Pirates receive Steven Brault from Orioles to complete Travis Snider trade

The Pirates have announced that they've received pitcher Steven Brault from Baltimore as the PTBNL in the Travis Snider trade. Brault joins Stephen Tarpley, whose inclusion in the trade was already known.

The Baltimore Sun reported last month that the Pirates had interest in Brault, so it comes as no surprise that they'd wind up with him. Brault will be 23 in April. He pitched most of last season at Class A Delmarva, and also had three good starts with Class A+ Frederick. Minor League Ball calls him a "polished lefty" and rated him the No. 16 prospect in the Orioles' system. He reportedly throws in the high 80s.

Lefties without a ton of velocity can often put up good numbers in the low minors despite not having a ton of actual big-league potential, so Brault doesn't appear to be a crucial addition to the trade -- Tarpley looks like a significantly better prospect. Brault looks like the type who could become the next Jeff Locke, which certainly wouldn't be bad, but he has a million hurdles to clear before he gets there. He does, at least, give the Pirates a bit of additional pitching depth, which they can use after shipping out Joely Rodriguez and Buddy Borden this offseason. Brault will probably start the 2015 season in the Bradenton rotation.

If you thought the Snider trade was bad before, though, Brault's addition probably won't change your mind. The trade really hinges on the Bucs' view of Snider -- if 2014 was a career year and he's actually not much better than Andrew Lambo or whoever else the Pirates might use as their fourth outfielder, then I suppose it makes sense, although it's not a trade I would have made.