The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired right-handed reliever Joel Hanrahan and outfielder Lastings Milledge on July 30, 2009, from the Washington Nationals in exchange for outfielder Nyjer Morgan and left-handed reliever Sean Burnett.
Hanrahan struggled in 2009 with the Nationals, posting a 7.71 ERA in 32.2 innings, but because of sample sizes, we know that ERA is not the best indicator for relievers. Nevertheless, the big right-hander came over and found immediate success in the black and gold. As a member of the Pirates, Hanrahan pitched to a 1.72 ERA and struck out 27.6 percent of the hitters he faced.