The Pirates have acquired first baseman Chris McGuiness from the Rangers for Miles Mikolas, according to a team press release. Mikolas was with the organization for just over a month, having come from San Diego in the Jaff Decker / Alex Dickerson deal.
McGuiness was designated for assignment when the Rangers made their Shin-Soo Choo signing official. McGuiness is only 25 and he's left-handed, but he's probably just a depth piece, not a serious answer to the Pirates' first-base problem. He hit .246/.369/.423 for Triple-A Round Rock last year, which is fine, but that's all. His record of hitting in the minor leagues has been similarly decent, but unspectacular. He draws tons of walks but doesn't hit all that well for average, and bat speed may be the culprit. That's not the profile of the kind of player who usually takes a big step forward as he heads into his late 20s.
McGuiness is perfectly worthy of a spot on the 40-man for now, and this trade is fine as long as the Pirates aren't done trying to address first base.