The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired catcher Francisco Cervelli from the New York Yankees in exchange for left-handed pitcher Justin Wilson.
Cervelli has played parts of seven seasons for the Yankees, although he doesn’t hit free agency until after the 2016 season. He played 49 games this year, hitting .301/.370/.432 in 146 at-bats. He has been at least league average on defense(dWAR) each year during his career and has thrown out 22% of base runners in 236 games behind the plate. His playing time was limited in 2014 due to a severely strained hamstring that landed him on the 60-day DL. In 2013, he missed time with a fractured right hand that also landed him on the 60-day DL. He was also suspended 50 games last year by Major League Baseball after being linked to Biogenesis.
Wilson pitched 70 games for the Pirates this year out of the bullpen, posting a 4.20 ERA, with 30 walks and 61 strikeouts in 60 innings. He pitched much better during the 2013 season when he posted a 2.08 ERA in 73.2 innings as a rookie.
