On December 1st, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they had acquired infielder Sean Rodriguez from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations and a player to be named later.
The Pirates subsequently designated first baseman Gaby Sanchez to make room for Rodriguez.
Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Pirates have parted with single-A pitcher Buddy Borden as the 'player to be named later' just under two weeks ago:
#Rays complete S-Rod trade by getting RHP Buddy Borden from #Pirates
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) December 12, 2014
The 22-year-old Borden was the Pirates' seventh-round pick out of UNLV in the 2013 MLB Draft. He spent the 2014 season in the Class-A South Atlantic League, posting a 3.16 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 128 innings pitched (26 starts, 1 relief appearance).
Borden has a 90-92 mph fastball, that with work, Baseball America noted at the time of the draft could hit 95 mph. However, his secondary pitch arsenal is said to be lacking - something that could relegate him to relief duty if and when he makes the majors.
With that in mind, the Pirates saw Borden as expendable when it came to acquiring the flexibility of Rodriguez who can play four positions on the infield.
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