That six-player trade between the Pirates and Red Sox has even more old friends than originally thought. In addition to Joel Hanrahan, the centerpiece of the deal, and Jerry Sands, another former Dodgers player is in the deal, as Ivan De Jesus is headed to Pittsburgh with Sands.
The full trade became official on Wednesday, with Hanrahan and Brock Holt going to Boston, while Sands, De Jesus, and pitchers Mark Melancon and Stolmy Pimentel are on their way to Pittsburgh.
De Jesus was traded by the Dodgers to the Red Sox on Aug. 25 in the nine-player trade that brought Adrian Gonzalez to Los Angeles. Sands was a player to be named later in the trade, and officially went to Boston on Oct. 4.
"Jerry Sands has impressed our scouts with his well-rounded tools package, highlighted by his ability to command the strike zone as a hitter and drive the ball for extra base hit potential," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement. "Additionally, his defensive versatility will increase his opportunity to contribute to our major league club in the near term as well as in the years to come."
De Jesus hit .295/.333/.415 in 60 games with Triple-A Albuquerque, and hit .273/.324/.364 in 23 games with the Dodgers. He only started five games with the Dodgers, but for a brief period in May and June was manager Don Mattingly's top option off the bench, with 16 appearance as a pinch hitter. His highlight of the season with the Dodgers was May 22 against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix, when De Jesus his a game-tying sacrifice fly in the seventh inning and a two-run double down one with two outs in the ninth inning in an 8-7 victory.
De Jesus was the 2008 Branch Rickey Award winner as the Dodgers minor league player of the year, the same award won by Sands in 2010.
After the trade De Jesus hit .385 (10 for 26) in seven games for Triple-A Pawtucket, and in September was 0-for-8 with Boston.
"Ivan DeJesus is a versatile and reliable defender who can handle the bat and will compete to make our major league club in an extra infielder role," said Huntington.
Pittsburgh has become a breeding ground for former Dodgers of late. In case you haven't been keeping track, here is how a few former Dodgers did with the Pirates in recent years:
- James McDonald (2007-2008 Branch Rickey Award winner): 25-22, 4.10 ERA in 71 starts, 354 strikeouts, 171 walks in 406 innings in 2010-2012
- Xavier Paul: .254/.293/.349 in 121 games in 2011
- Delwyn Young: .255/.312/.393 in 234 games in 2009-2010
- Andy LaRoche (2005 Branch Rickey Award winner): .226/.296/.341 in 301 games in 2008-2010