The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired right handed pitcher Sean Gallagher from the San Diego Padres in exchange for cash, according to Rob Biertempfel. Gallagher, once a top prospect in the Chicago Cubs farm system, has yet to put things together in the majors, mostly due to poor control. Before being designated for assignment by San Diego, the 24 year old right hander had a 5.40 ERA in 23.1 innings in relief, with an 8.1 K/9 and a 7.3 BB/9 ratio, along with a 1.9 HR/9 ratio.
Gallagher was a key piece in the Chicago Cubs' trade with Oakland in 2008, which sent Rich Harden from Oakland to Chicago. He was traded a year later from Oakland to San Diego to complete a deal for Scott Hairston.
The move doesn't really come as a surprise, as it's a typical move for the Pirates: former top prospect, control issues, cheap acquisition, etc. In fact, this was such a typical move, that I predicted it two days ago in these three tweets:
Gallagher is a good low risk move to take, as he's only 24 years old, has great stuff, with a fastball that ranges from 92-94 MPH, and only has one issue to overcome: control. If he can fix the control issues, the Pirates have a back of the bullpen reliever at worst. However, the control issues have been in existence for 173 major league innings, which means that Gallagher fixing his control problems won't be an easy task to accomplish.
The Pirates had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so no corresponding move needs to be made, however someone will have to come off the 25-man roster to make room for Gallagher. My guess is that will be Justin Thomas, although Rob Biertempfel reports that Gallagher won't report until Thursday, so the team has until tomorrow to make that decision.
Gallagher was a key piece in the Chicago Cubs' trade with Oakland in 2008, which sent Rich Harden from Oakland to Chicago. He was traded a year later from Oakland to San Diego to complete a deal for Scott Hairston.
The move doesn't really come as a surprise, as it's a typical move for the Pirates: former top prospect, control issues, cheap acquisition, etc. In fact, this was such a typical move, that I predicted it two days ago in these three tweets:
Why do I have the feeling he will be a Pirate soon? RT @Rotoworld_BB: Padres drawing interest in Sean Gallagher http://tinyurl.com/335hf8t
Sean Gallagher: Former top prospect? Check. Pitcher? Check. Good strikeout numbers? Check. Poor control? Check x 2. DFAd? Check.
I'm just going to go ahead and make his player page now.I didn't actually make his player page that day, although I did do the research for his service time numbers just in case. You can check out that player page by clicking on his name above.
Gallagher is a good low risk move to take, as he's only 24 years old, has great stuff, with a fastball that ranges from 92-94 MPH, and only has one issue to overcome: control. If he can fix the control issues, the Pirates have a back of the bullpen reliever at worst. However, the control issues have been in existence for 173 major league innings, which means that Gallagher fixing his control problems won't be an easy task to accomplish.
The Pirates had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so no corresponding move needs to be made, however someone will have to come off the 25-man roster to make room for Gallagher. My guess is that will be Justin Thomas, although Rob Biertempfel reports that Gallagher won't report until Thursday, so the team has until tomorrow to make that decision.
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