BUCS REACQUIRE WELKER FOR JOHNSON
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired pitcher Duke Welker from the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Kris Johnson..
What does it give the Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates know Welker quite well since he was originally drafted by them in 2007 and spent six seasons in their organization, before being traded to Minnesota as a player to be named later in the {P Justin Morneau} deal this past August 31. He even made his big-league debut with Pittsburgh in 2013. The 27-year-old is a good candidate to make the Bucs as a middle reliever in 2014.
What does it give the Minnesota Twins
Johnson is a bit older than Welker, left-handed (Welker is a righty) and more versatile (he can both start or relieve) than Welker, which may explain the decision to give up on Welker so quickly. Johnson made four appearances (one start) in the big leagues with the Bucs in 2013, so he's a good candidate to break camp with Minnesota (in some capacity) next spring.
Fantasy impact
Neither Welker nor Johnson has much fantasy value at this point, and the trade doesn't change much in this regard. Johnson may be slightly more valuable because of the possibility of starting at the big-league level for the Twins, though it's a long shot.
