Pirates acquire Russ Canzler from Orioles

The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired first baseman/outfielder Russ Canzler from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for right-hander Tim Alderson, according to tweets from Canzler's agent William Appleton and MASN's Roch Kubatko. Canzler was designated for assignment on Saturday to make room for the newly-acquired Alex Liddi.

Canzler, 27, hit .276 with 11 HR and 49 RBI in 86 games for Triple-A Norfolk this season after being claimed off waivers by the Orioles in February. He had an extremely busy and confusing offseason, as he was claimed off waivers by four different teams (the Blue Jays, Indians, Yankees and Orioles) in a two month period. The former Ray (2011) and Indian (2012) has hit .271 with 3 HR and 12 RBI in 86 career major league games, and will report to Triple-A Indianapolis for the Pirates.

Alderson, a former top prospect in the Giants organization, was acquired by the Pirates at the 2009 trade deadline in exchange for Freddy Sanchez. The 24-year old has made 22 appearances for Triple-A Indianapolis on the season, and is 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA. He will report to Triple-A Norfolk.

While this may seem like a minor deal, both teams received players with potential to contribute at the major league level. Canzler has been widely-coveted for his hitting abilities, and may contribute to the big league club at some point in the second half of the season. Alderson has always been considered a talented pitcher, and his strong numbers at Triple-A this season show that he may prove valuable to the Orioles.