Pirates Trade Mike Koplove to Mariners for Deybis Benitez

Incredibly minor bit of news: the Bucs have dealt minor league reliever Mike Koplove to the Mariners for 22-year-old shortstop Deybis Benitez. The M's have treated Benitez like an organizational player, jerking him between different levels, but he's only 22, he can play a bunch of positions, and he hit decently last year in the Appalachian League. He's almost certainly not a prospect, but he's worth keeping an eye on for a while. Koplove has pitched very well at Class AAA all year, but he's 32, so the Pirates have no real use for him.

From the same article, it appears it might take Craig Hansen years to fully recover from his injury, which is now called "Personage-Turner Syndrome."

over 2 years ago Charlie Wilmoth 13 comments 0 recs |

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They also signed Jon Van Every to a minor league deal. He’s a AAAA-type OF who’s been with the Red Sox and is currently out for the year due to knee surgery. According to this, he expects to get a shot at the Pirates’ major league roster next year. He looks like an improved version of Jeff Salazar.

by WTM on Aug 4, 2009 6:54 PM EDT reply actions

So he's

Jr.? or should it be Sr.?

Show me a guy whos afraid to look bad, and I'll show you a guy you can beat every time. -Lou Brock

by Green_Wave on Aug 4, 2009 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions

If that is a reply to my fanpost,

Tony Pena, Jr. of the Royals is possibly being converted from ss to pitcher because he can’t AT ALL.

by David Todd on Aug 4, 2009 7:43 PM EDT up reply actions

So,

he hopes to be an Every day player?

Free your ass and your mind will follow.

by cocktailsfor2 on Aug 4, 2009 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Van Every is a very nice depth pickup.

Good defender before the injury, and ZiPS projected him for a .757 OPS this season.

These kinds of pickups can be really helpful when you’re in a pinch.

by Vlad on Aug 4, 2009 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions

i saw van every play a couple of games for the redsox.

he was very good. I didnt know at the time that he was 29 though, and was wondering how the redsox came through with players like this all the time!

In a scenario where we are competing and have a short term injury, this is the kind of guy you want to fill in

by BurgherKing on Aug 5, 2009 6:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Hansen

Recovery can take anywhere from “7 months to 5 years?” Never heard any kind of injury (sports or not) to have that range of recovery time. Sounds like something the doctors don’t necessarily know how to handle.

by BJ S on Aug 4, 2009 7:09 PM EDT reply actions

It’s not an injury, it’s a disease. And yeah, actually a lot of things take that long to recover from.

www.sixtyftsixin.com

by Sixty Feet, Six Inches on Aug 4, 2009 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions

From http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/parsonage-turner-syndrome :

PTS is usually characterized by the sudden onset of severe one-sided shoulder pain, followed by paralysis of the shoulder and lack of muscle control in the arm, wrist, or hand several days later.

Terrible news for anyone, let alone a pitcher. Hopefully Hansen gets through it somehow.

by wickethewok on Aug 4, 2009 7:32 PM EDT reply actions

Wow.

I feel terrible for Hansen, There’s a good chance he’ll never pitch again. So with the Bay trade, we’re down to LaRoche, Moss and Morris. I suppose with any luck, the Bay slump will continue and make it look closer to a draw of a trade.

by IAPiratesFan on Aug 4, 2009 9:22 PM EDT reply actions

Considering that I follow the Pirates’ minor leagues pretty closely, attend Indians games on a semi-regular basis, and had no idea that Koplov pitched in the Pirates org until today, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say this was a nifty trade. Highly unlikely anything will come of it, but a useless 22 year old flier is better than a useless 32 year old.

www.sixtyftsixin.com

by Sixty Feet, Six Inches on Aug 4, 2009 9:43 PM EDT reply actions

He pitched at Philly's AAA affiliate most of the year.

Asked for his release when they couldn’t make a spot for him with the big club, and caught on with us.

by Vlad on Aug 4, 2009 10:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Koplove strikes me as a guy who deserves a shot in the majors again. He was a pretty good reliever for several years, then had one bad year and never got another shot.

That being said, you don’t carry guys like that on the major league roster, so Koplove was going to be leaving after the season anyway. Given how awful Salazar has been, this could prove a useful move.

by WTM on Aug 5, 2009 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions