Twins get Welker to complete Morneau trade

To complete this summer's Justin Morneau trade, the Pittsburgh Pirates have sent minor league pitcher Duke Welker to the Minnesota Twins, the teams announced.

The #Pirates send RHP Duke Welker to the #Twins as the player to be named in the Justin Morneau trade on 8/31.

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) October 5, 2013

The Pirates acquired Morneau on August 31st in a deal which sent outfielder Alex Presley and a player to be named later (Welker) to Minnesota.

Morneau, the 2006 AL MVP, had spent more than a decade in the Twins organization prior to being dealt to the Pirates, who in the midst of a playoff race, sought added pop in their lineup. Though his power (.312 SLG) failed to shine through in his limited time with the Pirates, Morneau still hit .260 with a .370 on-base in 92 plate appearances over the course of 25 games. Including his time with the Twins, Morneau has hit .259/.323/.411 with a 103 OPS+ and 2.0 WAR this season. He is expected to enter the free agent market this winter.

Welker, who's birth name is Matthew, is a 27 year old right handed reliever who the Pirates selected in the second round of the 2007 amateur draft out of the University of Arkansas. Standing at 6-foot-7, the Washington native has pitched 7 seasons in the minors, throwing 474.1 innings (mostly in relief) with a career ERA of 4.19. He made his big league debut in June of this year, and ultimately appeared in 2 games for the Pirates this season. Of the 4 batters he faced, none reached base.