Friday, 30 November 2012 18:57

Written by Michael Sanserino

The Pirates made a pair of trades Friday night, including one that sent reliever Chris Resop to the Oakland Athletics.

The Pirates acquired minor league pitcher Zach Thornton from the Athletics and sent infielder Yamaico Navarro to the Baltimore Orioles for minor league pitcher Jhondaniel Medina.

The Pirates claimed Resop, 30, off waivers in 2010, and he has been a fixture in the Pirates’ bullpen ever since. He signed a one-year, $850,000 deal last offseason to avoid arbitration. He had a 3.91 ERA last season, pitching 72 2/3 innings in 61 appearances.

Thornton, 24, has a 3.29 ERA in three minor league seasons in the Athletics organization. A right-handed reliever, he went 4-0 with 16 saves in Class A last season and has one career appearance in Class AA.

Medina, 19, has a career 3.14 ERA in three minor league seasons. He spent most of last season pitching for the Gulf Coast League Orioles, where he went 1-3 with a 3.72 ERA.

The Pirates traded for Navarro, 25, last season, and he appeared in 29 games for the Pirates, hitting .160 with one home run. He was designated for assignment earlier this week.