NL Central Roundup: Campana, Gamel, Hurdle

Despite the slow news day, the NL Central made a flurry of moves. Let's take a look at the news around the NL Central from today.

Cubs trade Campana

The Cubs sent centerfielder Tony Campana to the Diamondbacks for a pair of teenage pitchers, which came as no surprise as the team DFA'd him recently. The move was interesting because the Cubs acquired two pitchers who have yet to pitch in the United States, let alone full season ball. Not a bad haul for the 26-year old.

Bleed Cubbie Blue shares their take on the deal, which is not too strongly-opinionated. The small faction of Campana fans are disappointed, but getting some promising young pitchers is exciting for the team.

Gamel out for season

Brewers' first baseman Mat Gamel will miss the 2013 season with a "significant" knee injury, according to reports. This means that we could see prospect Hunter Morris, as well as other options the team has. Gamel has been with the Brewers for a while, but has moved around the diamond playing at both hot corners.

Gamel tore his ACL last season, which makes this an even larger blow for the left-handed batter. Missing two seasons could be devastating for a player who is already on the fringes.

Pirates extend Hurdle

The Pirates extended the contract of manager Clint Hurdle, despite the team's sub-500 record last season. The team gave Hurdle a contract running through 2014 with an option for 2015, which means that he won't be a lame-duck manager heading into this season.

There will surely be a lot of pressure on Hurdle and the Pirates to win now, as the team has not lived up to expectations as of late. It is probably better that Hurdle is not on the last year of his deal because that may have made his job even more stressful than it would have been in the first place.