Pirates trade with Arizona for infielder Josh VanMeter; designate outfielder Jared Oliva
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired infielder Josh VanMeter from the Arizona Diamondbacks for a minor league pitcher Thursday in a move that required the shuffling of their 40-man roster.
VanMeter, 27, slashed .212/.297/.354 with 17 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 36 RBIs last season for Arizona. He spent two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, batting .214 with nine homers and 24 RBIs in 109 games. VanMeter has made 52 appearances (46 starts) at second base, 25 appearances (19 starts) at third base and also has played first base, left field and right field.
VanMeter was designated for assignment Monday by the Diamondbacks.
The Pirates sent 20-year-old right-handed pitcher Listher Sosa to Arizona. The 6-foot-4, 208-pounder pitched in the rookie Florida Coast League last season, going 3-1 with a 4.31 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 31 1/3 innings over 11 appearances, including two starts. He avearged 9.5 strikeouts and 1.4 walks per nine innings.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Pirates designated outfielder Jared Oliva for assignment. Oliva batted .154 (2 for 13) in seven Grapefruit League games this spring and was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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