A little good news to go with six weeks of losses. The off-the-field events continue to outshine what is happening on the field for the Pirates. If you're reading this post I don't have to add much in terms of the complete disappointment that Matt Diaz turned out to be, regardless of what he brought to the clubhouse. .259/.303/.324 with an OPS of .627 and no home runs. Fortunately his speed and defense made up for any shortcomings at the plate....wait...
The fact that the Braves were willing to take him certainly points to his past success with the team and not his current level of performance. I don't know if Atlanta agreed to pick up the remainder of his salary for this year and the $2 million owed to him next year, but if they did, it's a small coup for the Pirates.
UPDATE: The trade also opens up a spot on the 40-man that will likely be filled tomorrow when rosters expand. Matt Hague, Jose Ascanio (potential starter on Friday) and Jared Hughes are candidates to fill that spot. Indianapolis being three games out of the wild-card spot with five to go may mean the Pirates wait until they are eliminated before raiding the roster. Hague may now get the call, but I don't see him getting much playing time with Derrek Lee coming back. It is more likely to be a reward for a good season and to give him a taste of the bigs. No way he goes into spring training as the starting first baseman or even guaranteed a roster spot. He will, however, be on the 40-man.
UPDATE by Charlie: The aspect of this that some people seem to be focusing on, and understandably so, is that three of the four players the Pirates signed to major-league deals in the offseason are now gone, with only Kevin Correia remaining - and even he hasn't had a good year. It's a shame. It was a really bad offseason for the Pirates, and it looked like one at the time as well.
UPDATE by David: Dave O'Brien of the AJC tweeted that the Braves did acquire some cash in the deal. Amount unknown at the moment.