The Pirates have placed 28-year old righty starting pitcher Charlie Morton on the 15-day disabled list due to a hip problem. He pitched in 29 games (all starts) for the Pirates last year and he was 10-10 with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Morton has now pitched in 64 games (all starts) in his first three years with the Pirates and he was 17-31 with a 4.88 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. The Pirates hope that Morton gets healthy soon, as he pitched pretty well for them last year.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired 35-year old righty starting pitcher A.J. Burnett from the Yankees for 25-year old righty reliever Diego Moreno and 20-year old lefty swinging outfielder Exicardo Cayones. Burnett pitched in 33 games (32 starts) for the Yankees last year and he was 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He has now pitched in 314 games (309 starts) so far in his major league career and he is 121-111 with a 4.10 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Burnett has always pitched better in the National League and he should excel now that he’s out of the pressure cooker in New York. He will likely be the Pirates’ #1 or #2 starter in 2012. He still has great stuff so he could have a big year in 2012. Diego Moreno pitched in 41 games (0 starts) in A+AA-ball last year for the Pirates and he was 2-4 with 5 saves, a 3.63 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Exicardo Cayones played in 38 games in Rookie+A-ball last year and he was 26 of 114 (.228 avg, .658 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 0 homers, 12 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Neither Moreno or Cayones are considered high end prospects. I really love this deal from the Pirates’ end.

UPDATE: (12/20/2012) - The Pirates have placed 24-year old switch-hitting shortstop Gustavo Nunez on the 60-day disabled list due to a right ankle injury to clear up a spot on the 40-man roster for A.J. Burnett. Nunez was a Rule 5 Draft Pick over the winter for the Pirates. He played in 96 games in A+AA-ball last year for the Tigers and he was 105 of 381 (.276 avg, .718 OPS) with 59 runs scored, 5 homers, 26 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.

UPDATE II: (3/1/2012) - A.J. Burnett fractured the orbital bone of his right eye, which will require surgery to repair. He was injured while bunting as a foul ball hit him in his eye. He will be out indefinitely and this is a big blow to the Pirates who were counting on him.

UPDATE III: (3/2/2012) - A.J. Burnett will be out 8-12 weeks after having eye surgery yesterday in Pittsburgh.

UPDATE IV: (4/5/2012) - The Pirates have placed A.J. Burnett on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 26th. He will likely be ready to return to the Pirates in late April or early May.

27-year old righty starting pitcher Charlie Morton is going to be out of action for the next 6 months after having surgery this past Monday to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. This is a bad break for Morton as he was solid for the Pirates in 2011. Morton pitched in 29 games (all starts) for the Pirates last year and he was 10-10 with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. He has now pitched in 64 games (all starts) in his first three years with the Pirates and he is 17-31 with a 4.88 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP.

The Pirates have placed 32-year old righty swinging outfielder Ryan Ludwick on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to August 23rd, due to mid back muscle spasms. This is a shame as Ludwick was finally starting to turn it on with the bat in his hands for the Pirates. He has played in 21 games for the Pirates since coming over from the Padres at the trade deadline and he is 17 for 65 (.262 avg, .722 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 1 homer and 7 RBIs.

The Pirates have placed 28-year old righty swinging 1B/OF Steven Pearce on the 15-day disabled list due to a broken right index finger. Pearce has played in 50 games for the Pirates so far this year and he is 19 for 94 (.202 avg, .515 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 1 homer and 10 RBIs. The Pirates have called up 25-year old righty swinging infielder Pedro Ciriaco to replace Pearce on the active roster. Ciriaco has already played in 10 games for the Pirates this year and he is 3 for 11 (.273 avg, .636 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs and 1 stolen base.