Bucs acquire 1B Rogers in deal with Brewers
PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates bolstered their bench and picked up another first-base option on Thursday night, acquiring Jason Rogers from the Brewers in exchange for outfielder Keon Broxton and pitching prospect Trey Supak.
Rogers, 27, hit .296 with an .808 OPS in 86 games and led Milwaukee with 13 pinch hits last season, his first prolonged stint in the Majors. He didn't spend much time in the field, starting 22 games at first base, two in left field and one at third base. Rogers is a career .290/.372/.466 hitter in the Minor Leagues.
"He is a guy that fits for us as an option at first base. He's played third, almost a season's worth of games in the Minor Leagues at third," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. "He's played some outfield, and he's a right-handed bat that hits both right- and left-handed pitching well. He could fit in any number of roles and is just a very good fit on the club."
Rogers, a career .290/.372/.466 hitter in the Minor Leagues, seemed like a candidate for the Brewers' first-base job after they traded Adam Lind to the Mariners during the Winter Meetings.
Instead, he'll join the Pirates' other options at first, including Michael Morse and Jake Goebbert. Last week, manager Clint Hurdle said the Bucs are looking for a left-handed bat to complement the right-handed Morse.
Rogers, a right-handed hitter, obviously doesn't fit the description, but it's worth noting that Rogers hit a combined .365 with a 1.005 OPS against right-handed pitching between the Majors and Triple-A Colorado Springs last season.
Still, Huntington left the door open for another acquisition later this winter.
"If nothing else happens this offseason, he absolutely is an option for us at first base," Huntington said. "If we do something else, his versatility and bat allow him to play elsewhere."
Broxton, 25, is well regarded for his speed and outfield defense. He made his Major League debut last season, making seven appearances off the bench. Broxton began the year with Double-A Altoona, but spent most of the season with Triple-A Indianapolis, batting a combined .273/.357/.438 with 39 stolen bases. He has stolen at least 21 bases in five of his seven seasons in the Minors.
Supak, selected in the second round of the 2014 Draft, was the Pirates' No. 15 prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com. The 19-year-old right-hander has spent two years in Rookie ball, putting together a 2-5 record and 5.85 ERA in 16 appearances, including 14 starts.
"We gave up an incredibly athletic, quality defensive outfielder in Broxton that has some bat potential. We gave up a quality young arm in Supak that's not far removed from being a high Draft pick," Huntington said. "The challenge in this industry is to get talent, you have to give up talent. We were willing to do that given the player we were acquiring."