Pittsburgh Pirates Acquire Sean Rodriguez in Trade With Atlanta Braves
The August trade season is well underway and utility infielder Sean Rodriguez is heading back to Pittsburgh.
The Pirates have announced that they have reacquired Rodriguez in a trade with the Atlanta Braves in exchange for minor league infielder Connor Joe. He should give their bench a boost in the final two months of the season as they look to overtake the Chicago Cubs for the lead in the National League Central.
"I was a little shocked at first. But there was an immediate sigh of joy. If you're going to go anywhere, come back to somewhere you're not only familiar but you view as family and you loved while you were there. I sure did. I'm super pumped to come back," Rodriguez said before his first game back with the Pirates, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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Rodriguez probably thought he was going to play a lot when he signed a two-year, $11.5-million deal to join the Braves last winter. However, he had to sit on the sidelines during the first half of the season because of the injuries he sustained in a car accident in January.
He appeared in 15 games for the Braves and he posted a 0.162/0.326/0.351 slash line during his short tenure with the club. He also had three runs batted in and two home runs in 27 plate appearances.
Rodriguez is off to a good start in his second stint with the Pirates as he hit a walk-off home run to give the team a 5–4 win over the San Diego Padres in 12 innings.
"Deep down, I never felt like I stopped being a Pirate. Our big saying here is, 'Family forever.' I was here for two years, I felt like I was never going to leave, and now I'm back," Rodriguez said after the game, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
