At the trade deadline the Pirates chose not to make any high-impact moves, instead acquiring Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick in the hopes that the pair of underperforming veterans would turn things around at modest prices.
Since then the Pirates have plummeted out of the playoff picture, with Lee playing just five games before being placed on the disabled list with a fractured wrist, and now Ludwick has joined him on the shelf with back spasms.
Ludwick hit just .262 with one homer and a .722 OPS in 21 games before the injury, which isn’t exactly the type of right-handed thump the Pirates were hoping for from the 32-year-old outfielder.