The Yankees turned Francisco Cervelli into Justin Wilson, who pitched well for them last year before being turned into Luis Cessa and Chad Green. There is a still-to-be-determined outcome to that deal, though neither Cessa nor Green has wowed in their initial major league forays.
What is more revealing, though, is that in the season-plus following his acquisition by the Pirates, Cervelli actually might have outplayed Brian McCann, particularly when you consider the disparity in salary.
For that, Pittsburgh rewarded Cervelli with a three-year, $31.5 million extension Tuesday. The removal of Cervelli and Stephen Strasburg (who was extended last week by the Nationals) further weakens what already was going to be a tepid upcoming free-agent class.