PHOENIX — The Yankees traded Francisco Cervelli to the Pirates Wednesday night for lefty reliever Justin Wilson.
This means the Yankees have faith John Ryan Murphy is ready to be Brian McCann’s backup.
Wilson, 27, was exceptional in 2013, going 6-1 with a 2.08 ERA while holding lefties to a .501 OPS. In 2014, Wilson was 3-4 with a 4.20 ERA and held lefties to a good, but not elite .681 OPS.
The Yankees like Wilson’s power arm (he can throw 95 mph), above average cutter, and he is controllable for four years.
The Yankees believe their top pick from last June, Jacob Lindgren, is close to being ready to help as a lefty in the pen. But Wilson’s presence could allow the Yanks to provide further seasoning for Lindgren in the minors or protect him in the majors with a more experienced reliever.
In Cervelli, the Pirates receive a catcher who many in the game think can be a starter if he can ever stay healthy. He is viewed as a strong defender with potential in his bat. He hit .301 last year in 49 games. However, he was just about to enter the second year of arbitration and the Yankees potentially did not want to pay $1.5 million or more for a backup, particularly because they love Murphy’s defensive game, too, and think his offense has room to grow.
On Wednesday afternoon, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington told The Post his team needed to think about finding an outside catcher just in case Russell Martin left in free agency. When asked specifically about Cervelli or Murphy, Huntington said he had a priority list of about five-to-seven trade candidates, but would not say if Cervelli or Murphy was a priority.
It is possible Martin could still return to the Pirates. But the Cubs and Dodgers are very interested in Martin and it is now believed that it will take no less than a four-year contract and perhaps even five years to secure Martin. If that is the case, it would seem highly dubious he could return to the financially conservative Pirates.