JA Happ joins Pirates, LHP LaFromboise sent back to minors

This he stated directly influenced the need to acquire J.A. Happ in a trade.

A disappointing second half, one which he claims is the last of his career continued for Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher A.J. Burnett as he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with elbow inflammation.

Left-hander Bobby LaFromboise was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to take his roster spot. It is uncertain if the injury will require more than 15 days of recovery time.

The 32-year-old Happ has a 4.64 ERA (80 OPS+) in 108 2/3 innings for Seattle this year.

“We’ve been fortunate to have our starters stay healthy”, Huntington said. “For me, getting a fresh start would be a good thing”. Los Angeles did however complete a three-team deal with the Braves and Marlins, in which they acquired Mat Latos, Michael Morse, Jose Peraza, Alex Wood, Jim Johnson, Luis Avilan, Bronson Arroyo, and traded Hector Olivera, Paco Rodriguez, Zack Bird, and a competitive balance pick.

Morse is expected to be used as a right-handed bat off the bench who can spell first baseman Pedro Alvarez.

The Pirates acquired Soria in a trade with the Detroit Tigers on Thursday and grabbed right-hander Joe Blanton from the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.

Sampson, 23, is from Redmond and played at Skyline High School and Bellevue College. With Triple-A Indianapolis this season, he was 8-8 with a 3.98 ERA over 124 1/3 innings with 95 strikeouts in 21 starts. LaFromboise made his one appearance with the Pirates this season, pitching a scoreless inning on May 14 at Philadelphia. The 38-year-old gave up 10 hits, two walks and eight runs – seven earned – in 4 1-3 innings in the series opener.