Rays complete trade with Pirates, invite three to spring training
The Tampa Bay Rays completed their trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday by acquiring minor-league right-hander Buddy Borden. They also signed three players to minor-league contracts with invitations to major-league spring training: Catcher Bobby Wilson, outfielder Corey Brown and infielder/outfielder Eugenio Velez.
Borden, 22, spent the 2014 season with Class-A West Virginia, where he went 7-9 with a 3.16 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 27 games (26 starts). A UNLV product, the Pirates took him in the seventh round of the 2013 draft.
Meanwhile, Wilson, 31, spent parts of six seasons in the majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2014) and Los Angeles Angels (2008 to 2012), batting a combined .209 in 193 games. Brown, 29, played parts of four seasons in the majors with the Boston Red Sox (2014) and Washington Nationals (2011 to 2013), appearing in 39 games. Velez, 32, spent parts of five seasons in the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2011) and San Francisco Giants (2007 to 2010), hitting .241 with eight home runs and 72 RBI in 259 games.
Utility man Sean Rodriguez, who spent the past five seasons with the Rays, was traded to the Pirates on Dec. 1 for cash and a player to be named later.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
