BUCS, RANGERS SWAP McGUINESS, MIKOLAS
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired first baseman Chris McGuiness from the Texas Rangers for pitcher Miles Mikolas.
What does it give the Pittsburgh Pirates
McGuiness had a somewhat rough transition to Triple-A last season but did show his usual nice mix of patience and power. His maturity on and off the field should help the former Red Sox prospect push {P Gaby Sanchez} for starts at first base soon, possibly even in a righty (Sanchez)-lefty (McGuiness) platoon. The Bucs have placed McGuiness on their 40-man roster so the 25-year-old will probably get an audition with the team sooner rather than later.
What does it give the Texas Rangers
When the Rangers let closer {P=1998 Joe Nathan} leave this winter via free agency they opened up a major late-inning need in their bullpen. While Mikolas isn't an obvious replacement he should be in the mix for some saves, competing with {P Neftali Feliz}, {P Joakim Soria}, and {P Tanner Scheppers} (among others) to close out games. Mikolas has bumped around the majors lately but did save 26 games at AAA last season and has been added to the Rangers' 40-man roster.
Fantasy impact
If McGuiness can stick with the Bucs' big club out of spring training he has an excellent chance to push Sanchez for starts at first base in a time-share. That said, don't expect prodigious power numbers (yet) and do expect McGuiness to struggle with his batting average. Mikolas becomes a radar-worthy name to remember for holds and saves in Texas' new-look bullpen, but don't look for him to overpower with strikeouts even if he manages to cement a late-inning role for himself in 2014.
