The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired pitcher Matt Morris from San Francisco on Tuesday, an uncommon deal for a high-priced player by an out-of-contention team at the trading deadline.
Pittsburgh sent rookie outfielder Rajai Davis and a player to be named to the Giants, who began shedding salary as they look to rebuild one of the majors’ oldest teams.
The right-handed Morris, who will be 33 on Aug. 9, was a 22-game winner for St. Louis in 2002 who is 7-7 with a 4.35 ERA this season. He was rocked for 13 hits and six earned runs in seven innings in his last start, an 8-5 loss to Florida on Sunday. He is 0-4 in his last eight starts since June 11.
Morris is 118-84 with a 3.83 ERA in a career that began in 1997 with St. Louis. He also won 17 games in 2002 and 15 games in 2004. He joined the Giants after signing a $27 million, three-year deal in December 2005.
The 26-year-old Davis, a 38th-round draft pick in 2001, is hitting .271 with no homers and two RBIs in 24 games. He was a spare outfielder with Pittsburgh who didn’t figure to play much in the future.
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