The
Pittsburgh Pirates acquired outfielder
Marlon Byrd and catcher
John Buck in a trade Tuesday with the
New York Mets, a source told ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin.
The Mets received infield prospect Dilson Herrera and a player to be named, a source confirmed to Rubin.
Pittsburgh, which is attempting to reach the postseason for the first time since 1992, certainly bolstered its offense with the addition of Byrd, who is batting .285 with a career-high 21 home runs and 71 RBIs this season.
The 35-year-old Byrd should help the Pirates overcome the absence of leadoff hitter and star left fielder
Starling Marte, who is on the disabled list with a hand injury.
Buck, who has 15 homers and 60 RBIs, figures to serve as a backup to Pirates catcher
Russell Martin.
Pittsburgh (76-54) entered Tuesday one-half game behind the
St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the NL Central.
The Mets parted ways with the veteran duo one day after announcing that ace pitcher
Matt Harvey has a partially torn ligament in his elbow and may require Tommy John surgery.
New York decided to retain Byrd at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, citing a lack of attractive offers as well as a desire to finish the season strongly. Only $130,000 remains owed on Byrd's salary this season.
The Mets also passed on trading Buck at the non-waiver deadline, but the circumstances have changed at catcher. Rookie
Travis d'Arnaud is receiving the bulk of the playing time, having recovered from a fractured first metatarsal in his left foot. D'Arnaud made his major league debut Aug. 17.
Herrera, 19, is batting .265 with 11 homers at Class A West Virginia this season. The second baseman appeared in this year's All-Star Futures Game at Citi Field.
Information from ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin was used in this report.
