PIRATES PICK UTILITYMAN RODRIGUEZ BACK UP
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired outfielder/infielder Sean Rodriguez from the Atlanta Braves for outfielder Connor Joe.
What does it give the Pittsburgh Pirates
The National League Central division is still a wide open race (with everyone but Cincinnati still in it), so Rodriguez can help with the playoff push. He is a talented veteran utility player who provides pop and versatility, and he is well known to the Pittsburgh organization (having played with the Pirates in 2015 and 2016, as well). His contract is a little pricey ($11.5 million over '17 and '18) but he is one of the better utilitymen in the majors.
What does it give the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta is pushing forward with its youth movement, so moving Rodriguez makes sense. Not only does the organization open up a spot down the stretch for a younger player, Atlanta also saves money by moving Rodriguez' salary. Meanwhile, in Joe the team gets a talented but underperforming organizational depth prospect; he was a high draft pick back in 2014 (Round 1), but Joe has not done much offensively during his time in the minors.
Fantasy impact
Rodriguez will be more valuable to the Pirates than he will be to fantasy owners the rest of this season. He can provide fill-in duty at several positions in the lineup, but that will not likely affect the current Pittsburgh regulars much. On the Atlanta side of the deal, look for several of the team's more advanced prospects (Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson and others) to play fairly regularly down the stretch.
