Big trade! McClouth gone to Atlanta for three players!
06/03/09 7:31 PM ET
PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates have traded center fielder Nate McLouth to the Braves in exchange for three players -- outfielder Gorkys Hernandez, left-hander Jeff Locke and right-hander Charlie Morton.
McLouth left PNC Park earlier in the evening after the Pirates' game was postponed due to rain.
The trade sends two of Atlanta's top eight prospects, as ranked by Baseball America, to the Pirates. Hernandez, a center fielder with the Braves' Double-A affiliate, was ranked No. 4 heading into the season. Hernandez has hit .316 through his first 52 games this season.
Locke, Atlanta's seventh-best prospect, was a second-round Draft pick in 2006 and has pitched for the Braves' high Class A affiliate this season. He is 1-4 with a 5.52 ERA in 10 starts.
Morton, who went 4-8 with a 6.15 ERA in 15 starts (16 appearances) for the Braves last season, was 7-2 with a 2.51 ERA at Triple-A Gwinnett this season.
McLouth, a first-time All-Star in 2008, was in his second season as the Pirates' everyday center fielder. He had signed a multi-year contract with the Pirates this offseason.
The trade clears the way for the promotion of center fielder Andrew McCutchen, who is batting .303 with four home runs and 20 RBIs at Triple-A Indianapolis.
Roaches survive!
