As first reported by Buster Olney of ESPN, the Yankees and the Pirates are on the verge of yet another transaction. The Pirates will acquire catcher Chris Stewart from the Yankees for cash or a player to be named later, according to Jon Heyman. This isn’t the first time that former Yankees have been Pirates, as A.J. Burnett, Russell Martin, Jose Tabata, Jeff Karstens, etc. were all in New York prior to Pittsburgh.
Stewart is a career .214 hitter, and had a slash line of .211/.293/.272 with four home runs and 25 RBIs in his final season with the Yankees. Defensively, Stewart threw out 31 percent of runners last year, and throws them out at a 33 percent clip throughout his career.
To make room for Stewart, the Pirates designated catcher Michael McKenry for assignment. Bringing in Stewart also means Tony Sanchez will start the year in Triple A in order to play every day. If Martin goes down, it’s likely that Sanchez would take over the starting duties.
