Indians acquire Bixler from Pirates

Clearing a 40-man roster spot for Brendan Donnelly, the Pirates on Monday traded infielder Brian Bixler to the Indians for fellow infielder Jesus Brito. The Pirates looked at Bixler as the most expendable player on their roster, and they had made it clear he wasn’t in their 2010 plans after they signed Bobby Crosby, giving them four veteran middle infielders on major league deals. Bixler, 27, hit .275/.343/.439 for Triple-A Indianapolis last season. He actually had a rather remarkable major league line, as he managed to bat .227 despite striking out 26 times in 44 at-bats. He was 10-for-18 with five doubles when he put the ball in play. Overall, Bixler has hit .178/.238/.237 in 152 at-bats as a major leaguer. He’s a below average defensive shortstop, but a pretty good second baseman. He needs to really step it up if he’s going to have a career as a utilityman. The Indians could keep him as their second baseman against left-handers if they decide Jason Donald would benefit from more Triple-A time. Brito, primarily a third baseman, hit .353/.431/.567 in 224 at-bats between the Arizona and New York-Penn Leagues last season, but as a 21-year-old, he was quite a bit older than most of the competition he was facing. The Indians didn’t view him as one of their better infield prospects.