Andy

Abad

Abad, who spent Sept. 2003 with the Red Sox, hit .299/.382/.468 for Triple-A Nashville last season. He’s one of the best Triple-A outfielders around, but he hasn’t received any extended chances to make it in the majors.

The Pirates and Red Sox essentially traded quad-A outfielders, as Adam Hyzdu signed with Boston earlier in the offseason. The Pirates are getting the better player in Abad, but that doesn’t mean they’ll use him.

Abad, 33, hit .293/.361/.508 in 423 AB for Triple-A Buffalo last season. He would have been a quality reserve outfielder at his peak, but he’s just a Triple-A player now.

Abad’s probably a better hitter than Scott Hatteberg, not to mention Quinton McCracken and DeWayne Wise, but it’s very unlikely to do him any good when the Reds get around to picking their roster. The 33-year-old figures to take his .353/.463/.559 line to Triple-A Louisville.

If the Reds were going to carry a big long shot, it figured to be Brian Buchanan. Abad, though, is a worthy fifth outfielder who should have received this chance years ago. Unfortunately, he’ll be a pinch-hitter primarily, so he’s not going to have any fantasy value.

The Reds are downgrading, but that’s nothing new for them. Abad went 0-for-3 with two walks during his time on the team’s bench.

Abad, who didn’t just Licey until the end of the regular season, has nine RBI in five games of round-robin play. He’ll compete for a spot on Cincinnati’s bench in the spring.