Pirates land another Yankees catcher, this time trading for Francisco Cervelli

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In what has become an offseason tradition, the Pittsburgh Pirates have added yet another former New York Yankees catcher to their roster.
As Jon Heyman of CBS Sports and Joel Sherman of the New York Post both reported Wednesday evening, Pittsburgh acquired veteran backup Francisco Cervelli from New York in exchange for left-handed reliever Justin Wilson.*That makes three straight offseasons in which Pittsburgh has signed or acquired a backstop from the Yankees.
On Nov. 30, 2012, Pittsburgh signed free agent Russell Martin to a two-year, $17 million deal after he spent two seasons as the Yankees starting catcher.
The signing, though expensive, worked out well for Pittsburgh. Martin was a part of their first two postseason teams since 1992. However, as a free agent at age 31, he's likely priced himself out of the Pirates pay range after hitting*290/.402/.430 and providing quality leadership.*
On Dec. 2, 2013, Pittsburgh acquired backup catcher Chris Stewart from New York Yankees for a player to be named later. That ended up being Kyle Haynes, a right-handed pitcher who spent 2014 playing Advanced A-Ball. Stewart, 32, hit .294/.362/.331 with zero home runs and 10 RBIs in 49 games.
With Martin opting for free agency, the Pirates were left with Stewart as the only catcher on their 40-man roster. The addition of Cervelli gives them a possible starter if Martin moves on, though Heyman suggests this isn't a concession.*

Pirates acquisition of cervelli doesn't change pursuit of russell martin. They are still in on martin.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) November 13, 2014​

When healthy in 2014, Cervelli served as the Yankees backup to Brian McCann. A hamstring injury cost him over two months and helped limit him to 49 games. He hit .301/.370/.432 with two homers and 13 RBIs. Cervelli was suspended for 50 games during the 2013 season for his connection to the Biogenesis clinic in Florida. He also missed time with a broken finger and a stress reaction in his right elbow.
In other words, staying on the field has been as issue for Cervelli and that may be a concern if he's asked to take on a full catching load. For his career, he's a .278/.348/.381 hitter in 785 plate appearances.*
In Justin Wilson, the Yankees get a 27-year-old left-hander who has been effective in relief over the past two seasons. In 2013, he was especially good, posting a 2.08 ERA over 72.2 innings. *He dropped off with a 4.20 ERA over 60 innings in 2014, but figures to factor in New York's plans for 2015.*The emergence of All-Star left-hander Tony Watson made him expendable for Pittsburgh.*
It's not the flashiest trade we'll see this winter, but it fills needs and could easily be one both teams are happy they made several months down the road.*
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813