Ludwick adds little to Pirates

July, 31, 2011

7/31/11

5:40

PM ET

By Jim Bowden | ESPN.com

The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired outfielder Ryan Ludwick from the San Diego Padres in exchange for a player to be named later.

Ludwick, 33, is a former All-Star and Silver Slugger winner (2008) and is hitting .238/.301/.373 with 18 doubles, 11 home runs and 64 RBIs in 420 plate appearances. Ludwick, whose numbers have declined since he had a career season in 2008, has a career .262/.301/.373 slash line. He can hit fifth or sixth in the Pirates' lineup. He has the ability to play either corner outfield position, and is an average defender.

Ludwick is the second veteran bat acquired by Pirates GM Neal Huntington, who traded for first baseman Derrek Lee from the Baltimore Orioles. The Pirates' deals for Lee and Ludwick will not be difference-makers for the team. They are no longer middle-of-the-order production players, and both are in decline. The best part of these two deals is that they didn't include any of the Pirates' solid prospects.

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ABOUT THIS BLOG

Jim Bowden

Bowden, who served as the senior vice president and GM for the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals, is an analyst for ESPN.com. In 1992, Bowden became the youngest GM in MLB history when the Reds hired him at age 31. The Reds finished in first place twice during his 10 years as GM, and he was named MLB Executive of the Year by Baseball America in 1999. After working for ESPN in 2004, Bowden became the first GM of the Washington Nationals when the franchise relocated from Montreal to Washington, D.C., in 2005, working in that role until the 2009 season. Bowden co-hosts the "Inside Pitch" radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio. Follow on Twitter: @JimBowdenESPNxm.