is experiencing a career year, hitting .350/.397/.546 in 91 games across two levels. Moskos, famously selected by Littlefield one pick ahead of supposed franchise savior Matt Wieters, had a similarly rocky start to his professional career before logging a 1.74 ERA and 17 saves this season.
Littlefield, known for buying high and selling low, has reportedly advised the Cubs to acquire Presley and Moskos at any cost. Neal Huntington, who stepped into his first general manager’s gig in Pittsburgh and was left to clean up Littlefield’s mess, was not immediately interested in trading prospects in order to boost his major league roster, but eventually gave in to Hendry’s advances.
In exchange for Presley and Moskos, the Pirates will receive infield prospect Ryan Flaherty, right-handed pitcher Carlos Zambrano, and $30 million in cash.
Flaherty, soon to be 24, was a teammate of Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez at Vanderbilt University. Flaherty has struggled in 2010, hitting a combined .258/.323/.379 across two levels. He has played primarily second base and shortstop, and has also spent time at the hot corner. It is expected the Pirates will leave Flaherty in the middle infield, and hope that reuniting the left-handed pull hitter with Alvarez will turn the youngster’s career around.
Zambrano, a veteran of 10 major league seasons, signed a five-year, $91.5 million extension with Chicago in August of 2007. He had never logged an ERA over 3.95 in a year prior to 2010, when reported behavioral issues caused the Cubs to place their ace on the restricted list. With the amount of money remaining on his contract, Hendry agreed to pay the freight in shipping Big Z out. Despite concerns over how Zambrano will fit into the Pirates’ clubhouse, Huntington agreed to move forward with the swap given how awful the team’s rotation has been.