Pirates claim Brent Morel

The Pirates have announced that they've claimed third baseman Brent Morel off waivers from the Blue Jays. Morel has played his entire career in the White Sox organization, but he hasn't hit much since 2010. He played fairly regularly in the big leagues in 2011 and has since bounced back and forth between Triple-A and the big leagues.

Morel appears to be a competent defender, but he'll be 27 in April, and it's hard to see much upside from a player who hit a middling .266/.349/.403 in Triple-A in 2013. It wouldn't surprise me if the Pirates tried to sneak him through waivers later. The Bucs will need to make a roster move to find space for Morel on the 40-man.