The Pirates beat the buzzer with two relatively small trades prior to Friday's deadline. The team acquired first baseman/outfielder Michael Morse from the Dodgers for outfielder Jose Tabata, and left-hander J.A. Happ from the Mariners for minor league righty Adrian Sampson, the teams announced.
Morse, 33, went from the Marlins to the Dodgers earlier this week in the massive three-team, 13-player trade. He's hitting .213/.276/.313 (63 OPS+) with four home runs in 53 games this year around finger and back problems. Morse gives the Pirates depth at first base, mostly, though he could also help out in the outfield.
 
Pirates acquire Mike Morse, J.A. Happ in separate trades
 
The 32-year-old Happ has a 4.64 ERA (80 OPS+) in 108 2/3 innings for Seattle this year. He's a versatile veteran southpaw with experience starting and relieving, so he gives the Pirates some depth and flexibility. Happ will be a free agent after the season.
Tabata, 26, has spent most of the season in Triple-A, where he's hit .291/.364/.345 in 44 games. He owns a .275/.336/.377 (99 OPS+) batting line in 509 career big league games but seems to have fallen out of favor with the Pirates. Tabata is owed approximately $5.5 million through next season.
Sampson, 23, has a 3.98 ERA with 95 strikeouts and 29 walks in 124 1/3 Triple-A innings this year. Baseball America ranked him as Pittsburgh's 15th best prospect before the season, saying he "projects as a back-end starter or at least a useful setup man."
The Pirates come into Friday at 59-42, 5 1/2 games back in the NL Central and three games up on the first wild-card spot.
Mike Axisa/CBS Sports
 

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